Small businesses struggle under Trump's tariff whiplash: 'I'm so angry that my own government has done this to me'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN Business

Updated 3:11 PM EDT, Sun June 1, 2025


New York CNN — For some small businesses, the last week brought even more twists and turns to the past two months of President Donald Trump’s chaotic tariffs.

The situation was already confusing, with stops and starts of tariffs at different levels. Then on Wednesday, a US court said Trump overstepped his authority in imposing most of those import levies – only for an appeals court on Thursday to pause the previous court’s ruling.

The confusion has made it challenging for some small companies to plan, business owners told CNN. In certain cases, they have had to consider changing their product strategy, looking into shifting their supply chains, reducing staff hours or delaying products.

“My fear is, if this continues, there’s going to be like the mass extinction of small businesses,” Julie Robbins, CEO of Ohio-based guitar pedal maker EarthQuaker Devices, told CNN. Trump announced blanket tariffs across the globe on April 2, and since then, his plans have changed on a regular basis.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/01/business/small-businesses-struggle-under-trumps-tariffs

[taxi]

1. The headline comes from CNN, and I take issue with it.

The media acts like there are three major political parties

Democrats
Republicans
and the Government

Blame is placed on either the Democrats or the Government, depending on who's in power. Currently the Republicans are and voters are encouraged (by complicit media) to blame the Government. But when Democrats are in power, no such exit ramp exists and it is all the Democrats fault

[3Hotdogs]

2. In this case, the headline is fair, since the blame to the gub'mint was referenced in a quote.

[taxi]

4. Yes. That is exactly why I wrote what I did.

I clicked on the link in the OP and read the CNN article, twice. Twice because I could not find mention of the government in it. Next, clicking on the video to actually hear the words proved fruitless also. The ad played fine, without having a skip-ad option, then nothing. Maybe it was my phone. Maybe it wasn't. The point is that the media can choose not to reinforce misinformation. They did not and they do not. Enforcing misinformation in their headline creates the false equivalency of democrats and government are bad - republicans are innocent. We need to hold their feet to the fire.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. I did a word find on the article itself

and nowhere in the article does "Democrat" or "Democrats" or "Democratic party" appear.

The headline has 45's last name explicitly mentioned with ownership (via a possessive) of the "tariffs".

Because the GOP is in the majority in Congress, heads up the Executive branch through the President, and has a majority in the SCOTUS, ALL of which equals "the government", then there is no association with "Democrats", including as "the government" in how you are framing the headline.

If the person willingly calls it "my government" and is expressing that type of "regret", then I expect that THIS is the "government that they elected" (not the one that I elected as a Democrat).

CNN sucks but it's rare that they will have a headline disparaging 45 like that as it is.

[taxi]

7. We're all on the same page, it isn't us.

Outside of DU there are many who view the term 'government' as a terrible thing. They don't seem to understand that there will always be a higher authority, some type of government that controls their lives. When the media acts in ways to have people believe their lives would be better without government we all suffer.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. I understand your take on it

It's what Raygun promoted and the GOP has embraced... until THEY became "the government" (and would supposedly "drain the swamp" and other nonsense).

Now THEY are "the swamp" after having emptied the government of employees and it's pretty clear that by doing what they did, people WILL discover what government DID do for them that they took for granted and never realized existed. That particular detail was also lost on the DOGE loons who went slashing and burning through programs that they had no idea what they were nor why they were put in place, nor cared... until someone screamed bloody murder and they put some of it back.

I always complained that every time there was a threat of or an actual government shutdown and furloughs, the first thing the media would do was to trivialize it by running to the nearest "national park" (usually anywhere in D.C.) and stand in front of a barrier with a sign that stated that the park was "closed".

In other words, "the government" was nothing more than caretakers of the national park system.

And during those furloughs, it was never a complete "shut down" but the employees always had to hope they would get back pay and those required to work weren't getting any current pay (although thankfully a law was finally passed to ensure back pay after a furlough because there was no provision for that unless explicitly authorized by a bill passed by Congress and signed into law to fund it).

This time, with literally tens of thousands of layoffs, retirements, and resignations, people are really about to find out what government does (and I am a federal retiree having worked 30+ years in it).

[taxi]

9. + + + this

Last edited Mon Jun 2, 2025, 11:42 AM - Edit history (1)

[hildegaard28]

3. It is

Now the government doing it, since Trump and the Republicans are the government. We have to remind people that this is always what happens when Republicans are elected to run the government. The government wages war on the people when Republicans are in charge of it.

[wolfie001]

5. As bad as it might get.....

.....I take great pleasure in knowing these tRUMP voters are being royally screwed by their fat orange psychopath.

[Bengus81]

10. LOL...wait until the tariffs REALLY take effect. You Trump voters haven't seen anything yet.

You wanted your tax cuts and you got them............

[Wonder Why]

11. The only issue is - Did the business owners/CEOs vote for the TACO? If so, they, not the government or the

repugs are at fault. They knew what he promised. They got what they asked for. Now they can suffer.

If not, they can join the rest of us on No Kings Day and demonstrate to stop the repug government and it's evil TACO.

[maxrandb]

12. It"s NOT your "gubmint" doing it to you

It's YOUR FUCKING NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS. FAMILY MEMBERS, CO-WORKERS, FELLOW PARISHIONERS and ANYONE that voted for that piss of amphibian shit!

My advice is to identify them and cut them out of your life...completely.

[Canada Kid]

13. SMALL BUSINESS MUST STAND UP NOW!!!

It is the everyday Mom and Pop businesses that are the backbone of the US, and they all have to get together (form an organization) to fight the Trump government. The Orange Idiot and his cronies do not give 1 iota about any of you...it is only about the rich on top and how they can get richer. Maybe collectively refuse to pay their taxes at the federal level...the government can't arrest everyone at the same time. Some method to jam up Trump and get him impeached along with all the others. You can't commit crimes on a daily basis and keep getting away with it. At some point the shit just won't stick to the wall.

[Paladin]

14. FAFO, trump voters. Thanks for nothing. (nt)

[DonCoquixote]

15. I hate to say this

AS someone whose family has had numerous small businesses
and as someone whose relatives in those business voted for Trump
Sorry, you know, you did not give a damn
because you though it would only go after blacks and Mexicans
never YOU
sorry, I a deaf to your violins
especially as you were deaf to mine

[louis-t]

16. "The government" didn't do this to you.

One man did this. Only one man.

[Aussie105]

17. So the assumption that . . .

'Your' government loves you Mr Small Business owner, wants the best for you, doesn't put obstacles in your way, is now Null & Void?

Wow! Gosh! Golly! /mucho sarcasmo

Think about it, drop the blindfolds and see who Trump really is.

He ain't your friend, he ain't a politician, he ain't on your side!
Besides, he isn't sane and he isn't doing anything any normal POTUS would, could, should do.

Possibly suffering from the 'value added' syndrome?

You know, what I have now is carved in granite, immutable, a vote for Trump will just add to what I have now.
So wrong, it turns out - Trump wants Americans to be under the thumb, like Russians, and be poor and undernourished like North Koreans.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. And good morning to you!