Tariff Uncertainty Is Punishing California Almond Growers
Nut farmers have been loyal backers of President Trump, but they rely on exports to make money.
How it started … how it’s going.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesNow that President Donald Trump has bowed to pressure and scaled back the “reciprocal” tariffs that he’d levied on almost every country on Earth, it’s tempting to believe the worst is behind both Wall Street and the White House. But for millions of American farmers, the worst is just beginning.
China has raised tariffs on US goods to 84% in retaliation for levies set last week by Trump. And on Thursday, Trump clarified that tariffs on Chinese goods are an eye-popping 145%. Still up in the air is what tariff rates will be for other countries after his 90-day “pause.” But US farmers, with their heavy reliance on agriculture exports, are now at risk of becoming collateral damage in a trade war among some of the world’s largest economies.