Latest Research
PULSE - February 17, 2026
Tariff Turmoil, Treasury Tensions, and the Transformation of Safe Haven Preferences Continue in February
Anti-Tariff Sentiment Intensifies as Political and Legal Challenges Mount
The past week witnessed a marked intensification of language reflecting public opposition to the Trump administration's tariff regime. Perscient's semantic signature tracking the density of language arguing that Americans are broadly opposed to tariffs rose sharply by 293 points to a Value of 439, one of the most substantial weekly increases across all monitored narratives.
This shift found concrete expression in Congress on February 11, when six House Republicans crossed party lines to vote to end Trump's tariffs on Canada. Representatives Bacon, Massie, Kiley, Fitzpatrick, Hurd, and Newhouse joined nearly all Democrats in the 219-211 vote. The measure now heads to the Senate, where the president would almost certainly veto it. Days earlier, House Republicans had defied leadership to sink a procedural vote that would have barred lawmakers from overturning the president's sweeping global tariffs.
