On April 2, 2025 President Donald Trump signed an executive order announcing new tariffs that will impact and increase the cost of imported goods. Tariffs are taxes charged on products from other countries, according to the BBC.

Why should students care about tariffs? Because they will affect you, says economics teacher Daniel Law. “For example, Robbie T’s pizza; if they import cheese from another country, that will make their pizzas more expensive with these tariffs, so they’ll have to decide if they keep the prices of the pizzas the same and make less profit or decide to raise their price to keep their profit the same but then lose customers,” says Law 

So why use tariffs if they cost Americans money? The main reason why Trump added these tariffs is to encourage consumers to buy American goods as opposed to imported goods. Buying American goods helps the U.S. economy. Another reason for these tariffs is to decrease the amount of illegal drugs entering America.

However, some say these new tariffs will only increase the level of inflation; this could lead to economic instability, making it harder for consumers to afford essentials, and harder for businesses to function. 

The main target for these new tariffs is imported goods from China, Canada, and Mexico. Specifically imported cars, steel, aluminum, films, smartphones, and computers that are expected to have a 10%-25% tariff increase. These new tariffs will and have already affected U.S. customers with an original tariff tax of 10% of any goods from China to 25%, this affects what an average citizen can and can’t afford according to BBC. 

Shein, an online fast fashion brand that is manufactured in China, is one of the most impacted sites from the tariffs, with prices dramatically increasing. Many students have stated that their recent online orders have significantly increased. Freshman Ava Winger says that her most recent Shein order hurt her wallet. “I bought from there [Shein] last week and I saw how much my cart was and got really sad. I did buy anyway, but my bank account hurt,” Winger says. 

Others have noticed a delay in their most recent orders. “My order from Shein has been delayed for a week, which almost never happens,” sophomore Brianna Coote says. “I have noticed a slight increase in the amount for each item but other than that the delay has probably impacted me the most,” Coote says. 

Another reason why Trump implemented tariffs is to protect American jobs.“It will take a while to see a significant increase in jobs/more stability in American jobs because it takes a very long time for tariffs to affect every part of internationally sent goods,” Law says. And some argue that tariffs affect American jobs poorly. Although tariffs could shield domestic jobs from international competitors, it can lead to increased costs to employ and run jobs, according to the BBC. 

“In terms of trade wars, we are already in one, many countries are fighting each other over these tariffs and have completely stopped shipping internationally,” Law says. “There are perceived disagreements with tariff barriers and other countries don’t want their goods taxed with these new tariffs.”