The latest economic data on Trump’s tariff policies tells a troubling story that every American family needs to understand. Despite bold promises from some conservative voices, the numbers paint a very different picture than what we were told to expect.
The Wharton Budget Model dropped a bombshell in April showing Trump’s tariffs could slash our economy by 6 percent over the long run. Even worse, American wages could drop by 5 percent while middle-class families face a staggering $22,000 lifetime loss. These aren’t liberal talking points but hard facts from serious economists.
J.P. Morgan had to cut their growth forecast for America down to just 1.6 percent because of tariff uncertainty and trade chaos. The bank’s top economist warned that tariffs already imposed are pushing inflation higher and hurting American exporters. This is exactly what free-market conservatives have always warned about.
California businesses paid over $11 billion in tariff costs in just five months this year. The Port of Los Angeles is running at only 70 percent capacity while trade jobs disappeared across Southern California. When even liberal California is getting hammered this hard, you know the damage is real.
American families are feeling the pain right in their wallets. Yale Budget Lab found that tariffs could cost households an extra $2,400 this year alone. That’s money coming straight out of the pockets of hardworking Americans who are already struggling with high prices.
The steel and aluminum tariffs imposed in March mirror the same failed policies from Trump’s first term. Back then, these tariffs sparked retaliatory measures and drove up costs for American manufacturers. History is repeating itself, and American workers are paying the price.
True conservatives believe in free markets and limited government interference in trade. Tariffs are just taxes on American consumers disguised as economic patriotism. When government picks winners and losers through trade policy, everyone loses except the special interests.
We need honest leadership that admits when policies aren’t working instead of cheerleading economic failure. American families deserve better than empty promises while their purchasing power gets destroyed by misguided trade wars that help nobody except foreign competitors.
