tax the rich.

There was speculation that these tariffs would be passed on to U.S. consumers. It remains to be seen how much of the cost will actually reach consumers versus being absorbed by manufacturers or importers. For large corporations that pay little to no taxes, tariffs could serve as an indirect way to compel greater financial participation, potentially forcing them to absorb some of the expense—especially if consumers are highly price-sensitive.

The consensus was that the impact on consumers would begin around August or September, once the initial stockpiling of products runs out. Over the following six months, it should become clearer who will bear the bulk of these costs and how much will be shouldered by manufacturers and importers.