Both the Harris-Walz campaign and leading economists have been warning voters that the tariffs Donald Trump is promising in a second term would be a catastrophe for American consumers -- not the middle-class boon that the snake oil salesman has been insisting. Now that Election Day is almost here, a new type of evidence is emerging that is proving Trump wrong.
Businesses across the United States are taking defensive measures to prepare for a possible Trump presidency, and it will spell trouble, according to a report from The Hill. Although Trump claims that foreign countries will bear the cost of his tariffs, businesses are not conforming to his warped reality. Instead, they are stockpiling goods to avoid the substantial price increase they know would be coming.
Top executives are making their motives clear, according to a new analysis in The Washington Post. Columbia Sportswear CEO Timothy Boyle said that his company is "set to raise prices," and it will "be very, very difficult to keep products affordable for Americans." AutoZone announced it will "pass those tariff costs back to the consumer." Similarly, Stanley Black & Decker said it will "probably have to do some surgical price actions" to counter the expected financial hit.
Trump can claim his tariffs will boost American manufacturing and help the middle class, and go on about how patriotic it all is, but talk is cheap -- especially Trump's. It is no wonder that just this past Thursday, with less than a week to spare before the election, The Economist endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump, calling a second Trump presidency "an unacceptable risk to America and the world." The endorsement emphasized Harris's stability and commitment to practical, consumer-focused economic policies, contrasting sharply with Trump's chaotic, reckless approach.
When it comes to tariffs and, frankly, any other topic, we don't need to wait and see what will happen. Blindly trusting Trump is a gamble that is sure to bring nothing but lasting damage, pain, and regrets. On Election Day, voters will have a choice between Trump's smoke-and-mirrors tariffs or Harris's rational, winning plan for the economy. Despite his empty catchphrases, Trump's plans will mean "America Last."