Since President Trump has come back into power, he has gone on a crusade of economic protectionism.

What that means is that the world has seen a minimum of ten percent tariff rates added on virtually every country in the world, along with a set of islands inhabited exclusively by penguins. Yes, penguins.

There are a few exceptions. They are Russia, North Korea and China. These new tariffs are also often higher than ten percent, with the ones applied to China being 145 percent.

Additionally, what business executives and economists have feared as the worst is happening. As the latest shipments of tariffed goods arrive on American shores, and after a particularly nasty stock market plunge in early April 2025 which wiped out all gains since the start of the year and of which (as of the writing) indexes such as the NASDAQ and S&P still have yet to recover fully, Americans, including high school students, are confused.

How will these tariffs affect Community School of Davidson (CSD) students?

There are many examples.

Prices are likely to rise on everything from car parts to T-shirts, owing to the fact that a large portion of most goods on U.S. shelves are either made in foreign countries or require critical manufacturing inputs that cannot be easily supplemented with domestic goods.

Cars are a great example.

For those who are planning on getting their first new car soon enough, and who may be looking at a modestly priced new car (let’s say about $40,000), you could potentially be risking paying $5,000 to $10,000 more than because of tariffs. That’s a shocking sticker price increase to even many well-off Americans.

But what about if you and your parents agree to buy a used car? Sorry, while those would be a cheaper option, prices can still be expected to rise.

Let’s talk about phones.

So what about if your parents just decide to get you a new iPhone, perhaps for your birthday or graduation, instead? Well, that would not make the overall price shock much better, owing to the fact that the relatively cheap iPhone 15 could see prices rise to anything from $769 to $839, still a significant increase.

At the same time, it is also worth noting that these tariffs will impact everything, not just major purchases.

News sources are reporting that even Barbie dolls will increase in price.

Additionally, many components of goods manufactured in the U.S. (including raw materials for fertilizers which help grow food) are also sourced from outside the U.S., meaning that it is still likely that prices on everything from food to footwear will notably increase, causing a significant hit to how far money from your job or your allowance will take you.

For example, if you want to see a movie made in a foreign country, it will cost you since President Trump wants to apply a 100% tariff on all movies made outside of the U.S.

Tariffs are hard to figure and these possible Trump tariffs are going to impact the lives of virtually every CSD student because they will make virtually every single purchase more expensive than it would previously be.

Think about it. This includes everything from a movie ticket to a new pair of sneakers, from a new iPhone, to even a used car.

Overall, the impact on your wallet may be severe and noticeable.