NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?

SUMMARY

April 7, 2025 — U.S. businesses are already facing tough challenges as a result of President Trump’s sweeping new tariffs. We hear from small business owners across the country about how they are being impacted, and Amna Nawaz discusses the ongoing trade war with Erin McLaughlin, senior economist at the Conference Board.

As of April 9, 2025, President Donald Trump announced that he was pausing his new tariffs on most nations for 90 days. The president announced he was also raising tariffs on Chinese imports to 125 percent. WATCH: ‘This is amateur hour.’ Rep. Horsford blasts U.S. trade rep after Trump tariff pause. For the latest tariff news, visit PBS News.

View the transcript of the story. News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

Key terms

tariff — a tax on imported or exported goods

trade war — a scenario where two or more countries build trade barriers (such as tariffs) against each other's goods and services. Trade wars diminish trade between participating countries.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. What are some of the businesses of the people interviewed for this story?
2. How do these business owners think their businesses will be impacted by tariffs?
3. Who is Erin McLaughlin, and what is her background?
4. Why are businesses struggling to make plans, according to McLaughlin?
5. Where has the Trump administration imposed the highest tariffs?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How do tariffs affect businesses in America? What about abroad?
• How do you think switching back and forth on tariff policies (Trump announcing that he was pausing his new tariffs on most nations for 90 days on April 9) will affect businesses? Financial markets? What about the everyday consumer?
• What are some things that you purchase regularly or want to purchase that might be more expensive because of tariffs?

Media literacy: How can you find out what the tariff rates are on other countries at the moment? How might you predict what will happen to those rates in the future?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

For the moment, the Trump administration has placed the highest tariffs on China. In response, China has placed barriers of its own on trade with the United States. Watch the following segment and discuss — how will tariffs imposed on the U.S. by other countries such as China affect the United States? What U.S. industries might be the most affected by tariffs imposed on the U.S. by other countries?

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