How Tariffs May Affect Eye Care

How Tariffs May Affect Eye Care
By Gretchyn M. Bailey, NCLC, FAAO


With the recent change in US leadership, tariffs have become part of day-to-day conversation. A tariff is a tax placed on goods entering or leaving a country by that country’s government.

For many, tariffs belong in macro economic discussions. However, tariffs have the potential to do more than affect multinational companies—effects from tariffs are likely to affect small independent businesses and ordinary people, such as optometrists and their patients.

At Vision Expo East in Orlando last week, in coordination with The Vision Council, attorney F.D. “Rick” Van Arnam, Jr., a partner at Barnes, Richardson & Colburn in New York, discussed how tariffs may affect eye care and outlined how today’s looming tariffs first became part of the landscape.

Tariff origins
In 2018, the Office of the United States Trade Representative opened a Section 301 investigation on intellectual property misappropriation by China that officials believe were adverse to US interests. Specifically, American companies were required to release proprietary technology to Chinese business partners as a prerequisite to the US company manufacturing or distributing in China.

Under Section 301 of the law, the federal government is able to take remedial steps to correct such bad actions. Therefore, a 25% tariff was assessed on merchandise made in China. At the time, the tariff was limited to products negatively affected by the Chinese bad actions, such as machinery. However, many more products were added to the tariff list.

China retaliated by enacting its own 25% tariff on US agriculture, of which China was a big consumer. China also identified other products that were subject to additional tariffs.

In return, the US created an additional tariff of 7.5% on a broader list of products—on top of the already established 2.5% duty on many imported items. That additional tariff increased duty on Chinese goods to 10%.

Note that a Court of Appeals case is challenging Section 301 tariffs. The case will likely be decided in the next few months, and the decision is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Eye care involvement
Eye care was affected by the additional tariffs by the involvement of things like spectacle lenses, plano sunglasses, over-the-counter (OTC) readers, low vision equipment, and lens finishing equipment.

However, companies were able to petition for relief—or exclusion—from Section 301 tariffs. If one company was granted exclusion, all other companies with similar products were also granted exclusion. For about a year, exclusions were issued for spectacle frames and reading glasses. Those exclusions ended in 2020, and attempts to renew them were not successful.

In February 2025, an additional 10% duty was announced for any Chinese origin product.

Says Van Arnam: “That 10% the eyewear company is paying to import those plastic spectacle frames from China just jumped to 20%. The same frame, if you bought it today from say Vietnam, would be a 2.5% duty; it is now 20% if it's coming from China. China is the biggest by far producer of of optical products, particularly frames.”

Mexico and Canada tariffs
Also in February 2025, a 25% tariff was announced for products coming from Mexico and Canada. This tariff was framed as action taken against the countries for allowing fentanyl and illegal immigrants into the US.

Says Van Arnam: “This was a huge deal because Mexico and Canada are two of our largest trading partners. “They are are border allies and historically have had good relations with the United States. “We have free trade agreements with both of them, which allow the vast majority of products that are made in Canada and Mexico to come into the United States free of duty and for products that are made in the United States to go into Canada and Mexico free of duty.”

Due to both Canada and Mexico making overtures to remedy the problems identified by the US, tariff enforcement was paused for 30 days. That 30-day period expires on March 4.

“Some companies in the eyecare industry who weren’t affected by the China trade were panicking because they would now be impacted by Canadian or Mexican trade,” says Van Arnam. “There is a lot of cross-border trade. You might have a lens processing facility on the Mexican side of the border with lenses sent over for processing and brought back into the United States for distribution.”

He wonders how the US will measure success for the remedies proposed by both countries.

“What metric do you use to measure fewer immigrants coming in or less fentanyl coming across the border?” he says.

Aluminum and steel
Within the past two weeks, a 25% tariff on raw aluminum and steel (and their derivative products) was announced. Most manufacturers in the eyecare space use both metals in their production, from frames to equipment.

Says Van Arnam: “These costs will ripple through the supply chain because I don’t believe any company will be big enough to absorb the cost and say it’s all on us.”

