Attention MAGA Shoppers!

Guest article by Michael Cohen

Tariffs sold as strength are quietly draining American wallets. What was promised as punishment for others is now an invisible tax reshaping everyday life for working families.

Let me say it plainly, because nobody else does: tariffs are taxes. Not on China. Not on Mexico. Not on the mystical, faraway land of “foreign adversaries.” They're taxes on you—the American consumer. So if you’ve been feeling like your paycheck doesn’t stretch the way it used to, if you walked into Walmart lately and walked out in shock, let me help you connect the dots. Because it’s not just inflation. It’s not just “the market.” It’s Donald Trump’s tariff policy coming home to roost—and right in your grocery cart.

Now, Trump has long insisted that tariffs punish other countries. He once said, “We tax China.” No, Sir. You tax Americans. You slap a 25% tariff on imported goods, and what do you think happens? The companies don’t eat that cost out of patriotism. They pass it on to the store. The store passes it on to you. So congratulations, MAGA faithful: you’re now the proud owners of the Trump tax—and you didn’t even get a commemorative coin.

Let’s talk numbers, because this isn’t theoretical. A research group has been quietly tracking 50 commonly purchased items at Walmart for the last seven weeks. What they found is no fluke; it’s a slow bleed. Graco strollers? In May, $199. In July, $299. That’s a 50% jump. Got a baby on the way? Better have a trust fund too.

Or how about milk? The staple of every kitchen. In May: $3.55 a gallon. In July? $3.76. That’s a 6% increase for something that literally spoils in your fridge. And Levi’s jeans—which used to be the everyman’s uniform? May: $23.98. July: $24.98. That’s a 4% increase for the privilege of wearing something made overseas while chanting “America First.”

Let’s not skip the essentials: coffee. That sacred bean that fuels your morning rage-scroll. In May: $16.43 for a 40.3 oz bag. In July? $19.24. That’s a 17% spike. At this rate, your caffeine addiction will need a second mortgage.

And for those of you nesting with Drew Barrymore’s designer kitchenware? That cute little 12-piece pot-and-pan set? It went from $99 in May to $149 in July. That’s a 51% increase. For pots. Not Teslas. Not gold bullion. Pots.

This isn’t the free market at work. This isn’t global supply chains having a bad day. This is economic malpractice dressed up as “tough on China” and sold to people who never checked the fine print. And the fine print says: Hey stupid, you pay the tariff.

I know this game. I helped create it. When Trump says “we’re winning,” what he means is: he’s winning. You’re just buying into the illusion—literally. The man will blame everything on Democrats, specifically Joe Biden, for anything that is perceived as bad. Cost increase? Sleepy Joe. Labor shortage? Crooked Joe. But make no mistake, the tariffs? Those are his.

And get ready, because the worst part is this: more are coming. Trump has already sent out letters to over 100 countries telling them what the tariffs are going to be as part of his “90 Days, 90 Deals” slogan. And they take effect as of August 1. Think about that. That’s not targeted. That’s not strategic. That’s your toaster, your TV, your tires, and your toddler’s t-shirts. All taxed. All rising in price. All for the sake of an economic fantasy scribbled in Sharpie on a napkin in Mar-a-Lago.

What Trump is offering isn’t protectionism. It’s punishment—for you. For the middle class. For anyone who thought America First would mean prices down and jobs up. It doesn’t. It never did. It means America footing the bill for Donald’s ego war.

But here’s the kicker: he’s selling it to you as a win. And some of you are buying it—even as your receipts stretch longer and your bank accounts shrink faster. That’s the real con. Not the tariffs. Not the math. But the illusion that you’re part of some great nationalist crusade, when really, you’re just paying for another gold toilet on the Trump property line.

So the next time you walk into Walmart, and you see that 12-pack of socks went up another buck, ask yourself: is this what winning feels like? Or are you just the latest sucker in a long line of them?

Because if there’s one thing Donald Trump taught me—and believe me, I learned it the hard way—it’s this: he always gets paid. And guess what? Now, so do the strollers, the coffee, the jeans, and the milk. Except, they are paid by you.

Enjoy your next trip to Walmart, patriots. Chalk it up as the cost of loyalty.

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