Play all audios:
On Tuesday, President Trump explained that he is delaying 10 percent tariffs on thousands of Chinese consumer goods until Dec. 15 "for the Christmas season, just in case some of the
tariffs would have an impact on U.S. customers. ... Just in case they might have an impact on people, what we've done is we've delayed it so that they won't be relevant to the
Christmas shopping season." Analysts who had seen the list of items spared until mid-December — cellphones, video game consoles, laptops, toys, some clothing items and footwear — had
already figured this out. But Trump's remarks were notable in that he finally broke from his mantra that "the Chinese are paying the full price of his tariffs," Heather Long
writes at _The Washington Post_. "It's a line that the overwhelming majority of economists and business owners say is false, but Trump kept saying it — until Aug. 13."
U.S.-based companies pay the tariffs on Chinese imports, and a U.S. family of four would pay about $350 a year if Trump's latest tariffs took effect and the full cost was passed on to
consumers, the Tax Foundation estimates. The previous round of tariffs focused on parts and supplies, and "many U.S. companies opted to absorb a lot of the added costs, effectively
canceling out some of Trump's corporate tax cut," Long notes. But the new tariffs "will hit may finished goods like shoes and iPhones that are assembled fully in China,"
and "business owners say it's a lot more difficult to absorb those costs or find ways around them." SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the
news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE SIGN UP FOR THE WEEK'S FREE NEWSLETTERS From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the
best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Most retailers
will have stocked their holiday products before Sept. 1, _Reuters_ says, but if you're inclined to last-minute shop, Trump still plans to impose 10 percent tariffs on thousands of other
consumer goods in September, including Apple Watches and Fitbits, smart speakers from Google and Amazon, Bluetooth headphones, flat screen TVs, live animates, dairy products, lithium ion
batteries, and golf balls, among other merchandise. Explore More Trade War Speed Reads