From Rhino Reader James Bennett
Been shopping for kids returning to school lately? Done any grocery shopping recently? Buy any shoes? How about chocolate? Then you must have noticed dramatic price increases in all these things, and in many others.
Everyday items that have risen the most due to tariffs in 2025 include clothing, footwear, food items like coffee and fresh produce, electronics, automobiles, and household goods. Clothing prices have surged by about 37-40%, shoes by nearly 39%, fresh produce by about 7%, motor vehicles by over 12%, and coffee saw a 21% price increase. These price hikes reflect tariffs averaging around 18-19%, the highest since the 1930s, causing an approximate 1.8% overall price level increase for consumers this year.
The U.S. government has collected about $165 billion in tariff revenues so far in the fiscal year 2025 through August. This is more than double the $77 billion collected in the entire fiscal year 2024. In August 2025 alone, the Treasury Department reported collecting $30 billion in tariff revenues, quadruple the $7 billion in August 2024. The increase in tariff collections is mainly due to new or increased tariffs implemented by Trump..
Who paid this money to the government? You did, by paying those increased costs. Foreign companies simply pass the tax on to you. Tariffs are a hidden tax that Trump has single handedly foisted on the American people. Congress did not raise taxes, Trump did.
Tariffs are the worst tax scheme ever, and I don’t like it one bit.
James Bennett
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Such an unhinged post
I paid $4 for a large tomato at the Greensboro Farmer’s Market this morning. Absurd, are tariffs responsible for this inflation? Perhaps our disgusting escalating inflation could be a result of all the Wasteful Government Spending and/ or the Poor Leadership elected in the past?
Mr. Bennett, you must have been asleep the last four years if you believe those increases have occurred in the last three months.
Data says Mr. Bennet is right. Trump Derangement Syndrome is just another projection by conservatives. The real derangement is how MAGA folks ignore the truth about their dear leader’s impact on the US long-term and short-term economics (among many other things they ignore about Trump).
Note how the steepest part of the line is during 2025 for coffee for example:
https://www.macrotrends.net/3812/us-coffee-prices
Below is a good article on the tariffs impact on the cost of shoes:
https://ozziesmall.com/footwear-prices-surge-in-2025-how-tariffs-and-supply-costs-are-impacting-the-industry/
Of course, some prices have dropped since the Trump administration has alienated long-term trading partners with his bully approach to trade negotiations. Soybeans being the most impacted which is now bankrupting farmers:
https://www.accio.com/business/soybean_market_trends
A great source to see the impact of the tariffs in real time is below. As with the last trade war Trump started in his first term, the longer the tariffs stay in the place the greater the impact on cost of goods.
https://www.pricinglab.org/tariff-tracker/
Shake of the TDS and just look at the data. Mr Bennet isn’t wrong, and it is still early in the trade war per Trump as he ramps up more tariffs on things like Drug manufacturers…..so much for that mystical 1500% drop in drug prices.
Best Wishes
Bennett – You need to do some more research; your numbers are wrong. I’m not going to waste my time getting the correct ones. All the numbers you are citing, don’t result in an overall price level increase of 1.8% for this year. If that number is correct, you have nothing to complain about; refresh your memory of the Biden years.
President Trump is talking about checks to the American people of $1,000 – $2,000. One study indicates that the average family is paying $2,300 more per year; $2,000 would take care of most of that.
Also heard that the latest number for tariffs collected is $215 Billion.
https://www.pricinglab.org/tariff-tracker/
The above link gives more timely information as inflation tracking often lags by a quarter and cost impacts are really just starting to ramp up this quarter as many were waiting for TACO to settle on a rate which seems to be the case now. Notice in the charts how domestic goods have actually increased faster than imports. This is common as many domestic goods require imported parts and components. Including agriculture which imports many types of seeds, fertilizers etc…
Mr. Bennet is actually right as he seems to be using more up to date figures.
Best wishes.
Not sure where you are getting your data but it’s way off compared to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator. The real numbers are as follows:
Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of
-0.07% per year. In other words, apparel costing $20 in the year 2024 would cost $19.99 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase.
Between 2024 and 2025: Fresh fruits and vegetables experienced an average inflation rate of -0.19% per year. In other words, fresh fruits and vegetables costing $20 in the year 2024 would cost $19.96 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase.
Between 2024 and 2025: Footwear experienced an average inflation rate of
-0.27% per year. In other words, footwear costing $20 in the year 2024 would cost $19.95 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase.
Between 2024 and 2025: New and used vehicles experienced an average inflation rate of 0.94% per year. In other words, new and used vehicles costing $20,000 in the year 2024 would cost $20,187.74 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase.
Maybe you should be more accurate on your research before reporting such data. Only thing that is up is cars and they are only up less than 1%. Just saying
So, about these tariffs. Trump has this idea that the government’s raking in so much cash; we could all be in for a sweet $1,000-$2,000. Not bad, right?
Hold up, Mr. President. You’re not trying to pull a fast one on us, are you? You’ve floated this idea before with the DOGE savings, hinting at a potential windfall for us regular folks.
First things first, let’s get that DOGE check sorted, and then we can dive into the world of tariff checks.
Buy American-made products and forget about tariffs!
If you look at data, you will notice that domestic goods prices are increasing as well and even faster in come categories. We operate in a global economy where many of the inputs for domestic products are purchase from overseas sources.
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Yeah, nearly as insidious and stealthy as inflation, aren’t they?
Don’t bother me one bit, more concerned about Obama care making everyone’s health care cost go through the roof 400% increase
You mean because the current administration let the subsidies expire to further spike insurance premiums? You know, the ones that democrats want to save and are fighting hard to get put back in place? Or how the Medicaid cuts will end up adding more financial stress to rural hospitals? Those causes of increased cost of healthcare?
This is nothing compare to the Democrats high property taxes we have to pay. Plus the high car taxes.