Are Trump’s Tariff Critics Missing the Bigger Picture?
With Donald Trump gearing up to slap “reciprocal tariffs” on U.S. trade partners starting April 2, his critics are going all in, calling tariffs a price-hiking disaster. But instead of focusing on how Trump might be using them the wrong way, they’re writing off tariffs altogether even though Democrats embraced them under Biden.
Let’s not forget, Biden actually expanded Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports in 2024. Yet, inflation still cooled off, just like it did after Trump first introduced tariffs on $350 billion worth of Chinese goods back in 2018. Meanwhile, Biden’s mix of tariffs and policies to boost domestic production led to a manufacturing boom something Trump keeps promising but hasn’t quite delivered. By 2023, the U.S. saw its highest factory investment rate in 30 years. Ironically, Kamala Harris slammed “Trump’s tariffs” during her 2024 campaign, and it didn’t exactly win over working-class voters.
The real issue isn’t tariffs themselves it’s how Trump is using them. His constant tariff tweaks and unpredictable moves (like tying them to immigration and drug trafficking) create instability. Investors don’t like uncertainty, and instead of pouring money into American manufacturing, they’re holding back. Yet, polls show most Americans still support higher tariffs on China. So, are they wrong?
For decades, U.S. trade policies, combined with an overvalued dollar, have made it cheaper to import rather than produce goods domestically. Since the ‘70s, America’s trade deficit has ballooned, hitting a record $918 billion in 2024. That’s helped Wall Street but crushed U.S. manufacturing, wiping out over 90,000 factories and five million jobs. It’s also fueled economic inequality most Americans can’t cover a $500 emergency expense, and life expectancy is declining, especially for those without college degrees.
Tariffs won’t fix everything, but they’re part of the solution. The U.S. can’t export its way out of the problem because some countries like China, Germany, and Japan are using aggressive trade tactics to flood global markets. If deficit-running countries banded together to raise tariffs on surplus countries, it could level the playing field. And if they also enforced labor and environmental standards, trade could work for more people, not just corporations.
Despite what critics say, tariffs don’t always raise consumer prices. Companies decide whether to absorb costs or pass them on. Studies found that after Trump’s 2018 China tariffs, retail prices barely budged because businesses ate the costs. But some companies do use tariffs as an excuse to jack up prices like when washer prices went up in Canada, even though there were no tariffs there. Stronger competition laws could help stop that.
At the end of the day, the U.S. needs to tackle its massive trade deficit. Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” might not be the right strategy, but dismissing tariffs altogether is a mistake. Instead of arguing over whether tariffs are “Trumpian,” the real question should be: Will they actually help American workers?
