On this blog, I discuss important national issues, especially pertaining to economic and fiscal issues.  Last week, I pointed out that affordability is a real problem for many American families.

This week, I discuss the effects of Trump’s tariff policies, which the President claims are helping the economy.

But, according to other credible sources, this is not really true. Consider:

• First of all, as the chart below shows, note that the effective U.S. tariff rate has jumped from 2% to about 12% in the past year.

  

• Tariffs have pushed up prices, and U.S. consumers are bearing 43% of the tariff burden, with U.S. companies absorbing most of the rest.

  

• Overall job openings dropped in December to 6.5 million, their lowest level since September 2020.
• Both manufacturing jobs and manufacturing job openings are in retreat as the charts below show. Manufacturing employment declined by 63,000 jobs in 2025.

  
  

• There has been a crisis for American soybean farmers who lost their Chinese market.
• It’s not good enough for Trump to say that his own tariffs are merely reciprocal to what other countries are charging us. This may be true, but his tariffs are hurting Americans in the process.

Conclusion.  The Trump tariffs have raised prices for American consumers, and led to a loss of jobs overall, as well as a loss of manufacturing jobs.  They have also destroyed markets for American farmers.  They clearly are hurting the overall economy.

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