Trump Tariffs: If you're an American. If you're buying a car. Good luck. But it won’t be enough.

The cost of dictatorship is coming due.

With U.S. light vehicle sales holding steady around 15 million a year, the auto industry remains a giant—one that fuels nearly 10 million American jobs and makes up about 5% of all private-sector employment.

This isn’t just another sector. The U.S. auto industry helped build the American middle class. Ford, GM, and Chrysler were once the gold standard of manufacturing might. But the engine's been sputtering for a while now.

COVID hit like a freight train—crippling supply chains, draining inventories, and sending prices through the roof. Today, the average new car costs over $47,000. Why? Pandemic-era shortages, chip bottlenecks, corporate greed, and a hard shift toward high-margin SUVs and luxury models. Interest rates are punishing. That $47K car comes with a monthly payment that feels more like rent.