Fetterman says Trump is winning the trade war as Pennsylvanians brace for impact

Pennsylvanians face higher costs for goods and services as President Donald Trump’s tariffs take effect. 

US Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) has once again found himself at odds with his party after praising President Donald Trump’s tariff policies in an interview with Fox News on Saturday. 

“Absolutely,” Fetterman said when asked if he thinks Trump is winning the trade war. He then offered a comment about political commentator Bill Maher.

“Well, I think that, I mean, obviously what happened at the [European Union] and, again, I’m a huge fan of Bill Maher, I mean I think he’s really one of the oracles for my party. He thought that the tariffs were gonna tank the economy and he acknowledged that it didn’t,” he added.

US House Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Philadelphia), the ranking Democrat on the US House Budget Committee, responded to Fetterman’s interview on X by calling out the senator’s proximity to the Trump administration. 

“Let’s be clear: Donald Trump is tanking the economy,” Boyle said. “That’s why he just fired the head of the [Bureau of Labor Statistics], because the official stats prove this. Trump’s policies are failing. We need Democrats in Congress who will speak the truth and not cover for Trump.”

Trump’s tariffs began affecting businesses and consumers when they were first announced, causing market uncertainty even before going into effect.. 

The Hershey Company, one of the country’s largest chocolate  and one of the biggest businesses in Pennsylvania, announced last week that it expects to pay between $170 million and $180 million in tariff expenses for 2025, and is increasing prices throughout the country to offset cocoa inflation and tariff impacts. 

Hershey is unable to source its cocoa domestically because the US does not have a climate that’s compatible with growing it. As a result, it  has to purchase materials from suppliers in the Ivory Coast, Ghana or Ecuador. 

All three of those countries face a 15% tariff from the Trump administration that’s set to go into effect on Aug. 15, and Hershey will be forced to push price tariff increases onto consumers. 

According to Axios, Trump’s tariffs have cost Pennsylvanians $1.6 billion from the start of the year through May. The Yale Budget Lab estimates that Trump’s budget bill and tariffs will cost families $1,600 per year. 

The Associated Press reported in March that Pittsburgh ranked in the top 10 cities in the country that could be harmed by Trump’s trade war with Mexico and Canada.