While reading through The Signal (April 9), when I saw Gary Horton’s column about Donald Trump’s tariffs, he got me riled up. He’s freaking out, saying car prices will skyrocket, choices will vanish, and we’re headed for economic doom. We worry about my wallet and prices here in Santa Clarita, we love our Patriot trucks and SUVs — but Gary’s painting a gloom-and-doom picture that doesn’t quite match the facts. Tariffs aren’t perfect, but they’re a smart play to boost American jobs, not ruin us.
Let me explain.
Gary claims tariffs will jack up car prices 5-30%, like a $20,000 car hitting $25,000. Gary must have forgotten to put on his glasses while reading this. I saw on the U.S. Trade Commission’s website that a 25% tariff on imported cars and parts might bump prices 1-3%, since only 20% of a car’s parts are imported. Plus, stuff from Mexico and Canada — big in our Fords and Chevys — doesn’t get hit, thanks to that United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement deal (Center for Auto Research, 2025). So, a $20,000 car might cost $400 more, not $5,000. People here kept buying during the 2021 price spikes, just picking cheaper models (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025). Ford and GM, making 70% of their cars stateside, got us covered (Auto Policy Council, 2025).
Gary’s also scared of “hundreds of thousands” of lost jobs and a recession. Gary, that’s not how it works. Tariffs push companies to build here. The Economic Policy Institute says a 10% tariff could add 200,000 factory jobs by 2027. After Trump’s 25% tariff on some Mexican goods, a big auto supplier, Magna, announced 1,200 new jobs in Michigan (Reuters, 2025). The Labor Department already counted 150,000 new factory jobs this year. The last tariffs in 2018 didn’t tank us — gross domestic product grew 2.5% in 2019 (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2025). A small dip might happen, but it’s not the apocalypse Gary thinks (Tax Foundation, 2025).
Gary says brands like Mazda or Porsche will ditch the U.S., leaving us with junky cars. Where does Gary get his info? Companies adapt. Mazda’s got a plant in Alabama with Toyota, and Hyundai’s building electric vehicles in Georgia (Bloomberg, 2025; Wall Street Journal, 2025). GM and Ford are rolling out 20 new models soon (Automotive News, 2025). And U.S. cars aren’t the clunkers of the 1970s — Chevy and Buick rank high for quality (J.D. Power, 2024). Tariffs level the playing field, since China slaps 25% on our cars (U.S. Trade Rep, 2025).
Sure, prices might creep up, and dealers might sweat a bit. But Gary’s vision of empty lots and a “defenseless working class” misses the point. Tariffs could bring in $500 billion for roads and jobs (Congressional Budget Office, 2025), and our auto industry — 1.1 million strong — will grow (BLS, 2025).
No Gary, tariffs are about building a stronger Santa Clarita, not bullying us.
Nancy Fairbanks
Stevenson Ranch
