To the Editor:

People thought Trump’s presidency was great because of his policies, so I investigated. First, I looked at his decisions on tariffs.

Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on washing machines and other products had a significant impact. The price of washing machines surged by 12%, and a 10% tariff was slapped on $200 billion of Chinese imports. In response, China immediately stopped purchasing all American agricultural goods. This move by Trump had a devastating effect, effectively dismantling a market that farmers had painstakingly built over the years.

Trump’s USDA tapped into a little-known fund called the Commodity Credit Corporation (from 1930). The staggering $28 billion in taxpayer dollars used to compensate farmers raises a crucial question: Should tax dollars be used to offset the losses caused by the policies of a sitting president?

The burden of these tariffs fell most heavily on low–and middle-income households. Trade goods like ( oil, steel, aluminum, machinery, pharmaceutical supplies, medications, furniture, plastics, etc.) have risen by 10 to 30 percent. Since this happened before COVID-19, it destabilized the world supply chain even more. The ripple effects of these tariffs were felt in the U.S. and the global economy, contributing to a period of economic uncertainty.

These tariffs created one of the U.S.’s largest tax increases in decades. Placing tariffs on other countries only increases our prices. Studies found that the tariffs hurt Republican candidates in the last two election cycles and did nothing to change the trade relationship between China and the U.S.

The Trump administration should have handled the disaster assistance relief fund better. Some of the payments meant for farmers went to wealthy recipients worldwide. This mismanagement not only undermined the fund’s intended purpose but also raised serious questions about the administration’s ability to handle such crises.

Was it wonderful? No!

And he plans to use our money to play his bully games with other countries again.

Remember, nothing he does affects his comfort, and his tariffs on incoming products have already reduced our GDP.

Lisa Haney

Marshall