Just how much do Trump’s tariffs cost? In August 2018, $1.4 billion

Much has been written about the impact of tariffs and the costs they impose on Americans. Most of that has been speculative. Now, new data make clear just how high those costs actually are. Those numbers, compiled by The Trade Partnership for the nonpartisan, nonprofit coalition of businesses calling themselves “Tariffs Hurt the Heartland,” aren’t pretty.

In August 2018, $1.4 billion more in tariffs were paid compared to August 2017. That’s an increase of 45 percent. And, of course, it doesn’t count the added costs of retaliatory tariffs, or of buying more expensive domestic products and materials to avoid tariffs.