Vance is lying.
In fact, tariffs are a tax on imported goods, usually calculated as a percentage of the purchase price. While tariffs can shield domestic manufacturers by making foreign products more expensive, they are also used as a tool to penalize countries engaged in unfair trade practices, such as government subsidies or dumping goods below market value.
Trump has championed tariffs, arguing falsely that foreign nations bear the cost. In reality, it is American importers—businesses that purchase goods from abroad—that pay the tariffs, with the revenue going directly to the U.S. Treasury.
These companies often offset their increased costs by raising prices for consumers, meaning that tariffs ultimately function as a hidden tax on American shoppers.
Vance was called out for his remarks.
Unlike Vance, some Republicans have actually acknowledged what tariffs are and how they ultimately hurt American consumers.
Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin said in March—in the weeks leading up to Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announcement—that tariffs are “taxes passed on to consumers.”
He also pointed out that “other countries want access to the strongest and greatest economy in the world, that’s the United States, and we don’t necessarily need to have a market but if they want access to us then we need access to them.”
Even Fox News has pointed out how tariffs will ultimately hurt American wallets, translating to higher costs for common grocery staples like cherry tomatoes, sugar, bananas, maple syrup, ground beef, and strawberries to high-cost items such as automobiles.
