From President Donald Trump’s so-called Liberation Day to his latest trade war with Canada, tariffs may be the most persistent story of the Trump administration. But how are the levies affecting people’s lives? Four Post Opinions writers share what they have seen firsthand.
Breaking the (power) bank
Shortly after Liberation Day arrived last year, I was in the market for a battery bank. Browsing on Amazon, I remember experiencing some sticker shock. (Amazon’s executive chairman, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post.) Doing some research just now, I stumbled across a story from back then, reporting that Chinese manufacturer Anker had raised prices on many of its products by an average of 18 percent on Amazon within days of Trump’s tariff announcement. The article cites executives saying the company felt comfortable raising prices since most of its competitors were also based in China and under similar tariff pressure.
Prices on electronics have continued to rise since then, though we can’t just blame tariffs for that. Much of the recent increase appears to have a different cause: artificial-intelligence-driven demand for semiconductors and other components. But that isn’t the only culprit. The Federal Reserve’s July monetary policy report managed to find evidence for a price effect on consumer electronics from tariffs.
I did end up buying the battery bank. And therein lies the problem. Tariff pressure made battery banks like mine more expensive — but not expensive enough to put a competitive American-made alternative in front of me. So I’m just a bit poorer. And more annoyed.
— Damir Marusic, assignment editor
‘So much for online shopping’
My move to Washington — consisting of two suitcases and a plane ticket — left me having to buy every household essential, from a paper towel stand to an ironing board. Imported goods that were once cheap have not been shielded from seemingly universal price increases. Tariffs are one of the culprits.
A duvet cover imported from China? Its hiked price tag appears to be a partial result of a 12.5 percent tariff from this summer’s sweeping Section 301 tariffs. My desired kitchen chairs are apparent victims of a 2025 directive that placed a 25 percent duty on imports of upholstered wood products. So much for online shopping.
My ready-to-assemble furniture has been replaced by Facebook Marketplace, church groups and friends moving out of town. Those secondhand items allow me to take part in the things that matter: dinners with friends, movie nights and future memories from young-adult life. I still wish I could’ve afforded the perfect walnut-stain dining furniture, but that isn’t a luxury of this economy.
— Ashley Dowdney, fellow
A level up in prices
If, like me, you have a family member who spends an obscene number of hours playing video games, higher console prices might actually be welcome news. But for gamers, Trump’s tariffs have helped make their hobby more expensive.
Microsoft’s flagship Xbox Series X has been hit particularly hard. At the beginning of 2025, the console cost just under $500. Now, gamers will pay nearly $800 for a device that has been on the market for almost six years. After the first price hike in 2025, analysts pointedto the administration’s then-145 percent tariff rate on imports from China, where most Xbox consoles were manufactured. PlayStations, too, are more costly. Sony raised the price of the console twice within one year.
Microsoft is shifting Xbox hardware production out of China, and Sony said last year that manufacturing has moved outside China for consoles sold in the United States to limit the impact of tariffs.
Prices of video game consoles are still high, and now chip shortages are pushing them even higher. Instead of looking for a new console, gamers might have to start looking for a new hobby.
— Lucy Gay, member of the multimedia team
Washer-dryer woes
A few months ago, my wife and I purchased a new washer-dryer set, and boy, do we love it. It has more settings than any person could ever use; it even plays a little song after finishing a load. My wife, a true dork, affectionately named the washer Bernice and the dryer Bernard.
It was, however, very expensive. And while we had enough savings to splurge on a nice model, it was frustrating knowing at least some of the high cost was due to tariffs.
That impact is hard for consumers to see since they don’t buy large appliances frequently, and many factors contribute to prices, such as retailer discount s and demand for computer chips. The tariffs of the past year are especially hard to calculate, since they changed so frequently.
But they do have bite, as Trump’s first administration demonstrated. During those years, Trump not only increased duties on foreign-made models but also tariffed steel and aluminum, hitting domestic producers that use those materials. Laundry equipment prices surged 34 percent during the time the washing machine tariffs were in place. When they expired in 2023, prices fell by 11 percent.
I fear that consumers will never appreciate those hidden dynamics. For those without a financial cushion, it could put a new machine out of reach.
— Robert Gebelhoff, editorial writer
The post ‘Just a bit poorer’: Four writers on the personal cost of Trump’s tariffs appeared first on Washington Post.