The additional duty will eventually end up in the cost of goods everywhere, including eye care. Van Arnam foresees challenges in the future because costs may not necessarily be passed onto patients or consumers due to negotiated contracts.

“Patients may have insurance which is paying only X amount,” he says. “Or maybe you’re selling frames to Veterans Affairs which won’t allow you to increase your price. There won't be a direct line from the 25% paid on the raw material to the finished value of the of the eyewear. Some of it will be absorbed, but at some point, you're going to see price hikes and hear people talking about how these tariffs will be inflationary.”

Tariffs on aluminum and steel were enacted prior to 2020; however, exclusions and agreements with other countries largely mitigated the effects. Those terms expire on March 12.

Reciprocal tariffs
The federal government is looking into imposing a tariff on all imported products, regardless of origin, to match the originating countries’ tariffs.

“There is a perceived injustice that the United States has tariffs that are historically lower than those of other countries while other countries have tariffs that are historically higher,” Van Arnam says. “The federal government is looking at what we charge for an item vs what country X charges for that item. If we are charging 2.5% for a pair of spectacle frames, and hypothetically, India is charging 10%, there is a 7.5% gap. Under the reciprocal theory, you would pay an extra 7.5% duty to import spectacle frames of Indian origin into the United States so the tariff amounts would match.”

Addressing reciprocal tariffs would likely create logistical challenges for smaller companies without the resources to quickly pivot.

Federal agencies involved with international trade are required to report by April 1 where reciprocal duties might apply. For example, will the duty apply to specific countries or specific products?

Upcoming tariff deadlines
• March 4: The 30-day pause on Mexican and Canadian tariffs expires. A 25% tariff may go into effect.
• March 12: Previous exclusions and agreements about raw aluminum and steel expire. A 25% tariff may go into effect.
• April 1: Reports due to identify where reciprocal tariffs might be applied.
 
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I dare you to listen to this.
Pretty sharp bird back in the day. It is interesting to say that she nailed it. Why was no one listening. Listen to the part about them outsourcing the technology to build airplane parts for Boeing, and pay workers $50/month. They were brilliant to demand to take on way more then just textiles and junk plastic toys.
 
Pretty sharp bird back in the day. It is interesting to say that she nailed it. Why was no one listening. Listen to the part about them outsourcing the technology to build airplane parts for Boeing, and pay workers $50/month. They were brilliant to demand to take on way more then just textiles and junk plastic toys.
Again...we can blame the corporations who wanted to wring every possible nickel of profit out of their companies, no matter what the consequences may be. To not do so was unAmerican.

It looks like markets on pace for another rout today. I also think Ben Shapiro is right. I don't see the American public simply standing by and watching 20% of their retirement funds go up in smoke along with the cost of virtually everything rising in three months.

It is an absolute possibility that you're going to see President Gavin Newsome in four years and Speaker of the House Alexendria Ocasio-Cortez in two years.

As far as how any of this is going to affect my practice.....no idea. I imagine COGS will go up and patients will have to pay more. I'm sure staff will be demanding higher wages to keep with inflation.

Again....I guess we'll see.
 
I agree, most likely what will happen is the heat will be so hot on Trump and the administration that they will claim victory if a small Cambodia shoe factory opens up in the U.S. and quickly take them down due to the race toward a recession.

And you've provided nothing but quips and sayings. People are pointing out that we are not actually tariffed heavily by other countries, we've had open trade with Mexico and Canada that Trump himself put together, free trade has caused the US to be the best economy the world has ever seen, we just tore up trade agreements we wrote with a lot of countries that already provided free trade, and the deficits aren't us getting screwed over it is because we have a much larger population than a place like Taiwan, so of course we buy more there than they buy from us.

No wonder we have a hard time getting anything done lately, it is like living in another universe of separate facts.
Guessing you're on the "correct side" so your political post will remain.

What quips and sayings have I provided? I'm just not going to freak out until this has time to play out. It's that easy. Some people are here are driven by an irrational state of fear. Calm down. Go for a walk in the park. Smell the roses. Buy some stock. Jeesh.
 
I'd be interested to know which part doesn't track? And what is Ben Shapiro's motive when almost all of his other content is defending Trump? The reason he's worried about the Tariffs is because with a tanking economy he feels like it will put a damper on the real conservative agenda he wants Trump to get done.

