Is the Outdoor Industry Changing their Tone on Trump?

When Trump took office for a second time earlier this year and shortly after threatened the whole world with tariffs, the language used by outdoor industry professionals to describe the situation and how to deal with it still had this tone of respect for the office of the president. Every article from these first view month always sounded like “good old American capitalism”: America can only win, and businesses will always take advantage of any situation by outsmarting the government. But in this article posted by Shop Eat Surf X Outdoor (what a name!) the tone seems to have shifted. Just the title alone:

Next Up in the Trump Tariffs Saga — the Supreme Court

The word ‘saga’ sounds dismissive, and Trump isn’t titled ‘President’.

If we’ve all gotten used to anything, it’s the unpredictability — tariffs can unexpectedly reach gale-force speeds or just as unexpectedly drop down to a level that feels navigable. Trump’s own whims, and negotiations with world leaders, have created much of the confusion, but the legal system has added to the turbulence as lawsuits against the tariffs work their way through judicial channels.

An acknowledgment that the US is currently not just in “uncharted territory” and might experience some “headwinds” or has to “navigate choppy waters”.

Trump has his own arguments, of course, and isn’t afraid to share them in his typical fire-and-brimstone style…

This almost sounds mockingly.

The articles ends with an interview with shipping expert Rathna Sharad who concludes with the statement:

It’s a really terrible situation for the retailer too, because now they have a real margin issue. It could be, for example, $100 to return this product back to the merchant, which may not be worth it [based on] their wholesale cost, so they may have to just destroy that item. It’s not good for anybody.

That is correct, it is not good for anyone. The sooner we can get our heads wrapped around it and stop making excuses in the hope that American exceptionalism somehow is going to win the day, the faster we can find a path forward.