WASHINGTON - He called it "Liberation Day," but President Donald Trump's Wednesday unveiling of reciprocal tariffs could cause political headwinds for his party and economic pain for his constituents if his promises to recast the economy do not work out.

Experts say it will take years to rekindle U.S. manufacturing, alter supply chains and bring home production, the goals Republican Trump and his supporters suggest his tariffs will achieve.

In the meantime, consumers are likely to see higher prices, the economy could enter a downturn, and allies will put their own levies on American products - effects that Trump has called a "disturbance" but that voters may not be willing to accept going into the midterm elections next year.

Trump's Republicans control the House of Representatives and the Senate with narrow margins. Tariff-driven losses in the midterms could hand power of one or both chambers to opposition Democrats.

"He (Trump) has a high tolerance for pain, but it could turn into real pain at the ballot box (in) November 2026," said Mike Dubke, a former communications director for the president during his first term. "The concern here is what point are we going to see the benefits that he and his advisers believe we're going to reap? Because he's only got 18 months before the midterms."

Economists say tariffs translate to taxes on consumers, and a broad majority of Americans - 70%, including 62% of Republicans - believe that increased tariffs will drive up the price of groceries and other consumer goods, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

About 53% of respondents to the poll agreed with the statement that increased tariffs would do more harm than good, while 31% disagreed. The rest were unsure or did not answer.

Just 31% of respondents agreed that U.S. workers come out ahead when the country charges tariffs on imported goods, while 48% disagreed.

"The principal risk is around the economy," said Lanhee Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution and former adviser to Republican leaders Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio, referring to the tariffs.

"One is an immediate risk on prices and what that means for a president who was elected in part to bring prices down," he said. Another is the potential for the economy to enter a recessionary phase, said Chen, who cautioned that describing the potential economic impact was speculative and expressed support for the use of tariffs as a public policy tool.

Trump promised as a presidential candidate to bring prices down, and voters' concerns about inflation hur...