WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The political fallout from the# Trump administration's tariff policies continues,## and intraparty fighting seems to be breaking# out with both Democrats and Republicans.

For analysis, we are joined by Amy Walter of The## Cook Political Report With Amy# Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

Welcome to you both.

AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: Thank .. Tam, sorry to not have you here in the room with us,## but you look great, huge at# the end of the table there.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: First question to you.# I don't know if you heard.

We had David## Wessel on the program earlier talking# about the economic crater that this## has blown into the U.S. economy and how the# future does not really seem all that clear.

What have the political repercussions been# for the president and his administration?

TAMARA KEITH: I think that there are# repercussions, even though the policy## is a little bit unclear, or it seems# like it changes every 48 hours or so.

And various Trump administration officials are# delivering different messages depending on what## show they're on.

And then President Trump will# come out on social media and say something else,## for instance, his social media post saying# that there were no exceptions for electronics,## they're still being tariffed, and# also there might be more to come.

What the consequences end up being is that# consumer sentiment is in a very bad place.## And consumer sentiment also then goes forward# into sentiment about the president's performance## on the economy.

It is his weakest point.

It# is -- of all of the things that are polled## in terms of the president's performance, his# performance on the economy is at the bottom,## which is remarkable because he came into office as# the businessman who was going to shake things up.

He came into office -- and generally Republicans# are viewed more favorably on the economy.

So to## have that as his weak point does indicate# that there is something happening here,## that consumers are worried about# a recession, and that polling -- a## CBS poll over the weekend indicated a large# share of voters, including many Republicans,## believe that prices are going to get higher as a# result of this policy, at least in the short term.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Right.

I mean, and that, Amy, is certainly disastrous for#an administration.

I mean, does ... about-face, the tariffs are on, well, now they're# off, indicate that he is feeling that pressure.

AMY WALTER: I don't know.

I mean, I do think that he firmly believes and has#firmly believed for the last 40 years t... is the right policy and that, as he does in many# things, sometimes, the policy is not as organized## as many people would like to see, but that it --# but it will work out at the end of the day.

And I## think that's why you have so many Republicans# still sticking with him, including voters.

That CBS poll finds most Republicans willing# to give him some time for this to work out,## even as they're saying, yes, in the short term,# we expect prices to rise.

There's also a little## bit of a silver lining in some of this# polling that we're seeing.

While his... WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Silver lining for the president.

AMY WALTER: For the president, yes, for him.

Even as consumers -- as Tam points out, consumers# are nervous and his handling of the economy has## dropped off in recent in recent# weeks, what we're also seeing is that## 51 percent of voters in the CBS polls# say that they like the idea of what he's## trying to get at.

It's that 65 percent of# them don't like the way he's going at it.

So that...

The idea that there's a need for these# tariffs and that, amon.. obviously, Democrats aren't giving the president# any credit.

Republicans are all with him.

Among independent voters, more than 60 percent of# them in the CBS poll said they're willing to wait## a few weeks, months, even up to a year for these# to work themselves out.

And so while the chaos of## it is exhausting, is taking a toll for consumers# and for the president's overall approval rating,## he may actually have some more time for this# to get to a place that people feel like, oh,## OK, either that wasn't so bad or# maybe we're in a better place.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Tamara, I want to pivot to the# Democrats for a second and sort of a bind that## they seem to be in.

I mean, on the one hand, you# have Democrats that -- especially state governors,## who feel like they have to talk to the president# to try to dodge the incoming fire of his tariffs.

But you also have a base that very much# wants them to fight like hell against## him.

And we saw that in those protests that# erupted around the country recently.

There## was this remarkable example that happened# here in Washington where Michigan Governor## Gretchen Whitmer came to Washington, D.C.,# to talk to President Trump about this.

But apparently she was dragged into a photo-op# that she didn't want to be a part of.

And The## New York Times had this incredible photograph of# her basically covering her face as if to indicate,## I'm not cozying up to the president, dear voters,# who you want me to be hitting with a big club.

Describe a little bit the bind that# the Democrats find themselves in.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes, and I think governors# in particular find themselves in a bind.## You have Governor Whitmer hiding# behind that folder and then just## getting taken to task on social media.# Not that social media is real life,## but people saying, and that's the# day she lost the race for president.

I don't know that that's -- I think that's# overstating the case.

But the challenge for## governors is that they do need the federal# government.

They need federal assistance## when there are disasters.

They need those# Medicaid payments.

They -- essentially, they## need to somehow work with the federal government# because that's the way our government functions at## the same time that at any given moment President# Trump could turn on them, could withhold funding,## could -- as he's been doing with universities# and going after the state of Maine, for instance.

And so governors are in an incredibly challenging# position just trying to govern and lead their## states at this time where the president of the# United States could turn on them at any moment,## but where their voters, as you say, do really# want change.

They want a fighter.

They want## someone to aggressively hit back at the president,# though, yes, they're just a little bit stuck.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And, Amy, there's also this# frustration we have been seeing vented most## recently by a lot of progressive Democrats# challenging sitting Democrats in House races,## also Bernie Sanders and Alexandria# Ocasio-Cortez getting tens of thousands## of people out on a very economic# populist fight the president message.

AMY WALTER: Right.

I think what we're seeing more than anything#is one -- much more of style than ideology.## Somebody, I heard the other day saying what# Democrats are fighting about is not to be## more progressive, but to be more aggressive,# especially when it comes to Donald Trump.

Where that gets them, though, is the -- really# the next question because fundamentally,## and this is where I think Whitmer was going,# which is you not only have to work with the## president because I'm a governor of a state# and for all the reasons Tam pointed out,## you need federal assistance, but also what# do the Democrats stand for economically?

And that's going to be the# big question going forward.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Amy Walter, Tamara# Keith, great to have you both.

Thank you.

AMY WALTER: You're welcome.