Media outlets were quick to glom onto a study that found President Donald Trump’s tariffs resulted in a $1,000 increase in costs to the average American household.
However, they did not couple it with the savings Americans are experiencing overall, thanks to Trump’s economic policies, which more than offset the price of tariffs.
The Tax Foundation, which leans conservative, does not like tariffs, as its latest study confirms. They came out strongly against Trump’s tariffs beginning in February 2025, shortly after he took office.
ABC News reported, “The research called Trump’s tariffs ‘the largest U.S. tax increase as a percent of GDP since 1993.’ It suggests the president’s signature economic policy is exacerbating cost of living concerns at a time when many households are grappling with persistently high prices.
“According to the research think tank Tax Foundation, the federal government collected $264 billion in total tariff revenues in 2025 — far short of the trillions regularly touted by the White House. The research also finds the tariffs will offset most of the economic benefits of the new tax cuts from Trump’s signature tax law that took effect this year,” the news outlet added.
Similarly, Yahoo Finance reported the Tax Foundation’s “research suggests the president’s tariff policy worsens cost-of-living concerns as households struggle with persistently high prices.”
So that’s the media narrative: Trump is making your finances worse.
Affordability was the top issue voters identified in the off-year elections that took place in November, which went well for the Democrats. Their media allies are looking for a repeat this fall.
Trump did a cost/benefit analysis and determined that imposing tariffs strategically can bring manufacturing back to the United States, which means more American jobs, and such has definitely been the case in the auto and other industries. Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Honda, and Stellantis were just some of the manufacturers that announced production in the U.S.
In fact, U.S. steel manufacturing exceeded Japan’s for the first time in 26 years.
ABC is also doing some sleight of hand when it reports that Trump was saying tariffs are bringing in trillions of dollars in revenue to the treasury. He means that by imposing the tariffs, it’s causing trillions of investments in new manufacturing and the purchase of American goods to flow into the country.
The Commerce Department said in a news release last month that there have been 20 landmark trade deals totaling over $9.94 trillion in U.S. investment commitments. “President Trump and Secretary Lutnick have focused on rebalancing trade and securing the American industrial base through tariff protection and landmark investment agreements,” the statement said.
During a December cabinet meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pointed out that capital expenditures rose 15 percent in 2025, meaning companies are spending to expand their ability to make more products. “In history, when CapEx is up, jobs will follow,” he said.
He also noted some of the provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill that are aimed right at middle-class Americans, like no tax on tips, overtime, and Social Security, and tax deductibility of car loan payments for U.S.-made vehicles. He anticipates that the cuts taken together will mean a $1,000 to $2,000 higher per-family tax refund, plus lower withholding amounts in workers’ paychecks throughout the year.
BREAKING: Democrats are PANICKED about what’s to come in 2026. MAJOR Trump policies will take effect on the economy.
– No tax on tips: $25,000
– No tax on overtime: $12,500
– Social Security deduction
– No tax on American-made car loan interest
– Green New Scam regulations… pic.twitter.com/xBPZEq3MoM
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 10, 2025
So the provisions in the BBB alone offset any increased prices caused by tariffs.
But Trump has helped bring the inflation rate down overall, in part, by focusing on expanding domestic oil production, which hit an all-time high in 2025, the Energy Department reported last month.
Forget 2.0%
Forget 1.0%
We’re under 0.7%, baby: https://t.co/WX6DtZP7eS
— E.J. Antoni, Ph.D. (@RealEJAntoni) February 9, 2026
“Gas prices are at a 4-year low, averaging about $2.90/gallon, and are continuing to plummet. Gas can now be found for under $3 per gallon in 43 U.S. states,” the agency said.
Depending on how much a person drives, that can mean hundreds in savings each year.
President Trump: “Prices are way down, energy is way down. If you look at gasoline, $1.99 a gallon, and sometimes—as you saw last week in Iowa—it was $1.85 a gallon when we went to Iowa. So we have the prices coming way down.”
Watch OAN Live on YouTube TV Today! pic.twitter.com/QngM9JWDDw
— One America News (@OANN) February 7, 2026
During a recent appearance on Megyn Kelly’s podcast, Vice President J.D. Vance said, “If you look at the numbers on affordability, they are starting to move in our direction.”
“There’s clear movement from where there was, say, four or five months ago,” he added.
Vance went on to note that due to inflation spiking to over 9 percent during the Biden administration, the average household lost about $3,000 in buying power.
VP Vance on the Trump Administration’s progress towards restoring affordability to the American people:
“The average American household has gained about $1,200 during the Trump administration…Rents have now declined five months in a row…We just have to keep working at it.” pic.twitter.com/R7MPZ5i3mt
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) February 4, 2026
Meanwhile, “The average American household … has gained about $1,200 during the Trump administration,” he said, arguing that this is why people are still feeling the pinch, because they are still $1,800 per year poorer than when Biden took office in 2021.
“We recognize there’s still a lot of work to do,” the vice president argued, but things are going in the right direction.
If you take tariffs in the context of everything else Trump and his team are doing economically, Americans are definitely better off than they were under Biden.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
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