Today is Donald Trump’s self-declared “Liberation Day,” a supposed freedom from the tyranny of imported cars, trucks and vehicle parts. But what’s really being liberated is your freedom of choice. The government isn’t setting you free — it’s telling you what you can’t afford anymore.

If Trump follows through on his promised “permanent” tariffs, nearly every vehicle sold in America — foreign and domestic — will get more expensive.

Why? Because these tariffs will hit almost everything on the market. Even “American-made” cars rely heavily on imported parts subject to Trump’s tariff plans. Prices could jump anywhere from 5% to over 30%, depending on the vehicle and where its parts come from.

There’s been endless back-and-forth over tariffs, but the truth is simple: they’re taxes — stealth taxes — slapped onto products you want to buy.

A $20,000 car at the port becomes $25,000 after a 25% tariff — before dealer markups. That $50,000 SUV? Now $62,500. And if you had your eye on a $100,000 Porsche? Get ready for a price tag north of $125,000.

Tariffs punish the buyer by artificially inflating prices to push you toward a different purchase. That’s not a free market — that’s economic blackmail.

Supporters claim this is about bringing manufacturing home. But Americans already buy all the domestic vehicles they desire, and our manufacturers already build them as efficiently as they can.

Besides, tariff dictators aren’t the ones........

© Santa Clarita Valley Signal