US small businesses sound alarm over Trump's tariffs amid crucial holiday season [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Sat 29 Nov 2025 05.00 EST
Last modified on Sat 29 Nov 2025 05.02 EST


Donald Trump’s 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 aren’t holding their breath.

“My husband and I have invested a lot of our retirement money into this business,” Joann Cartiglia, owner of Queen’s 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