Sarah Bauerle Danzman on Republican shifts in economic policy
On August 28, 2025, Sarah Bauerle Danzman, associate professor at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, was featured on the BBC’s World Business Report podcast to share her insights on the Republican Party’s evolving approach to economic policy.
Bauerle Danzman explained how Republican thinking has shifted over the past decade from championing free markets and limited government to embracing interventionist policies such as tariffs, industrial planning, and direct involvement in private markets. She noted that these changes not only reshape the U.S. economy but also influence the global economic landscape.
In the interview, she highlighted that President Trump’s coalition is a collection of groups that hold different preferences over tariff policies. The first group she discusses is economic populists, many of whom are former Democrats, who feel left behind by a series of trade negotiations that many believe hollowed out and weakened the lower and middle classes.
Bauerle Danzman also discussed a second group, referred to as “security hawks,” and emphasized the risks of fragile global supply chains, describing how offshoring key industries poses national security threats. This group is more generally opposed to tariffs, but views an increasingly large proportion of the economy as critical for national security and military preparedness. She noted that U.S. purchasing decisions are becoming increasingly political, reflecting the intersection of domestic challenges, demographic shifts, and interventionist strategies.
Finally, other parts of President Trump’s coalition – such as the “tech right” - are predisposed to dislike tariffs but are mollified by the largely pro-tech and pro-crypto regulatory stance of the administration.
Bauerle Danzman’s conversation with the BBC underscores her expertise at the crossroads of economics and international politics, and it illustrates how faculty at Hamilton Lugar are helping global audiences make sense of pressing issues that shape both policy and everyday life.
You can listen to the full podcast, President Trump wants the US government to take a share when American companies succeed, on the BBC website.
About the author: Elizabeth Pierce is a first year Master of International Affairs graduate student in the Hamilton Lugar School.