Retailers using Trump tariffs as excuse for unnecessary price hikes

In recent weeks, headlines have been filled with warnings from major retailers about impending price hikes due to tariffs reinstated by President Donald Trump. Big Box stores like Walmart and Target have been quick to suggest that tariffs on imported goods, particularly from China, have left them with no choice but to raise prices for American families.  

Let’s be clear, these decisions are more about raising profit margins and going against Trump’s agenda to bring costs down for Americans than responding to any actual economic pressure.  

Tariffs are a strategic tool. The Trump administration has always been clear about that. Tariffs are designed to level the playing field, incentivize domestic production, counter predatory trade practices – especially from the Chinese Communist Party – and put America First. Tariffs protect long-term American interests, especially in vital industries like technology and manufacturing. 

TARIFF CASE PITS CATO INSTITUTE AGAINST TRUMP OVER ‘UNLIMITED’ EXECUTIVE POWER UNDER EMERGENCY LAW

Yet, many corporations are using tariffs as a convenient scapegoat to raise prices across the board, even on products not impacted by new trade policies. A recent Federal Reserve report found that retailers have increased prices on non-tariffed items, falsely implying that across-the-board cost pressures are tariff-driven. This is not only wrong, it’s exploitative. 

Some retailers are raising prices on products and refusing to eat the increase despite White House urging. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

We all know many of these large retailers are sitting on comfortable, even expanded, profit margins because of the price hikes from COVID-19 that never came down. But it’s not enough for them. They want to fleece the American consumer and blame it on President Trump’s America First agenda.  

Former Walmart CEO Bill Simon acknowledged Walmart’s capability to eat the costs of these tariffs rather than throwing the burden to the consumer: “[T]his quarter they grew their gross profit margin in the US business 25 basis points … All that product that has the tariffs on it, they reported last quarter actually went down in price. That sort of gives them room in my view to manage any tariff impact that they would have.”  

WHITE HOUSE DENIES TARIFFS PROMPTING INFLATION AS TRUMP PUSHES FOR TRADE DEALS

Despite Simon’s admission, Walmart has already issued price hikes under the guise of tariff costs.  

What we’re witnessing is a pattern of deflection. Rather than own up to their pricing strategies, many businesses are choosing to shift the blame onto the Trump administration’s economic policy. This tactic is not only dishonest, it’s harmful to public discourse. It creates the false impression that Trump administration policies are causing this, when in reality, many of these pricing decisions are being driven by corporate boards more concerned with shareholder satisfaction than consumer welfare. 

Let’s be honest: these companies are not victims of President Trump’s trade policy. They are powerful corporations who get to thrive in a free-market economy that the U.S. provides for them. But they’re exploiting it. If they wanted to protect their customers from modest cost increases, they could. Instead, they’re choosing to use tariffs, often on a small subset of goods, as an excuse to raise prices on a much larger range of products. 

TRUMP THREATENS 35% TARIFF ON CANADIAN GOODS OVER DANGEROUS CROSS-BORDER FENTANYL DISPUTE

The other fact the retailers consistently ignore is their role in why we need the tariffs to begin with. Major retailers have profited from the shift to outsourcing to China in recent decades. They should now bear the burden of the environment they helped create, and Americans agree.  

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

The Protecting America Initiative, a conservative organization I work with that focuses on combating the threat of the CCP, recently polled general election voters and found that a majority of Americans are concerned that our nation’s largest retailers are using tariffs as an excuse to hike prices. 

Yet, many corporations are using tariffs as a convenient scapegoat to raise prices across the board, even on products not impacted by new trade policies. 

Fifty-two percent of Americans also agree with Trump when he says retailers should bear the burden of any cost increases associated with the tariffs. Our data also shows that consumers want both government officials at the federal and state levels to implement accountability measures to stop retailers from artificially hiking prices.  

BRAZIL HITS BACK AT TRUMP’S 50% TARIFF AS HE DECRIES ‘WITCH HUNT’ ON BOLSONARO FOR ALLEGED COUP ATTEMPT

The Trump administration is working hard to get costs down for American consumers and undo the economic mess that the autopen in Biden’s White House left us with. By turning tariffs into a political talking point, some corporations are playing directly into the hands of our enemies, like China, which doesn’t mind if American companies use tariffs as a scapegoat because it distracts from their unfair trade practices and puts pressure on the U.S. to back down. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Trump administration has never hidden the rationale for its tariff strategy. It’s about America FIRST, national strength and economic independence. This is not a radical position, it’s – as President Trump says – common sense. And it’s supported by millions of Americans who understand that supporting “Made in America” manufacturing is vital for the future of our country. 

Retailers should stop hiding behind tariffs and start being honest with consumers. If you’re raising prices, say so. But don’t pretend you’re being forced to act by government policy when the numbers say otherwise. Support a made-in-America future instead of working against it. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM CHAD WOLF