Home renovations are going to get expensive: Trump’s tariffs to increase kitchen and bathroom improvements by 25%

After hitting your groceries, your car companies, your children’s presents, your childcare, you medical cover, and your clothes, Trump is now making your home renovations more expensive.

That’s right, despite all the evidence on the contrary, Trump is pushing ahead with a sweeping set of import tariffs starting October 1, a move critics warn could hit American consumers and industries hard. The plan imposes 50 % tariffs on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30 % on upholstered furniture, and even 100 % on certain patented pharmaceuticals unless companies are already building production facilities in the U.S.

Trump claims this will protect domestic manufacturing, but opponents argue it’s a paper tiger that punishes everyday Americans.

“We’re going to see significantly more social unrest”

USA Today cite Maggie Kulyk, founder and CEO of Chicory Wealth, a wealth advisory firm, who says that “people haven’t been able to trade over or up in housing for so many reasons. Wages have not kept pace with the inflation of the housing market. Then interest rates rose. So you’ve got people who are quite literally stuck in place. And now they want kitchen cabinets. Well, they’re going to pay more and they might not get them for a long time.”

“We’re living in a very dangerous situation, both politically and macroeconomically,” Kulyk added. “I do think that when the rubber hits the road and some of the folks who are only making $200,000 a year realise they thought they had a seat at the table, but now they’re on the menu, then we’re going to see significantly more social unrest, potentially.”

As with anything Trump does, questions regarding the legality of his actions also loom. Similar tariff measures from Trump’s previous term faced court challenges, and this latest effort may run into legal pushback over the limits of executive authority.

Economists have repeatedly warned that the tariffs could stoke inflation, deter investment, and unsettle industries from real estate to healthcare, creating economic turbulence under the guise of protecting jobs.

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Globally, other countries are watching closely with wide eyes. Uncertainty over enforcement and exemptions could further disrupt markets as businesses try to navigate imports and exports in what is becoming an increasingly unclear world, spearheaded by the orange maniac.

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