Donald Trump’s supporters call him a populist. They say he stands up to China. They cheer when he slaps tariffs on foreign goods and promises to bring jobs back home. So Trumpers, in July 2025, how’s that working out for you? Americans are paying the price—literally—for your hero’s reckless, economically illiterate trade war.
The Labor Department just reported that inflation rose 2.7% year-over-year in June—its sharpest increase since February. The spike is primarily driven by Trump’s reinstated and expanded tariffs on thousands of imported products. From groceries and clothing to furniture and appliances, Americans are watching the cost of everyday life tick upward month after month.
The promise was protectionism. The reality is pain.
Let’s be clear: tariffs are taxes. They are not paid by China. They are not paid by Mexico.
They are paid by you.
Consumers, workers, Small Businesses—everyday Americans—foot the bill every time a foreign-made product is hit with a tariff. That’s not a talking point. That’s economics 101. Yet Donald Trump, a man who dodged economics the same way he dodged Vietnam, has doubled down on his trade war like a carnival barker selling snake oil.
According to the Tax Foundation, Trump’s first term tariffs cost the average American household over $1,200 per year. That’s not counting the hundreds of thousands of jobs lost in industries that depend on imported parts, nor the damage to farmers who were cut off from key foreign markets and had to be bailed out with taxpayer subsidies.
Fast forward to the present: Trump is back in the Oval Office, and his economic instincts have not improved. In fact, they’ve calcified. Since returning to power, he has announced a universal 10% tariff on all imports, and a whopping 60% tariff on Chinese goods. He frames this as a patriotic push for American manufacturing. But what it really amounts to is a nationwide price hike, a tax on nearly everything Americans buy.
Meanwhile, Trump is out on the campaign trail, boasting that his tariffs are “making America rich again.”
Rich? Who?
Big corporations may survive by passing costs on to consumers. Multinational manufacturers may offshore more aggressively to avoid tariffs altogether. But for families trying to pay a grocery bill, young couples trying to furnish an apartment, or seniors on fixed incomes—Trump’s trade war is a direct hit to their wallets.
Has American manufacturing come roaring back? No. In fact, domestic production remains below pre-pandemic levels, automation continues to replace human labor, and many of the factories Trump promised never materialized.
Has China capitulated? No. They’ve retaliated with tariffs of their own, sought trade partners elsewhere, and doubled down on domestic production. Their Economy slowed—but ours did too, while their geopolitical influence expanded.
Have wages gone up? No. Not for most workers. Any gains from tight labor markets have been more than offset by rising prices. It’s the working class—not the ruling class—that suffers the most from inflation.
So, who benefits?
Nobody in the short term. Not consumers. Not small businesses. Not farmers. Not retailers.
And in the long term? Perhaps a handful of insulated industries might scrape by with temporary advantages. But these gains will be marginal compared to the widespread economic drag tariffs create.
The irony is obvious: Trump launched his political career claiming to be a friend of the “forgotten man.” Now, he is taxing every man, every time they buy a lightbulb, a new pair of sneakers, a microwave for their kitchen, or tries to feed their Family.
Economists across the political spectrum have warned for years that tariffs are blunt instruments with hidden costs. The Trump team either doesn’t understand that—or doesn’t care. Populist theater, not smart policy, was always the playbook.
In a global economy, there are better ways to compete: invest in infrastructure, fund Education, incentivize Innovation, negotiate trade deals that enforce labor and environmental standards, and support industries transitioning to the future—not the past.
But none of those things fit neatly on a red baseball cap.
Instead, Trump gives us tariffs . . . tariffs give us inflation . . . and the pain is real.
If you are feeling the pinch at the checkout counter, don’t blame the cashier. Blame the guy who treats trade deficits like casino losses and sees your grocery bill as patriotic homage to his political ego.
Welcome to the Trumper-Tariff-Land, where everybody pays.
Mark M. Bello is an attorney and author of 9 Zachary Blake Legal Thrillers and other legal themed novels and children’s books. For more information, please visit https://www.markmbello.com
Editor’s Note: A friend recently purchased a $150,000 sailboat built in the Netherlands. It is now stuck in a dock in Florida pending completion of the registration process. Problem: a 10% tariff increases the cost by $15,000. If the 25% tariff is imposed, the cost will be $37,500. The boat’s owner is a MAGAT who backs Trump. Do you feel sorry for him?
