Donald Trump’s recent tariffs have left many of his loyal supporters howling in frustration. They’re getting exactly what they voted for—higher costs, economic strain, and a global order teetering on the brink of chaos. Yet, now they’re the ones complaining. It’s almost as if they didn’t expect Trump’s promises to come with a price tag.
But here’s the hard truth: Trump delivered on what he promised. His policies are squeezing the very people who backed him, and now they’re reaping the consequences. So why are we still pretending like his voters didn’t know what they were getting into?
It’s strange how much we hear about how Trump’s supporters are supposedly shocked by the effects of his actions. The Democrats seem to think that if they show these voters how much Trump’s policies are going to hurt them financially, they’ll change their tune. They believe that voters are motivated by their wallets, but they’re missing the point entirely. The problem isn’t just about money—it’s something deeper, and far harder for the Democrats to combat.
Let’s stop treating Trump voters like they’re naive or uninformed. They voted for him because they believed his promises, no matter how reckless or misguided they seemed. And now that those promises are playing out in real time, they’re stuck with the fallout.
Trump supporters trust him, no matter how incoherent his decisions are. In fact, the more nonsensical his actions, the more they double down. He claims these tariffs are a tax cut, and somehow, they believe him—even though the facts say otherwise. The truth is, Trump supporters aren’t just following him because of his economic policies. They’re following him because they’ve bought into a larger narrative—a story about America under siege, about reclaiming what’s been stolen from them by “globalists” and foreigners.
For years, Trump has sold them on this cosmic battle between good and evil, where his followers are the last line of defense against an America being overtaken by outsiders. It’s a racialized story, one rooted in the fear that a changing America is a threat to their identity and power. And as much as we may not like to admit it, that story has resonated with a lot of people.
So now, when his policies start to bite, many of his supporters won’t blame him. Instead, they’ll blame foreign nations—countries Trump has demonized as the ones “looting” the country. Even if the tariffs make life harder for them, they’ll comfort themselves with the belief that it’s all for the greater good. They’re willing to endure hardship as proof of their loyalty to the cause.
This is where the Democrats go wrong. They think they can win over these voters by showing them the economic damage Trump’s policies are causing. But for Trump’s base, it’s never been about just money. It’s about something bigger—about the belief that they are the true, rightful America, and that everyone else is trying to steal that birthright away.
The economy was thriving before Trump’s tariffs. Under Joe Biden, unemployment was low, wages were rising, and inflation was under control. People were doing better, across the board, especially Black Americans. And that, it seems, is exactly what set Trump’s voters off. It wasn’t the rising cost of living. It was the fact that people they don’t think belong in this country were doing well.
For many white Americans, when Black people succeed, it feels like something is being taken from them. It’s the same old zero-sum mentality: If someone else is winning, they must be losing. So when Biden’s policies expanded the economy to include more people, Trump voters saw it as a threat. It wasn’t about the economy as a whole—it was about preserving their vision of who America belongs to.
Yes, Trump’s tariffs are the biggest tax hike we’ve seen in a generation. But the voters who put him in office? They wanted this. They wanted the radical change Trump promised. And now that they’re paying the price, they’re angry. But they shouldn’t be surprised. This is exactly what they voted for.
