A Thanksgiving for the willingly hoodwinked
Happy Thanksgiving to my MAGA friends who still imagine that the tariffs imposed by their messianic hero are anything other than a tax on Americans. You might want to listen to his own words, just days ago.
President Donald Trump, on November 6, admitted that U.S. consumers are paying more for goods because of the tariffs he ordered. This came even as he tried to insist the policy benefits Americans overall. That admission alone is a monumental retreat from the usual rhetoric that foreigners shoulder the cost.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice John Roberts reminded everyone that tariffs are effectively taxes paid by Americans, during Supreme Court questioning. The very idea that the president can sidestep Congress to levy such taxes was, and remains, politically and constitutionally contentious.
Then, on November 14, Trump announced rollbacks on select tariffs; coffee, beef, cocoa, bananas ostensibly to ease blowback over soaring grocery prices. But a rollback does not instantly erase the damage. The higher tariffs have already been paid on goods bought and imported earlier, sitting in warehouses and distribution centers. Those costs don’t vanish with a press release.
Independent price tracking around Thanksgiving showed nearly half of the 20 common side‑dish items priced higher and selling less than the year before. Cranberry sauce and the humble cream‑of‑mushroom soup rose; pecan pies jumped by 15 percent; even turkeys were more expensive. This is not the gentle, benevolent inflation your MAGA friends were promised, it’s a chain reaction of policy, disease, supply shocks, and greed.
Steel and aluminum duties were doubled from 25 to 50 percent, inflating the cost of cans, machinery, and everything that relies on metal inputs. The turkey flock has shrunk to levels not seen in nearly four decades due to avian influenza, further pressuring prices. Some fertilizers, critical to growing the crops that feed livestock faced double‑digit tariffs, adding yet another layer to production costs. Even the administration’s own factsheet later admitted some of those fertilizers would no longer be tariffed, a tacit acknowledgment of the harm done.
All of this could have been anticipated by anyone who has read a history book or listened to serious economists. Ronald Reagan, Mitt Romney, and other prominent Republicans have warned of the evils of tariffs and the inevitable tab paid by the American consumer and yet, you ignored them. History isn’t a dusty classroom exercise; it’s a warning light about policies that can destroy economies. You chose to ignore the light.
So, on this Thanksgiving, while there are still loyal believers paying the price, it’s worth saying: Happy Thanksgiving to all the willing sheep. You have willingly sponsored Trump’s gaudy ballroom, plane refurbishments, extravagant White House décor, endless golfing trips, and the ever‑swelling appetites of his cronies, all paid for out of your wallet and the public purse. The theater of arrogance and self‑delusion plays on, but the bills remain real.
Why It Matters
- Because tariffs are taxes, and MAGA voters are the ones suffering from them.
- Because Trump’s economic policies have never protected American workers.
- Because a movement that worships a man cannot acknowledge his mistakes — even when he admits them.
- Because rising prices hit working families hardest while billionaires skate free.
- Because authoritarian leaders always demand loyalty first and accountability never.
Key Takeaways
- Trump explicitly admitted Americans pay for his tariffs.
- Tariff rollbacks don’t remove past costs already built into prices.
- Grocery inflation is driven partly by tariff policy, supply shocks, disease, and greed.
- MAGA still blames “globalism” even as Trump taxes them directly.
- History and economists — including GOP icons — warned this would happen.
- Blind loyalty has an economic price, and Americans are paying it.
Further Reading
- The Fifth Risk — Michael Lewis. How government works — and how mismanagement destroys it. https://civilheresy.com/on fifth risk
- The Price of Politics — Bob Woodward. A deep dive into modern political dysfunction and economic fallout. https://civilheresy.com/the price of politics
- Democracy in Chains — Nancy MacLean. A chilling look at the coordinated, decades-long effort to undermine public institutions, restrict democracy, and shift economic power to the wealthy. https://civilheresy.com/Democracy in Chains
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