# Trump Tariffs Struck Down **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 29, 2025, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927 "2025-05-29T00:26:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/301 "2026-04-23T15:30:49Z")
Coffee cups. [![](https://i.imgur.com/UkvabXb.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/UkvabXb.jpeg) But my point was more that they were adding a tariff surcharge to _everything_. It’s like saying “Instead of charging sales tax on some items but not others, we’re going to include half the sales tax rate on everything so it evens out”. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/302 "2026-04-23T16:56:12Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > One of my coffee vendors added a 10% "Tariff Surcharge, across the board. Even on the assumption that it averages out to properly reflect the tariffs they’ve incurred, it bothered me, and I called them about it, that they were charging this tariff surcharge on items that said right on the box “MADE IN THE USA”. Unless the coffee is Kona coffee, the beans came from other countries. The beans probably were processed in the US, which may account for the “made in USA”, but they were grown elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/303 "2026-04-23T17:37:23Z")
It wasn’t coffee. That was the point of what I was saying. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/304 "2026-04-23T17:51:19Z")
So… The company charged you (the customer) tariffs on a product that they themselves did not pay tariffs on… And then they are going to keep the tariff refund on the products that they DID pay tariffs on. That they also charged you for. Win - Win. For them. Lose-Lose. For you. Sounds about right. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/305 "2026-04-23T17:53:21Z")
Even items manufactured in the USA may use imported components or material, and thus have become more expensive to make because of Tariffs. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/306 "2026-04-23T18:08:34Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Are the importers under any legal obligation to refund their refund to the customers it was passed on to? No. The importers had the choice whether to eat the costs or pass them down to the clients. And the clients had the choice whether to buy the product at an inflated price, seek a cheaper alternative, or hold off on a purchase until the prices went back down. I don’t see how you could mandate a refund to the clients, especially because some of the importers really did eat the cost. This comes down to the relationship between the importers and their clients; maybe their clients get pissed about the fact that the importer profited at their expense and go to someone else in the future. Maybe the client finds that the inflated price was acceptable and doesn’t care. And maybe the client didn’t see much of a bump in price if any, because the importer was able to somehow keep their client from paying more in order to keep that relationship solid. But regardless, it doesn’t make sense to mandate what the importers do with the refund since there was no mandate about how the importers charge their clients. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/307 "2026-04-23T18:14:39Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Win - Win. For them. Lose-Lose. For you. This will be the gross generalization that will be made to take the heat off the motherfuckers who caused this mess in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/308 "2026-04-23T18:30:22Z")
If the tariffs had accomplished their intended effect, someone in the import-dependent supply chain would have decided that the higher prices weren’t worth it, the overall demand for imports would have dropped and the demand for domestic products would have increased, meaning that domestic producers would have the opportunity to raise prices and the increased profits might allow them to build up more capacity to replace the hole left by imports. In reality we mostly got the opposite effect where the tariffs were so unpredictable that companies randomly got hit with fines, most tried to find some way in the future to recoup the money through raising prices and no one had any idea how long it would last so no one invested in new supply chains that would comply with the tariffs. All of which makes it even harder to figure out who actually “paid” the tariffs. Not to mention even now companies have to manage risk of sone future unknown policy from Trump hitting them again which is going to push them to avoid a high volume and low margin strategy that would give consumers the low prices they want. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/309 "2026-04-23T19:13:31Z")
It’s actually even dumber than that, since there are now vast swaths of products that are not made in the US, and no amount of tariffs are going to change that in a few years. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/310 "2026-04-23T20:28:20Z")
Were Trump’s tariffs actually implemented to bring manufacturing back to the United States? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/311 "2026-04-23T20:57:24Z")
Certainly not. The tariffs were a mechanism to get American consumers to offset the tax breaks given to the rich. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/312 "2026-04-23T21:42:39Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Were Trump’s tariffs actually implemented to bring manufacturing back to the United States? That was one of the stated motivations, and I’m sure it was sincere on the part of many Republican leaders.. Problem is: [Center for American Progress: One Year After ‘Liberation Day,’ American Workers Are Feeling the Negative Effects of the Trump Administration’s Tariffs](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/one-year-after-liberation-day-american-workers-are-feeling-the-negative-effects-of-the-trump-administrations-tariffs/) > [@](#): > > American manufacturing [has not revived](https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/01/06/americas-missing-manufacturing-renaissance) under the Trump administration. Instead, the administration’s policies have eroded [gains achieved in manufacturing](https://www.bluegreenalliance.org/resources/new-report-compares-us-manufacturing-record-of-biden-harris-and-trump-administrations/) the four years prior to Trump taking office. In the 10 months following “Liberation Day,” the United States _lost_ 89,000 jobs in manufacturing . . . ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/313 "2026-04-23T21:55:05Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > But regardless, it doesn’t make sense to mandate what the importers do with the refund since there was no mandate about how the importers charge their clients. Excellent post. In many cases to biggest cost impact of a tariff is not on the purchaser of an imported good, but on the purchaser of the domestically produced good as the local producers raise their price because the opposition’s imported product price has increased and their customers seem to be prepared to pay the higher ticket. It’s tariffs as protection. Economics 1.001 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/314 "2026-04-23T22:01:48Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > > American manufacturing [has not revived](https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/01/06/americas-missing-manufacturing-renaissance) under the Trump administration. Instead, the administration’s policies have eroded [gains achieved in manufacturing](https://www.bluegreenalliance.org/resources/new-report-compares-us-manufacturing-record-of-biden-harris-and-trump-administrations/) the four years prior to Trump taking office. In the 10 months following “Liberation Day,” the United States _lost_ 89,000 jobs in manufacturing . . . If I’m not mistaken, the tariffs hurt manufacturing because it cost more to import many of the raw materials that domestic manufacturers needed to make goods. It’s almost like there was no real strategy to actually improve manufacturing whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/315 "2026-04-23T22:19:35Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Were Trump’s tariffs actually implemented to bring manufacturing back to the United States? No, Trump really believes that he can take money from other countries through Tariffs. No amount of explanation will ever convin ce him otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/316 "2026-04-23T23:32:18Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It wasn’t coffee. That was the point of what I was saying. Sorry, but that wasn’t obvious. You called them a “coffee vendor”, but didn’t indicate that they also sold other products than coffee. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/317 "2026-04-24T01:21:27Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > No, Trump really believes that he can take money from other countries through Tariffs. No amount of explanation will ever convin ce him otherwise. Sad to say I think you are right. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/318 "2026-04-24T12:02:28Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Sorry, but that wasn’t obvious. You called them a “coffee vendor”, but didn’t indicate that they also sold other products than coffee. See Post 301 where I specifically mentioned “Coffee Cups” and posted a picture of a box of coffee cups. I’m not really sure how much more obvious I could have made it. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/319 "2026-04-24T12:40:44Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > No, Trump really believes that he can take money from other countries through Tariffs. No amount of explanation will ever convin ce him otherwise. Seriously, there’s no more to it than that. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927/320 "2026-04-24T22:43:30Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Seriously, there’s no more to it than that. It’s the same “stable genius” thinking that says going from $600 to $100 is a 600% reduction in price. He doesn’t understand how things work. That’s why from the beginning, the tariffs made no sense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-tariffs-struck-down/1018927.md?page=17)