Opinion: Trump’s commitment to tariffs is bad policy that will cost us

Conservatives can agree that the Biden administration has been disastrous for the American economy. Many of us are worried about another four years of rising prices and the strain that would put on everyday Americans. 
However, despite his claims that he would restore the American economy, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump seems committed to some of the same policy mistakes he made during his first term that actively harmed American households, allowing Vice President Kamala Harris to attack him and Republicans on the issue. 
You don’t have to look too far back to see how broken Trump’s economic ideas were or to realize he wants to do them again.
Trump’s populist economics policies are chock full of tariffs, which appeal to his base but are bad policies in practice. 
Tariffs tax the import of goods from foreign countries. Team Trump argues that tariffs are a tax only on the affected nation, not the American consumer. However, a new survey indicates that 95% of economists disagree with that sentiment, noting that the likely outcome of such policies is higher prices for the American consumer. 
These tariffs are inevitably baked into the cost of the very goods affected, being passed on directly to consumers. This is exactly what happened when Trump enacted tariffs on China, along with aluminum and steel, from across the world. A report from the Tax Foundation found that these programs ended up costing the average American household hundreds of dollars annually. 
Opinion:I was wrong about Vance. VP debate shows Republicans can win because of him.
Moreover, the entire purpose of tariffs is to raise prices among imported goods in order to incentivize domestic production and consumption through lower relative costs. The reality, however, is that tariffs give domestic companies room to raise their own prices, generally proportionately to the import tax increase from other nations. 
Harris is right to call Trump’s plan a “sales tax on the American people,” even if her proposals aren’t any better. 
If Trump actually cared about soaring prices, he would be wise to return to the GOP free trade policies of old. Instead, he would rather sell false promises to his voters. Taxing other nations cannot make up for our reckless federal spending and will inevitably raise prices for the American consumer. 
During Tuesday’s vice presidential debate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, embraced these same policies, praising President Joe Biden for leaving much of the Trump tariffs in place.
However, in response, despite his own sympathy for the policies, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz highlighted that America’s trade deficit reached record highs under Trump’s presidency despite his trade policy.
The number one issue for Americans this election cycle is the economy. Between years of high inflation and the lingering economic stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans yearn for the economic success of the 2010s.
From 2020 until this May, food prices have risen 26% (with many household goods rising by more), and the more volatile gas prices remained significantly higher over the course of Biden’s presidency than they did under Trump.
Wages have gone up alongside these price increases, but not enough for people to feel they’re keeping up.
Opinion:I can’t bring myself to vote for Trump. But let me tell you why other conservatives can.
Americans primarily blame the government for high inflation, and regardless of what portion of the blame Biden deserves, he and his party will be held responsible by Americans.
This is Trump’s biggest advantage in this election. The economy was great during Trump’s first term in office before COVID-19, and polls over recent years have indicated that Americans trusted him more than Biden.
However, recent polls show Harris and Trump are essentially tied on the issue, with Harris even leading in certain surveys. 
Trump’s grip on the issue is slipping from earlier this year, even when he was running against Biden. Given that Harris has closed the gap in the economy in recent polls, voters are not universally tying the economic failures of the Biden administration to Harris.
Trump would benefit from a coherent plan for the economy, one that doesn’t have so many holes. Instead, he made it easy for Harris to dispute his claim to be America’s economic savior if he was only given power.
Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.