I've yet to really hear any factual or good points yet on any of this.
I'm pretty certain you are not (like most people) driven by facts. Agenda driven like most rather you realize it or not.
 
Guessing you're on the "correct side" so your political post will remain.

What quips and sayings have I provided? I'm just not going to freak out until this has time to play out. It's that easy. Some people are here are driven by an irrational state of fear. Calm down. Go for a walk in the park. Smell the roses. Buy some stock. Jeesh.
I don't know if people on here are freaking out. But you're also acting like nothing has happened yet, but the markets lost over $3 Trillion dollars in a day, the same as when Covid hit. And the markets right now this morning are already showing another ~3% drop which could be another $2-3 Trillion dollar loss. So things seem to be playing out right now.

That said I have a longer time horizon so I'm currently buying stock. I guess that is an upside?
 
And I can't respond to your political post because I would be censored. This post will likely be deleted as well. Like the 2 above.

Pretty hard to offer more than "quips and sayings" or to offer "I've yet to really hear any factual or good points yet on any of this" when every response is almost immediately censored. Whether you know it or not you're in an echo chamber right now created by the moderator.
 
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I don't know if people on here are freaking out. But you're also acting like nothing has happened yet, but the markets lost over $3 Trillion dollars in a day, the same as when Covid hit. And the markets right now this morning are already showing another ~3% drop which could be another $2-3 Trillion dollar loss. So things seem to be playing out right now.

That said I have a longer time horizon so I'm currently buying stock. I guess that is an upside?
"Lost" 3 trillion? All those people sold their positions? Tragic.
 
I'm pretty certain you are not (like most people) driven by facts. Agenda driven like most rather you realize it or not.
You literally are apparently for a trade war because of the way you "feel." And a staunch conservative can lay out facts in front of everyone here, but because people don't like them they will say those aren't facts. I've listed multiple trade agreements and you can easily look up how we've had mostly free trade with most of the countries we tariffed, and explained why we have trade deficits and why it is not a bad thing.

But that's all I got for this topic today, and like you said not much we can probably do anyways so we can all take a walk and let it play out. Who knows, maybe this will shoot us into a new economy that is somehow even better than we ever had before?
 
You literally are apparently for a trade war because of the way you "feel." And a staunch conservative can lay out facts in front of everyone here, but because people don't like them they will say those aren't facts. I've listed multiple trade agreements and you can easily look up how we've had mostly free trade with most of the countries we tariffed, and explained why we have trade deficits and why it is not a bad thing.

But that's all I got for this topic today, and like you said not much we can probably do anyways so we can all take a walk and let it play out. Who knows, maybe this will shoot us into a new economy that is somehow even better than we ever had before?
I absolutely do not want a trade war. I just refuse to be driven by fear. If this works out poorly then it'll be a blood bath in midterms, likely impeachment and the Dems win the election in 2028. Unlike many here (the one's not censored) I'm just hopeful. Would feel the same regardless who was in the Oval Office.
 
Pretty hard to offer more than "quips and sayings" or to offer "I've yet to really hear any factual or good points yet on any of this" when every response is almost immediately censored. Whether you know it or not you're in an echo chamber right now created by the moderator.
Most accurate post in this whole thread.
 
The United States–Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA), implemented on September 1, 1985, was the first FTA entered into by the United States. This landmark agreement aimed to bolster economic ties by progressively eliminating duties on manufactured goods, achieving complete duty-free status for these products by January 1, 1995.

The United States–Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed on October 24, 2000, and entering into force on December 17, 2001, was the first such agreement between the U.S. and an Arab country. It aimed to eliminate duties and commercial barriers to bilateral trade in goods and services. We just put a 20% tariff on Jordan who was one of the first Arab nations who agreed to do free trade with the US.

I mean people can go and look them up, but many of these countries we already had agreements to free trade but we hammered Israel, another ally as well.
Derrick, with respect, Ben Shapiro’s video is impressive, it would be more so if he had authorized access to US Treasury and not just supposition. He is a good commmunicator but his motivation is clicks, he is good at that too. I try to be careful when I read and listen to opinions and interpretations of relationships. I am skeptical.
Thanks for sharing!
 
