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Companies across the country are adding a surcharge to customers’ bills in the wake of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
On April 2, Trump announced blanket tariffs of at least 10 percent on nearly every country, in what he called “Liberation Day” for the U.S. Then, on Wednesday he paused these tariffs for 90 days, citing Americans becoming “yippy” and “afraid.”
He only excluded China from the pause and is now engaged in a trade war with Xi Jinping as the U.S. levies 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods while Beijing has put a 125 percent retaliatory tariff in place.
Now, U.S. business owners say they’re passing along higher prices to customers as Trump’s trade war with China continues and they brace for the end of the 90-day pause.
Sexual wellness brand Dame has added a $5 “Trump tariff surcharge” to all purchases automatically, CBS News reports.
“Our whole industry is in China, so we’ve already seen the impact,” Dame CEO Alexandra Fine told CBS.
“The intention of adding the Trump tariff surcharge as a line item at checkout was to remind people that this is an extra tax on us. I wanted people to understand why it’s more expensive — that it’s because of political decisions that were made,” she added.
Italian footwear company Labucq is also increasing prices 10 percent next month, writing on social media the increase is necessary for the company to “remain sustainable,” according to CBS News.
Ryan Babenzien, founder of shower head company Jolie Skin, similarly said in a social media post his company has to raise prices to account for Trump’s “insane tariffs.”
“Technically WE are not raising our prices, but the Tariff will make it more expensive for American consumers to buy a Jolie,” Babenzien wrote, according to Newsweek. “We think transparency is the way to go here and I am giving Trump full credit for his decision to add this Tariff to all U.S. consumers.”
“While we have been planning for an increase in tariffs for about a year at Jolie, we never thought it would be this insane,” he added.
Other companies are using the tariffs to draw in customers by launching “pre-tariff sales.” Spice company Burlap & Barrel has put on a “spring cleaning-turned-impromptu Tariff sale,” marking all products down 20 percent, CBS News reports.
Meanwhile, more and more consumers aren’t happy with Trump’s tariffs. A new CBS News/YouGov poll shows Trump’s economic approval rating has dropped four points from March, with 60 percent of respondents indicating they disapprove of his tariffs.
Meanwhile, 53 percent of respondents said they felt the economy is getting worse.
