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Why Trump's tariff promises will be hard to keep

Aerial view of an automobile body parts supplier in Apodaca in Mexico's Nuevo Leon state on May 1, 2024.
Alfredo Estrella
/
AFP
Aerial view of an automobile body parts supplier in Apodaca in Mexico's Nuevo Leon state on May 1, 2024.

In his speech today and on his social media platform last week, Trump declared that he wants to create what he's calling the "External Revenue Service" to collect tariffs and other revenues from foreign sources.

To be clear, that name itself is misleading: the overwhelming number of tariffs are paid by American businesses importing goods, not by external foreign sources.

The post is the latest in a long line of promises Trump has made about tariffs, which are at the center of his economic strategy. Those promises on tariffs will be hard to keep, economists say — and some even work against each other.

Here's why.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Danielle Kurtzleben
Danielle Kurtzleben is a political correspondent assigned to NPR's Washington Desk. She appears on NPR shows, writes for the web, and is a regular on The NPR Politics Podcast. She is covering the 2020 presidential election, with particular focuses on on economic policy and gender politics.