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I agree, most likely what will happen is the heat will be so hot on Trump and the administration that they will claim victory if a small Cambodia shoe factory opens up in the U.S. and quickly take them down due to the race toward a recession.

And you've provided nothing but quips and sayings. People are pointing out that we are not actually tariffed heavily by other countries, we've had open trade with Mexico and Canada that Trump himself put together, free trade has caused the US to be the best economy the world has ever seen, we just tore up trade agreements we wrote with a lot of countries that already provided free trade, and the deficits aren't us getting screwed over it is because we have a much larger population than a place like Taiwan, so of course we buy more there than they buy from us.

No wonder we have a hard time getting anything done lately, it is like living in another universe of separate facts.
Very few facts many separate opinions and interpretations. That’s fine until they are thoughts of as facts. Most are twisted to a point of view and all sides.
 
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Derrick, with respect, Ben Shapiro’s video is impressive, it would be more so if he had authorized access to US Treasury and not just supposition. He is a good commmunicator but his motivation is clicks, he is good at that too. I try to be careful when I read and listen to opinions and interpretations of relationships. I am skeptical.
Thanks for sharing!
I agree with most of that, and whether or not someone agrees with Shapiro he is very good at debate and communicating. The part that got me was the fact that since it is just spread everywhere we have very unfair trade against us we just assume it is true. He laid it out how that is not the fact, and then when I started to search it myself you find that in fact we have open and free trade with most of the world. Even before the first trade war series in 2020ish when some countries had tariffs they weren't very high, at least not enough to really make a difference and only hurt themselves. I also just assumed we were the only country allowing free trade, but like a lot of things the more you dig into a lot of it is not true.
 
I agree with most of that, and whether or not someone agrees with Shapiro he is very good at debate and communicating. The part that got me was the fact that since it is just spread everywhere we have very unfair trade against us we just assume it is true. He laid it out how that is not the fact, and then when I started to search it myself you find that in fact we have open and free trade with most of the world. Even before the first trade war series in 2020ish when some countries had tariffs they weren't very high, at least not enough to really make a difference and only hurt themselves. I also just assumed we were the only country allowing free trade, but like a lot of things the more you dig into a lot of it is not true.
Well done sir.
Now we need to look at barriers to free trade. There is no free lunch. My Dad always told me that, he was probably correct.
What about currency manipulation? Is that a thing, does it relate to trade?

As we chat, I liken USA as an entity and Netherlands as another and I believe they are to be managed more business like than Nanny like.

I also like out of the box thinking and actions. There are plenty of leaders that think and talk a lot, very few who take action. This action may lead to increased external revenue. It may lead to the collapse of the world as we know it if you listen to some talking heads. I happen to think not.

I look forward to the former and I am happy to take a punch, at least I’m in the ring and not the sidelines with platitudes and hoping for change.
Thanks again for the chat!
 
Well you must have not watched the Ben Shapiro (again, big conservative) video yet, he tears all those points apart. The reason that the lower middle class has gotten smaller is because free trade has allowed more of the lower middle class to go into the upper middle class. Life is easier here for lower income people because we have so much access to different products.
I think we have to deal with reality on reality's terms though.

She rails against "rich people" and the stock market but the reality is is that most retirees, state pension funds, private industry pension funds are all heavily invested in the markets.

Trump isn't merely saying "screw you" to 'Wall Street.' He's saying it to all of the citizens who hold funds in those markets. Seemingly in the hopes that we start building factories to again make whatever crap they sell at Hot Topic.

It's reasonable to want to have more manufacturing here and as we saw during COVID, it's probably not good to be making so much of our medicines and PPE overseas, as an example. Again though....this is corporations trying to wring every nickel of profit out of their companies that they possibly can.

But much like Elon Musk roaring like a bull through a China shop and then standing gleefully on stage, revving a bedazzled chainsaw, I'm not sure what Trump is doing is the best way to accomplish that. It certainly is resulting in a lot of short term collateral damage.

