13 claims we've fact-checked about impact of Trump's tariffs

The Trump administration has repeatedly changed its tariff policies, making it hard to keep track — but that's not stopped us. Published Aug. 9, 2026 From the outset of Donald Trump's second administration, the president has used tariffs as a negotiating tool to strike deals with other countries or as a punitive measure to reprimand world leaders he doesn't always see eye to eye with. His ever-changing tariff policies, which Snopes has previously tracked, have had a real-world impact on businesses, consumers and trade both within and outside of the United States. According to August 2026 court filings, the Trump administration had refunded businesses about $100 billion, as of this writing, in tariffs that the Supreme Court struck down. The court did not rule against all of his tariffs, and many of them remain in place. Critics have complained that the refunds are not going to the consumers who often paid the tariff costs through inflated prices, according to Reuters. If you're in need of a refresher, here are 13 claims we've fact-checked about tariffs and their consequences since the start of Trump's second term. Sources Lord, Brandon. "United States Court of International Trade before: The Honorable Richard K. Eaton, Senior Judge." Court Listener, 4 Aug. 2026, https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cit.19175/gov.uscourts.cit.19175.24.0.pdf. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.Rascouët-Paz, Anna. 'Tracking Trump's Tariffs by Region, Product'. Snopes, 27 Mar. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//tracker/tracking-trumps-tariffs/.———. 'Trump Has Paused Tariffs Plan for Most Countries. Here's Context'. Snopes, 9 Apr. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//news/2025/04/09/trump-pauses-tariffs/.Singh, Kanishka. "US Refunds $100 Billion in Tariffs Struck Down by Supreme Court, Filing Shows." Reuters, 5 Aug. 2026, https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-refunds-100-billion-tariffs-struck-down-by-supreme-court-filing-shows-2026-08-05/. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026. By Emery Winter Emery Winter is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and previously worked for TEGNA'S VERIFY national fact-checking team. They enjoy sports and video games. Article Tags