Sign of Republican backlash as four senators call for the reversal of Canadian tariffs

The first signs of an internal backlash against Donald Trump's declaration of a global trade war were starting to emerge last night amid tanking stock markets and widespread international criticism of the move.

- Robert Tait

Hours after Trump unveiled a sweeping panoply of tariffs, four Republican senators defied him by voting for a Senate resolution from Democrats demanding the 25% tariffs on Canadian products be reversed.

The resolution lacks the force of law but its support from Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, both of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska signaled the deep misgivings among some Republicans over Trump's tariff gambit which has triggered a global stocks sell-off.

McConnell, the former Senate majority leader, issued a scathing denunciation after Wednesday evening's vote. "Trade wars with our partners hurt working people most," he said. "Tariffs drive up the cost of goods and services. They are a tax on everyday working Americans."

Trump's former vice-president, Mike Pence, called the tariffs "the largest peacetime tax hike in US history". "These tariffs are nearly 10 times the size of those imposed during the Trump-Pence administration and will cost American families over $3,500 per year," he said.