US small businesses sound alarm over Trump's tariffs amid crucial holiday season
Source: The Guardian
Sat 29 Nov 2025 05.00 EST
Last modified on Sat 29 Nov 2025 05.02 EST
Donald Trumps tariffs have increased prices on an array of popular holiday goods and driven a massive number of small firms out of business, industry leaders have warned.
On Small Business Saturday, firms have their fingers crossed that strong holiday sales will ease the impact of a tough year. But many arent holding their breath.
My husband and I have invested a lot of our retirement money into this business, Joann Cartiglia, owner of Queens Treasures, a toy company in Ticonderoga, New York, during a press briefing organized by We Pay the Tariffs, a coalition of small businesses, this week. And now I have absolutely no hope of retirement. I honestly feel the government is putting me out of business, added Cartiglia, 64.
Lawsuits, opposition from big business, and pleas for help from small importers have failed to persuade the Trump administration to reconsider its aggressive strategy on trade from overseas, which the US president claims will raise trillions of dollars for the federal government. Opponents of tariffs are serving hostile foreign interests, Trump has claimed.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/29/small-businesses-trump-tariffs-holiday-season
durablend
(8,805 posts)And for those that voted for him, whatchoo complaining about? YOU'RE GETTING WHAT YOU VOTED FOR!!!!
KT2000
(21,855 posts)but the corporations will not. Much like what occurred during the internment of Japanese people, they will swoop in and take what they want. Corporate farms will probably be the biggest winners.
Vogon_Glory
(10,146 posts)One of the myths that the Republican Party has cherished and nurtured for generations is that it is the pro-business party: not just large corporations and Investors (speculators as often as not these days) , but also of the small business owners.
And folks believed them. That was one reason so many people voted for Orange Julius, because they believed that he wasnt just the ally of billionaires and mega-corporations, but also of small businesses too.
And God help the electorate, so many people believed him and his BS, despite the carnage he left not only during his first term, but how he dealt with contractors and other partners while he was in the private sector.
Agent Oranges actions have raised havoc not only with ranchers and suppliers, but also with millions of small businesses too. People who run mail order and spare-bedroom businesses are just as important to our social fabric as big corporations, and theyve been screwed over a lot this year.
The pro-business myth is a lie. It needs to die.
Icanthinkformyself
(342 posts)caused my business to close down that year. I know what they are going through as it was just a few years before my 'retirement'. Yeah, retirement became a pipe dream just beyond my reach until recently. I would never start a business if a conservative of any 'party' was in charge. Historically, conservatives suck at the economy. The person they voted for makes a difference in my emotional response. If they voted for the Convicted Felon, adjudicated rapist, I have no phucks to give.