As Donald Trump’s trade war continues to escalate, even some within his own administration are bracing for the fallout – by hoarding goods and supplies.
That’s according to Rolling Stone, which reported Thursday that while experts have warned against mass stockpiling over fears it could “backfire spectacularly,” many Americans aren’t listening.
And that includes at least two Trump administration officials and a Trump aide, who told the magazine that they’ve begun stockpiling basic household items in recent weeks, and say others in Republican Party circles are doing the same.
“One of the Trump officials says they have already run to Target to bulk-buy toilet paper, some types of food, and other household supplies,” according to the Rolling Stone report. “It would be stupid not to!” one aide told the magazine, adding that they and their partner have also begun “stashing cash” reserves at their home in the D.C. area.
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The aide added that despite the behind-the-scenes scramble, they still believe in Trump’s sweeping tariff strategy. But, as Rolling Stone pointed out Thursday, the trend “is symptomatic of a larger panic taking place within the Trump-dominated Republican elite.”
“A significant share of the GOP luminaries on Capitol Hill, members of the Republican donor class, and some top-ranking officials in the Trump administration are privately (and sometimes publicly) extremely fearful that Trump’s trade warfare is going to throttle the U.S. economy and further drive down his and the party’s approval ratings ahead of the 2026 midterm elections,” the magazine added.
The report comes as consumer confidence in the country “plummets to Covid-era low as trade war stokes anxiety,” the Associated Press reported this week.