Trump may love tariffs but a new polling shows Americans understand they will hurt

President-Elect Donald Trump just floated the idea that he will impose heavy tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China on his first day back in office. While the media was stunned by his plan, Americans don’t believe Trump’s tariffs will be good for them.

In the type of Truth Social post we can expect from Trump over the next four years, Trump revealed he would impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican goods as well as an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese goods on his first day in the Oval Office. 

Why Trump proposed such a high tariff was explained in his post. Essentially, Trump wants to impose these tariffs as a way to motivate Mexico and Canada to stop illegal migration over their respective borders into the United States. 

“As everyone is aware, thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before,” Trump wrote, adding that there was a caravan making its way to the country from Mexico that seemed unstoppable. 

“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” Trump continued. 

Trump added that the tariffs would remain in place until drugs and illegal aliens stopped invading the United States. He also noted that Canada and Mexico had the “absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem.”

“We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” Trump concluded. The message sent news media and political leaders across the continent into a frenzy. 

Much of the discourse that followed Trump’s Truth Social post has focused on how these tariffs would affect the world economy and the economies of the three countries in Trump’s bullseye, but such hefty tariffs will also hurt Americans. 

The Canadian outlet Financial Post reported Trump’s tariffs would hurt businesses on both sides of the border, projecting that they could cost Canada’s economy as much as $30 billion dollars a year and the American economy $127 billion a year. 

The consequences of what Trump proposed likely aren’t lost on most Americans, either. Polling from The Harris Poll commissioned by The Guardian recently discovered that a majority of Americans believe that tariffs will increase prices. 

The Guardian reported that their polling found 69% of Americans believed that Trump’s previously proposed tariffs would lead to higher prices, a finding the news outlet noted remained remarkably consistent across the political spectrum. 

79% of Democrats, 59% of Republicans, and 68% of Independents said they believed tariffs would increase the prices of goods in the United States. A similar number noted that tariffs would have a significant impact on what they could afford. 

76% of those surveyed said that they believed companies would pass the cost of tariffs to the consumer, something the Peterson Institute for International Economics reported could cost American households another $2,600 a year. 

44% of people polled told Harris that they were planning purchases before Trump enters office and 62% said that they felt they needed to alter their 2025 financial plans in order to account for Trump’s new tariffs. 

“The Harris poll raises questions about the popularity of one of Trump’s key economic policy platforms. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump called for a broad 20% tariff on all foreign imports and a 60% tariff on Chinese imports,” The Guardian reported.

The Harris Poll surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,112 US adults from  14 to 16 November 2024. If the poll results are correct, it would mean much of the country understands that Trump’s new tariffs could seriously affect their personal finances. 

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