Source: The Bulwark
by Mona Charen
“As matters stand at this moment (and things may have changed by the time you read this), the overall average effective tariff rate is 17.8 percent — the highest since 1934. It was 2.5 percent when Trump took office in January. That’s enough to do serious harm to the average consumer. But if the current pattern holds, Trump will back down even more, all while claiming, as he backpedals, that he’s ‘winning’ glorious ‘deals.’ How can I possibly suggest that I would prefer Trump to take the ruinous path on tariffs that he first started down? Sadly, because I think economic pain for the average American is the only thing that really matters. … sadly I believe that a durable majority of the American people will not turn their backs on MAGA unless they feel dire consequences in their daily lives.” (05/15/25)