Like Dr. McDaniel said, I'm not panicking and I hope it all works out. I don't agree with Trump on everything but I think it's generally safe to say that his success is our nation's success and I think everyone wants to see that.

I'm just not convinced this is the best way to do it.
 
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The reports this morning say that the POTUS has been on the phone speaking to world trading partners, possibly to regotiate down the reciprocal tariff rate. Vietnam was one country mentioned. Is it possible he will try to cut deals with small nations first, to open the eyes of larger trading nations?

Then there is news that Fed Chairman Powell will speak today. It is said he is apolitical. Will he consider lowering the discount rate?
 
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The reports this morning say that the POTUS has been on the phone speaking to world trading partners, possibly to regotiate down the reciprocal tariff rate. Vietnam was one country mentioned. Is it possible he will try to cut deals with small nations first, to open the eyes of larger trading nations?

Then there is news that Fed Chairman Powell will speak today. It is said he is apolitical. Will he consider lowering the discount rate?
Thats a no.
 
The reports this morning say that the POTUS has been on the phone speaking to world trading partners, possibly to regotiate down the reciprocal tariff rate. Vietnam was one country mentioned. Is it possible he will try to cut deals with small nations first, to open the eyes of larger trading nations?

Then there is news that Fed Chairman Powell will speak today. It is said he is apolitical. Will he consider lowering the discount rate?
He won't touch interest rate policy until there is a real recession / contraction in GDP. The tariffs will stoke inflation and dropping rates would be the wrong initial move.
 
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The reports this morning say that the POTUS has been on the phone speaking to world trading partners, possibly to regotiate down the reciprocal tariff rate. Vietnam was one country mentioned. Is it possible he will try to cut deals with small nations first, to open the eyes of larger trading nations?

Then there is news that Fed Chairman Powell will speak today. It is said he is apolitical. Will he consider lowering the discount rate?
I'm going to buy some of the ETF: ASEA

Wagering that some of the south Asia countries (Vietnam, Indonesia,....) will make deals quickly while China tries to dig in its heals.
Hoping to see big upswing in factories there as companies look to abandon China, but stay in Asia.
 
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I'm going to buy some of the ETF: ASEA

Wagering that some of the south Asia countries (Vietnam, Indonesia,....) will make deals quickly while China tries to dig in its heals.
Hoping to see big upswing in factories there as companies look to abandon China, but stay in Asia.
This. My son is a little late to the game, but was reducing his China holdings this AM.
 
I'm going to buy some of the ETF: ASEA

Wagering that some of the south Asia countries (Vietnam, Indonesia,....) will make deals quickly while China tries to dig in its heals.
Hoping to see big upswing in factories there as companies look to abandon China, but stay in Asia.
10+% of this is China financials

probably good idea to go with a handful of narrow funds in that region
 
Please when making statements place link where you received this information.
Sure, always like to help out, but you can Google that in about 2 seconds. It is widely known.


Nike has significantly shifted its manufacturing base to Vietnam, with the country now being the largest supplier of Nike footwear and apparel, producing 50% of its footwear and 28% of its apparel.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:
  • Shift from China:
    Over the past two decades, Nike has gradually diversified its manufacturing beyond China, with Vietnam emerging as its most important production market.

  • Key Manufacturing Hub:
    Vietnam is now a key manufacturing hub for Nike, with over 530,000 Vietnamese employed by factories supplying the sportswear giant.

  • Footwear and Apparel Production:
    In fiscal 2024, factories in Vietnam manufactured 50% of all Nike Brand footwear and 28% of all Nike Brand apparel, making it the largest market for both.

  • Economic Benefits for Vietnam:
    Nike's presence in Vietnam has contributed to the country's economy and created a skilled workforce in the apparel manufacturing industry.

  • Nike's history in Vietnam
    Nike started its commercial venture in Vietnam in 1995 and made a significant contribution to the country's economy during the late 1990s.

  • Other companies also moving to Vietnam
    Adidas also relies heavily on Vietnam for its footwear and apparel production, with 39% of its footwear and 18% of its apparel being produced in the country.

  • Potential Impact of Tariffs:
    The shift to Vietnam has put Nike in a position where it is vulnerable to tariffs on products from China and Vietnam, which could lead to increased costs and reduced profits.
 
