WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — The newly announced tariffs may be a litmus test on the strength of a person's belief in the accuracy of President Donald Trump's statements and the logic behind his actions.
I talked with several Utahns outside a recreation center in West Valley City, asking each about their view of tariffs. They all seemed to agree that tariffs will cause price hikes and some sacrifice for consumers.
The difference? Whether they believe the price they pay serves a greater purpose.
Lorena Trujillo was walking out of the Rec Center with her daughter and grandchildren.
"I don't know much about tariffs," said Lorena Trujillo, who was walking out of the center with her daughter and grandchildren.
"You know, you charge somebody more, then they're going to charge you more. So then it comes back to the customer, and we're all going to pay more, and where's our income coming from? It's not going up," she told me.
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Across the parking lot, Don Olsen was helping his grandkids out of a minivan.
"Generally, I'm not supportive of tariffs," he said, "But I think it's going to take something like what he's doing in order to get the other countries to open it up to fair trade."
Everyone I spoke with was aware of the broader perception by economists and investors that tariffs would be a drag on the economy. Investors in particular gave a resounding thumbs down in the form of selling stock in companies they see as the losers in this situation.
Many of those companies are behind staples in most American homes.
For example, Apple stock lost 9.25% of its value on Thursday, meaning the company today is worth $310 billion less than it was yesterday in terms of investor confidence. Most of their iPhones are manufactured in China.
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Amazon, Meta, and Nvidia all fell by similar amounts.
Similarly, investors sold off stocks in traditional department stores that rely on selling clothing. Macy's lost 13% of its value and Kohl's lost 22.8%.
In contrast, Walmart lost just under 3%. Not a good day, but investors didn't seem as nervous about retailers whose inventory includes items that need to be replenished regularly, like food and paper goods. Further evidence of this point is America's largest grocery store chain, Kroger, which owns Smith's stores in Utah, gained 5% in value.
Back to the Utahns I talked with. Jerry Kendall was metal detecting in the park with his older brother, David. His conclusion seems to embrace the full spectrum of opinions on the president's dramatic announcement.
"I kind of think he's doing brain surgery with a machete sometimes, but he's getting something done."
