Trump’s tariffs ripped you off. Don’t expect your money back.

[cartoon id="304934"] It’s nice the U.S. Supreme Court decided the other day to take Donald Trump to the woodshed and school him on the Constitution. Two cheers to the high court for finally (albeit belatedly) doing something reining in Trump a tad. John Roberts’ majority opinion – employing strict constructionism, a traditional conservative tenet – pointed out Trump’s wanton global tariffs were illegal because (1) the 1977 “emergency” law he has used as a fig leaf never once mentions the word tariff, and (2) a tariff is a tax, and Congress alone has the power to tax - as stipulated in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Indeed, the Founding Fathers “gave Congress alone ‘access to the pockets of the people.’” Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch, in a concurring opinion, even tried to hose down the intemperate toddler: “Yes, it can be tempting to bypass Congress when some pressing problem arises. But the deliberative nature of the legislative process was the whole point of its design. Through that process, the Nation can tap the combined wisdom of the people’s elected representatives, not just that of one faction or man,” and hopefully some day anyone “disappointed by today’s result will appreciate the legislative process for the bulwark of liberty it is.” Nice argument - with a big hitch. The MAGA Congress has long been loath to indulge its “deliberative nature” as a co-equal branch of government. Until recently, it uttered barely a peep as Trump careened around the world slapping hefty tariffs on foreign goods, punishing whatever countries displeased him for whatever whimsical reason. Those tariffs were passed on to American consumers in the form of higher prices - as de facto taxes. And, big surprise, we won’t be getting that tax money back. The 2024 candidate who promised to defeat inflation has instead exacerbated it. The candidate who told voters this planned tariffs were “not going to be a cost to you” was either cognitively clueless or intentionally lying. According to a new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 90 percent of the 2025 tariffs’ “economic burden” fell on U.S. firms and us consumers. Especially those of us who buy things like home furnishings, furniture, bedding, coffee, toys, and flatware. Some prominent Democrats, on our behalf, are publicly demanding Trump send us refunds. That’s a worthy message, assuming Democrats can sustain it, because it would remind midterm voters about Trump’s perfidy. But vocal Democrats like J. B. Pritzker and Elizabeth Warren know darn well we’ll be aced out. Hundreds of importers may get refunds - many of them, including Costco, Toyota, J. Crew and Crocs, started suing for refunds before the high court even ruled - but there’s broad agreement among economic experts that little or none of that money, reportedly totaling $175 billion, will trickle down to us little people. Has Trump said a word about consumer refunds? As if. In his mind (or what remains of it) that would make him look weak and be tantamount to admitting failure. His brand is to never give an inch, even though 64 percent of Americans dislike his handling of tariffs. His only play is to double down. He’s trying to circumvent the high court by imposing 15 percent tariffs via a different provision – namely, a section of a 1974 law that requires tariffs to expire in 150 days. He can let them lapse, then restart the clock – unless the courts tell him to knock it off. That would happen only after new lawsuits slog through the judicial system. Meanwhile, totally in character, he smeared the high court majority, including his appointees, as “fools and lapdogs,” as “very unpatriotic,” as tools of foreign interests. Never before has a president spewed such vile demagoguery, denouncing the judges as traitors. But in this benighted era, it was just another Friday. The end result, as in so many MAGA realms, is chaos. Natasha Sarin, president of the Budget Lab at Yale, wonders, “How should people budget for their families in the face of this much (economic) uncertainty?” Trump’s ongoing tariff con has left the business world in the lurch. Nobody knows how to plan for the future. Nobody knows whether they should absorb costs, cut or expand inventory, brace for more Trump levies, or fear retaliatory tariffs from (former) allies. Ron Kurnik, who owns a Michigan coffee company, tells Fortune magazine, “It’s like a nightmare we just want to wake up from.” Join the club, pal. I’m reminded of something Tony Soprano once said: “I’m like King Midas in reverse. Everything I touch turns to s–.” How nice it would be if Trump had even a smidgen of Tony’s self awareness. - Copyright 2026 Dick Polman, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Dick Polman, a veteran national political columnist based in Philadelphia and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania, writes the Subject to Change newsletter. Email him at [email protected]