CHINA/GOP/TARIFFS/TRADE WAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In the halls of the Capitol these days, Republican lawmakers from Southern states aren’t exactly eager to talk about the President’s trade war with China. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky didn’t have anything to say when approached by CNN on Tuesday. Asked if trade with China has been good for his state, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said he didn’t know. Fellow South Carolinian Sen. Lindsey Graham said it was a good question and that he’d have to think about it. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas just shrugged. There’s a reason Southern Republicans are reluctant to talk about tariffs. As much as any region in the country, the South has benefited from free trade, which has helped boost demand for its agricultural goods and provided its factories with low-cost components to feed the region’s growing industrial base. But those economic interests cut against the political preferences of the majority of voters in Southern states, where Trump enjoys some of his highest approval ratings in the country.”
–Michael Warren, “Trump’s trade war puts Southern Republicans in an awkward spot,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 16, 2019 9:06 am