Trump’s political mythology is colliding with reality, and some of the rats are jumping ship

Donald Trump's economic claims are running headlong into the lived experience of American voters. His tariffs are functioning as an enormous tax on American consumers, while the economic consequences become increasingly difficult to disguise.
U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 14, 2026. Trump's most enthusiastic supporters are beginning to discover that trade wars have consequences, writes John McKay.

SCARBOROUGH, ONT.—The rats are leaving the ship.

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