Tariffs Didn’t Hit China — They Hit You

Tariffs Didn’t Hit China — They Hit You

Tariffs Didn’t Hit China — They Hit You

We’ve been sold a set of comforting narratives about tariffs:

  • They’ll bring manufacturing back to America
  • The pain is short-term and worth enduring
  • Tariffs will replace taxes
  • Tariffs are leverage, not a revenue policy

Let’s stop pretending these claims match reality.

Tariffs are paid by importers, not foreign governments.

Tariffs create leverage by threatening market access, not by making foreign governments pay the bill.

Those costs are passed downstream - into prices, margins, wages, and ultimately the consumer. That’s not theory. That’s how supply chains work.

If tariffs were truly “leverage,” they would be temporary, targeted, and paired with a clear off-ramp. Instead, they’ve quietly become a consumption tax, imposed without a vote and disguised as patriotism.

Manufacturing doesn’t return because costs rise - it returns when labor, energy, regulation, and capital conditions make it viable. Tariffs alone don’t fix that. They just make everything more expensive while politicians claim victory.

Ultimately - Tariffs were sold as economic warfare against foreign countries on a Make America First agenda. 

In reality, they weren’t leverage  - because it didn’t change how much we buy or where we buy it. It did however, get a response from countries, but again, that’s because we threatened market access to the American consumer. 

Tariffs are a tax on Americans.

  • Not hidden.
  • Not accidental.
  • Not temporary.
  • Not refundable. 

Deliberate.

Who Pays a Tariff - The Hard Truth

Tariffs are charged at the U.S. border.

China doesn’t pay them.

Mexico doesn’t pay them.

Germany doesn’t pay them.

U.S. importers pay them. Period.

And then they do exactly what any rational business does:

  • They pass the cost on to you.
  • Retailers raise prices.
  • Manufacturers raise prices.
  • Shipping companies raise fees.
  • Insurance premiums climb.
  • Consumers eat it.

People didn’t stop buying - because they couldn’t. Why?  Because:

You don’t boycott food.

You don’t boycott medicine.

You don’t boycott transportation.

So prices went up because people need these to survive. 

“Record Tariff Revenue” Means You Got Robbed

When politicians brag about record tariff revenue, here’s what they’re actually saying:

Americans paid more and had no choice.

That’s it. Pure and simple. High tariff revenue doesn’t mean tariffs worked. It means demand was trapped and prices spiked.

If tariffs were doing what they promised:

  • Imports would collapse
  • Domestic production would surge
  • Prices would stabilize

None of that happened.

This Is Where Your Money Went

Not hypotheticals. Reality:

  • Coffee up 70–110%
  • Orange juice up 90–120%
  • Beef up 35–60%
  • Prescription drugs up 25–40%
  • Over-the-counter meds up 30–50%
  • Eggs doubled at peak
  • Bread and cereal up 25–40%
  • Auto repairs up 40–60%

These aren’t luxury goods. This is survival spending. That’s why Americans feel broke even when they’re working harder than ever.

Reshoring Was a Talking Point, Not a Plan

“Bring the factories back” made for great speeches as we watched all of the leverage play out, however, a little reality check:

Reshoring takes:

  • Years of construction
  • Skilled labor we no longer train
  • Cheap, reliable energy
  • Regulatory reform
  • Billions in capital - which edges out small business (the heart of the American economy)

Washington talked but companies did the math.

They didn’t reshore. They rerouted supply chains or raised prices (eg Apple and Harley Davidson). Factories didn’t come back fast enough to help anyone paying rent. Not even close. 

Even When Factories Return - The Jobs Don’t

Here’s the part no one wants to admit:

Modern factories don’t hire people. They hire machines.

  • Robots replaced assembly lines.
  • AI replaced inspectors, engineers, floor managers, and customer support.
  • Software replaced supervisors.
  • A plant that once employed 3,000 workers now employs 300.

Reshoring today is automated, capital-heavy, and labor-light. 

That’s not a middle-class revival. That’s a balance-sheet optimization and a silent collapse of the American worker. 

Policy Failure in One Word: Beef

Want a clean example of how broken this is?

Beef.

To keep prices “stable,” the U.S. imported more foreign beef.

What happened?

  • Ranchers got crushed
  • Feed and fuel costs rose
  • Margins evaporated

Meanwhile:

  • Grocery store beef prices still climbed
  • Consumers paid more
  • Farmers earned less

Nobody won - except the middlemen.

That’s not protectionism. That’s displacement. Just one of many examples where the policy sounds great speaking at the podium, but the result is far from optimal. 

The Middle Class Was Chosen as the Shock Absorber

Here’s the truth Washington won’t say out loud:

Trade policy now protects:

  • Government revenue
  • Corporate margins
  • Geopolitical leverage

It does not protect:

  • Families
  • Fixed incomes
  • Small businesses
  • People with medical bills

So when leaders say:

“We can absorb the pain”

They’re not talking about you. They’re talking about spreadsheets.

This Isn’t Strength — It’s Forced Endurance

Tariffs didn’t:

  • Stop imports
  • Bring jobs back quickly
  • Lower prices
  • Protect households

They did:

  • Raise the cost of living
  • Quietly tax necessities
  • Delay real reform
  • Push pressure downward

Americans didn’t get stronger. They just got squeezed. And there’s a limit to how much pressure families can absorb before something breaks. We’re closer to that limit than anyone in Washington wants to admit.

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