EXCLUSIVE: Will Trump's Chinese Tariffs Help Or Hurt America's Economy? 54% Say This…

President Donald Trump promised tariffs on China during the 2024 election and the country remains one of his key targets in increasing payments on items imported into the United States.

Here's a look at how Benzinga readers feel that could impact the American economy.

What Happened: Trump has imposed tariffs on several items exported to the United States by China and new comments suggest more tariffs could be coming.

On Thursday, Trump said the White House will go country by country and adjust trade relations with "fair and reciprocal" tariffs.

"I've decided, for purposes of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff, meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America," Trump said, as reported by NBC. "In almost all cases, they're charging us vastly more than we charge them but those days are over."

Benzinga recently polled readers to see if they think the tariffs on China will be good or bad for the American economy.

"Will Trump's tariffs on China help or hurt the U.S. economy?" Benzinga asked.

The results were:

• Hurt businesses and consumers: 54%
• Help the economy: 36%
• No real impact: 10%

The winner of the poll was that tariffs on China will hurt businesses and consumers in America.

Read Also: Mitch McConnell Criticizes Trump’s Tariff Plans, Warns Of Potential Price Hike: ‘Big, Lingering Concerns For American Industry And Workers’

Why It's Important: News of Trump considering reciprocal tariffs follows earlier tariff threats primarily aimed at Canada, China, and Mexico.

China is now turning its attention to targeting American technology companies with trade relations escalating according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal said China is looking at targeting American tech companies with antitrust concerns in the country. The list of companies China could target includes Nvidia, Apple, Broadcom and Alphabet.  

Concerns over the American economy with tariff threats could change the way investors view the potential returns of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY, which tracks the S&P 500 Index, for 2025.

A previous Benzinga reader survey asked how high investors thought the SPY could go in 2025, Trump's first year back in the White House.

In 2017, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust was up 21.7%. This was the first year with Trump in office and many sectors saw gains during the year.

When asked what they thought the return of the SPY would be in 2025, these were the results:

• 16%+: 26%
• 11% to 15%: 22%
• Will Decline: 22%
• 6% to 10%: 19%
• 0% to 5%: 12%

The poll found that the largest percentage believed that the S&P 500 Index would post gains of at least 16% in 2025. The 11% to 15% range came in second place at 22%.

It’s also worth pointing out that the S&P 500 decline in 2025 was tied for second in the poll at 22%, which could mean 2025 is a make-or-break year.

Read Next:

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The study was conducted by Benzinga from Feb. 11, 2025 through Feb. 12, 2025. It included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 133 adults.

Image created using photos from Shutterstock.