Tariffs & Trade · 2025-01-20
Foreign countries pay U.S. tariffs
False
“We will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.”
What the evidence shows
U.S. Customs and Border Protection collects import duties from importers in the United States, not directly from foreign governments. Economic studies find that importers and consumers bear substantial costs, although exporters may absorb some through lower prices.
What happened next
Trump repeated similar descriptions of tariffs during 2025 and 2026.
Assessment notes
The finding concerns who legally pays import duties and their economic incidence, not whether tariffs can serve other trade-policy objectives.