Trump's massive tariffs are taking a toll on everyday Americans, hitting them directly in the wallet. This impact goes beyond the stock market, which has taken another dive this week. It's being felt in grocery stores, small businesses, and virtually every corner of the nation.

If these tariffs stay in place, the cost of essentials — furniture, clothing, groceries, electronics — will climb dramatically, just as household budgets are already stretched thin.

Trump has imposed a 145% tariff on goods from China. That’s not a typo. Everything from your next pair of sneakers to your kids’ school supplies could cost nearly double by summer. Retailers are warning that once current inventory runs out, prices will spike.

It doesn’t stop there.

We import most of our coffee from Brazil and Colombia. We import our chocolate, vanilla, and sugar from Latin America, Indonesia, and the Philippines. All of it will now come with a massive price tag.

Even American-made products will be affected. Why? Because domestic brands raise prices to match imports — and to protect their profits.

As a result, small businesses (the backbone of America’s economy) are hanging by a thread. Most don’t have the working capital to survive tariffs this steep. Local restaurants in Pennsylvania. Toy stores in Oregon. Boutiques in Wisconsin. They are all impacted. These are people's livelihoods, and under Trump’s plan, many of them are headed for bankruptcy.

An economist at Apollo Global Management didn’t mince words: if these tariffs stay in place, “we will absolutely have a recession in 2025.”

Let that sink in:

→ 90% chance of a two-quarter economic contraction

→ 4% drop in GDP

→ Massive retail bankruptcies

→ Job losses across the country

This is the real cost of Trump. While billionaires enjoy tax breaks, working families will pay more for socks, soap, sugar, and cereal.

If you think this can’t get worse, it can. Trump has only paused some tariffs for 90 days, just long enough to calm the stock market before it crashes again. Meanwhile, consumer confidence is plummeting, and CEOs across the country are sounding the alarm.

We have a real chance to put a check on this recklessness in the 2026 midterms. Stay tuned with NDLB to see how you can make difference.