As President Donald Trump again ratchets up trade tensions with China and Canada, he has the strong backing of Republican voters. But he risks putting his party’s congressional candidates — many of whom are more supportive of free trade — in a bind.

Top Republicans in Congress love Trump’s tax cuts, but they do not love the tariffs that have become the centerpiece of his trade policy. This combination is a classic conservative position that favors low taxes, whether on income or on imports.

Few Americans outside Washington share that view.

Republican voters across the country approve of Trump’s tariffs almost as much as they approve of his tax cuts, according to a survey conducted for The New York Times in early September by the online polling firm SurveyMonkey.

Democrats disapprove of tariffs and tax cuts by an equally enthusiastic degree. Independents are more split, but they lean toward the Democratic position on both issues.

Not even 1 in 10 American voters in the survey expressed support for the tax cuts while opposing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum — the stated preference of Republican leaders.

That leaves Republican congressional hopefuls with few safe options. Candidates who embrace Trump’s trade policies risk turning off independent voters, as well as the business leaders who are a key part of the Republican donor base. But bucking Trump could alienate many Republicans.

The results could help explain why congressional Republicans have done little to block Trump’s tariffs, beyond condemning them in news releases and interviews. They suggest that trade has become a proxy question for support of Trump, like many other policy issues.