Trump Suggests Kids Will Just Have To Deal With Having A Lot Fewer Toys Due To His Tariffs

President Donald Trump was criticized for his response to concerns about empty store shelves due to his tariffs, suggesting that children will just have to settle for "two dolls instead of 30," and that those dolls might cost more than they used to.

U.S. businesses are already canceling orders from China and delaying expansion plans as they brace for the fallout from Trump’s trade policies.

In recent weeks, Trump has disrupted the global economy by imposing steep import taxes—often announcing them abruptly, then modifying or suspending them just as suddenly. While most countries face a 10% tariff, China has been hit with a staggering 145% rate, despite being one of America's largest trading partners, with nearly $439 billion in goods imported from China in 2024.

The new tariffs are expected to trigger major shortages for both businesses and consumers. Online retailers like Temu have already responded with price increases and now show “import charges” at checkout, highlighting the tariff impact—sometimes doubling the original cost of an item.

This means many will have to go without—not that that bothers Trump, who told reporters:

"I told you before they're [China] having tremendous difficulty because their factories are not doing business. They made a trillion dollars with Biden selling us stuff. Much of it we don't need."

"Somebody said, 'Oh, the shelves are gonna be open.' Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally."

"They have ships loaded up with stuff, much of it, not all of it, but much of it we don't need."

You can hear what he said in the video below.

He was swiftly called out for his remarks.

The sharp drop in goods coming from China—one of America’s largest trading partners—hasn’t hit most U.S. consumers yet, but that’s expected to change soon.

By mid-May, thousands of businesses will need to restock, and major retailers like Walmart and Target have warned Trump that customers could soon face empty shelves and rising prices. Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Management, has cautioned that the U.S. could face “COVID-like” shortages and widespread layoffs across sectors such as trucking, logistics, and retail.

Although Trump has recently signaled some flexibility on tariffs, experts say it may be too late to prevent a supply shock that could ripple through the economy into the holiday season.

Even if tensions ease, restarting transpacific trade carries its own risks: the freight industry has downsized to reflect lower demand, so a sudden surge in orders could overwhelm shipping networks, leading to costly delays—much like the chaos seen during the pandemic when container prices soared and ports were clogged with cargo ships.