US tariff wars make Americans to pay again and again

By Shen Shiwei

A customer shops at a Target store in Rosemead, California, the U.S., March 4, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

The simple fact, now starkly evident, is that all the tariffs imposed by the U.S. against over 180 countries and regions have seamlessly morphed into a heavy burden borne not by foreign entities, but by the very consumers and businesses within its own borders. This self-defeating policy has unfolded like a relentless storm, battering the wallets of ordinary Americans, crippling domestic industries and inflicting deep wounds on the nation's economic fabric.

Let's start with the most vulnerable, American consumers, especially the low-income families. The grocery store, once a place of routine, has become a source of anxiety. Eggs, once a staple of affordable nutrition, have seen prices surge due to avian flu and the tariffs policy adopted by the Trump administration. Daily necessities, from coffee beans to nuts and cheese, now come with a hefty premium. Take a family budgeting for their child's birthday – the cost of toys, often imported, has climbed significantly.

The case of Amazon is a telling example. In April, as analyzed by price tracking tool SmartScout, sellers on the e-commerce giant raised prices on nearly 1,000 products, with an average hike of 30 percent. When Amazon intended to display tariff costs on product pages transparently, the White House reacted with outrage, calling it a "hostile and political act." This reaction is both absurd and revealing. It shows that the administration, rather than acknowledging the reality, is trying to suppress the truth: Tariffs are a tax on American consumers, pure and simple.

By attempting to silence businesses from disclosing the real impact, the government is treating the public like fools, refusing to admit that their so-called protectionist measures are nothing more than a regressive tax hitting the poor the hardest.

Far from being shielded, American businesses are taking the brunt of the tariff war. The footwear industry is a prime casualty. This is not hyperbole. The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, a trade group, recently sent a letter signed by 76 footwear brands, including Nike and Under Armour, to the White House. Warning that the tariffs posed an "existential threat" to the industry, the association asked for an exemption from the so-called reciprocal tariffs, rightly pointing out that steeper tariffs would lead to a double whammy: higher costs for businesses struggling with global supply chains and inevitably higher consumer prices.

These companies aren't just complaining but facing real existential challenges. Many have invested decades in building global supply networks, and sudden tariff hikes disrupt these intricate systems. Small and medium-sized enterprises, which lack the resources of giants like Nike, are even more vulnerable. They often have no choice but to absorb some of the costs, eating into already thin profit margins, or pass them on to customers, risking losing market share. The result? A slow but sure erosion of the American business landscape, with job losses and business closures becoming an increasingly common sight.

The U.S. Commerce Department building in Washington, D.C., the U.S., April 28, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

The impact extends far beyond individual consumers and businesses to the macroeconomic level. The U.S. Commerce Department's latest data sent shockwaves: The country's economy shrank in the first quarter of 2025, the first contraction since 2022. This is no coincidence. Tariffs drag economic growth by increasing input costs for manufacturers, reducing the competitiveness of American exports and dampening consumer spending, one of the backbones of the U.S. economy.

Businesses are hesitant to invest because they are uncertain about future tariff policies. Foreign investors, put off by the unpredictable trade environment, are scaling back. The tariff war has created a lose-lose situation where economic growth stalls and the specter of recession looms larger. Let's not forget the farmers, the constituency supposed to benefit from this protectionist agenda. Instead, they've been left reeling.

During U.S. President Donald Trump's first term, Rabobank data shows that U.S. agricultural exports suffered losses of around $27 billion. Now, in his second term, the situation is repeating itself. Farmers, who rely on global markets for their crops and livestock, face retaliatory tariffs from countries and economies like China, the EU and Canada. Their products, from soybeans to pork, are priced out of foreign markets, leading to oversupply at home and plummeting prices. The government and banks' belated and insufficient subsidies can't compensate for losing long-term market relationships.

The most staggering aspect of this whole debacle is the irony. The tariff war was launched to protect American workers and businesses, but it's destroying the industries it claims to save.

The U.S. tariff war is a textbook example of policy failure. It's a case of shooting oneself in the foot, of letting ideological dogma override economic common sense. The American people have paid, and are continuing to pay, a heavy price – higher living costs, fewer job opportunities, a weaker economy and a diminished standing in the world. It's time for policymakers to wake up, admit the mistake and start rebuilding a rational, collaborative approach to trade.

Protectionism may sound appealing in political rhetoric, but in reality, it's a poison that infects the very society it claims to protect. The sooner this folly ends, the sooner America can start healing from the self-inflicted wounds of its tariff war.

The author isa founder of the China Briefing newsletter and non-resident fellow at the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University.