Please when making statements place link where you received this information.
264 posts in this thread so far, most without a link, and you single out Joe for this? Any particular reason?
 
There are 195 countries on the planet. Trump tariffed 180 including a dozen or so tiny islands and others that we do not trade with at all. But it looked pretty on his Big White Board.

There were also four "exceptions:" North Korea, Cuba, Balarus and Russia. The rationale: all sanctioned so there is no trade with them.

Except that's not true of Russia. (Lots of what he said in not true, but that's not the issue here.) The USA did $3.5 billion in trade thus far this year.

Once again, Putin gets a get-out-of-jail free card.

Some economists are saying the Global Trade War will be a big win for China and Russia. They do not need goods from the USA at all and can find trading partners with UK and EU member nations who appear to opting to cease some/most trading with USA on April 12.

It's a good idea to get perspective from someplace not CNN, NBC, Fox, etc. Go VPN to a European server and look at DW, France24, Euronews, BBC and Guardian. You can the addresses from Google.co.uk when you are there. (When I want to find out what's happening in Israel/Palestine, I VPN to there and read a few news sources. Things happen over there that don't "fit" in the USA media news cycle.)

Don't forget to read Canadian news sources. The folks in our not 51st state have a interesting take on USA. Recent poll indicates that many of the 60,000 Florida snow birds, many who own property in the Sunshine State are leaving and will not return, many selling their properties. I guess we'll see.
 
Powell announcement today: On April 4, 2025, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell addressed the economic implications of the Trump administration's recently announced tariffs. Speaking at the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing Annual Conference in Arlington, Virginia, Powell highlighted that these tariffs are "larger than expected" and are likely to result in increased inflation and slower economic growth.
 
Everyone before Trump complained that we had a problem but nobody tried to fix it…for decades. Housing is too expensive, trade deficit too high, national debt becoming a major problem etc.
Stocks and 401ks falling sure- I’ve lost 17% (on paper!) in just the last 2 days because I have pretty risky stuff. It’s estimated the top 10% of the wealth holders have 90% of the stocks and MF’s. Bottom 50% of the population own less than 1%. S&P has gone from being up 135% in the last 5 years to being up 118% the last 5 years. Perspective. If you even have retirement accounts you’re in a good position. I’m just going to chill and see if this dude actually has the answers. He’ll need help from Fed (lower rates) and congress (continue tax cuts to help those may pay more if they continue their consumption) but at least he’s trying. I like the people he has around him and willing to give them a chance. The status quo for most of the population wasn’t sustainable and if you’re being honest with yourself you know it.
 
Good discusses with the highly knowledgable Larry Kudlow and the chair of white house economic advisors, Steve Myron.

This is worth a listen (sorry I can not get my VPN working).

 
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Good discusses with the highly knowledgable Larry Kudlow and the chair of white house economic advisors, Steve Myron.

This is worth a listen (sorry I can not get my VPN working).


I made it a few sentences in and then they started talking about Trump's great ChatGPT produced chart he held up in the rose garden. These people are not as smart as you think.
 
I made it a few sentences in and then they started talking about Trump's great ChatGPT produced chart he held up in the rose garden. These people are not as smart as you think.
who is John? you know the guy on the right or just judging proximity with Kudlow?
 
This is a grand experiment for sure.

John, if you haven’t …try the All In long form podcasts with Bissent and Lutnick and try to understand what these guys want to do. Maybe you don’t agree and that’s fine, but what good does it do to not even listen to the other side and learn what their intentions are?
 
I know Kudlow's a dope and I just assume the other guy is talking out of his ass because of who he works for.
Right, I'm from the generation that doesn't really watch TV or cable news shows so when I see a glimpse of it I don't understand how people can't see through this stuff.

The Fox guy leads all of the the "questions" basically telling the guy what to say "So tell us how good it is going to be when these Tariffs take effect," or "So we are going to have all this new money to spend that we make from these Tariffs tell us how we will use that?" But dismissing the fact that all of that Tariff money will be paid by US citizens. All the while the host is literally shouting "Yes! Yes!" when the Trump official talks about things.