'Shame': Trump tariffs threaten July 4th fireworks as experts warn skies may 'go dark'
President Donald Trump's tariffs could have a surprising victim: Fourth of July celebrations.
According to NBC News, fireworks distributors "say they’ve been canceling shipments from China for this year’s July Fourth holiday," with some even shutting down manufacturing in China for next year, which will be the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. "Trump’s April 2 tariff rollout, which he dubbed 'Liberation Day,' raised the effective import tax rate on nearly all Chinese goods to 145%, even after he walked back much of the other sweeping duties days later."
The trouble is that China is a vital supplier of fireworks, making "around 75% of fireworks used in professional shows and 99% of consumer fireworks used in the United States," per the report.
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Michael Ingram, who heads up the Missouri-based Fireworks Over America distribution company, had a grim outlook.
“There’s definitely a lot of urgency here for our industry, and it’s a very, very serious situation. It would be a shame to have the skies go dark on the Fourth of July.”
Fireworks are just the beginning, the report noted.
"Seasonal products, like toys for Christmas or costumes for Halloween, are at particular risk because of the limited window of time companies have to produce and import them." Trump, for his part, has denied there is any issue, proclaiming at his latest Cabinet meeting that ships coming to the United States “are loaded up with stuff, much of which — not all of it, but much of which — we don’t need.”
The president has also said he intends to make a "fair" trade deal with China to end the trade war that he instigated, although exactly what that would entail or whether there has been any progress on the matter remains unclear.
This comes amid reports that video gamers are also set to be hit hard by the tariffs, with Microsoft forced to raise the price of Xbox consoles and games.