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This assignment will help your students apply the theory of tariffs to a real-world situation. Shortly after taking office in January 2025, President Donald Trump announced new, broad-based tariffs to be imposed on imports from the three largest trading partners of the United States: Canada, Mexico, and China. (As events unfolded, plans for these tariffs were soon changed–but the general approach has been similar in several Trump administration pronouncements.)

Your students will first read a short news article on the proposed tariffs and how they might affect trade in various goods–from avocados to autos. Then they will use economic theory to analyze the likely impact on US consumers, US and foreign producers, and the US government.

This downloadable worksheet includes an answer key.