Trump customs policies … a cost borne by companies and consumers

The administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed wide customs duties on imports with the aim of protecting American industries and reducing the trade deficit, in a controversial move whose supporters see as stimulating the economy and supporting jobs, while considering it a burden on companies and consumers.

The American administration promotes this policy as a way to enhance economic growth and achieve additional revenues. US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent revealed that the government raised about $ 29 billion in customs duties in July, reaching the total since the beginning of 2025 to 156.4 billion dollars. He stressed that the priority lies in the use of these returns to pay the national debt, which exceeded 37 trillion dollars, considering that reducing the debt and impotence is the primary goal before any additional support for citizens. However, experts believe that this policy may be limited to the impact. Customs revenues, even if it reached $ 300 billion this year, remains insufficient compared to the budget deficit of $ 1.4 trillion. Analysts note that American companies initially bear the cost of fees, but they compensate them by raising prices, which means that the American consumer is the actual affected. The “Fox Business” report made it clear that the fees, despite their contribution to raising government revenues, were not directly reflected on the citizens as Trump previously promoted. Also, the percentage of fees of total federal revenues still does not exceed 2.7 percent, and may rise to 5 percent at best, which is not sufficient to cover the national debt. Experts believe that these policies may increase inflation and exacerbate economic pressures instead of achieving sustainable protection for the American economy, especially if companies continue to download consumers at the final cost.