These Michigan swing voters are bracing for higher prices from trade war with Canada

Mel Gutherie, president of Gutherie Lumber, walks among Canadian lumber products on Aug. 25 in Livonia, Mich. Paul Sancya/AP hide caption President Trump's tariff standoff with Canada is rankling some key voters ahead of this year's midterm elections. NPR observed two online focus groups Wednesday night with 13 people in Michigan who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and then Trump in 2024. Eleven of these swing voters said the trade war with Canada, which borders Michigan, would be bad for the state.

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Scoop News Deskelectorate is thinking and feeling. This year, Michigan · Published Friday, September 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM UTCUpdated Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 5:53 AM UTC

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He said because Michigan borders Canada, voters there are particularly nervous about financial blowback from Trump's tariff policies. "It's real for them," Thau told NPR. "It's proximate and they're concerned that this is going to be damaging to them personally and to the state overall." Some of these voters said they personally witness a lot of commerce between the two countries.

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