In 2025 and 2026, Perry Johnson supported Trump’s tariffs and said they were “necessary” because the United States had faced “unfair” global trade relationships for years. While Trump’s tariffs were contributing to higher food prices, Perry Johnson denied they were raising grocery prices for Americans. As Trump’s tariffs were hurting Michigan small businesses, Perry Johnson said he “didn’t know” whether Trump’s tariffs were hurting small businesses, and claimed his multi-billion company was a small business. Trump’s tariffs were dooming Michiganders to a trade war, driving up prices, harming farmers and families.
In February 2026, after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump exceeded his authority with global tariffs, Perry Johnson declared he “loved” Trump and urged Republicans to “get behind tariffs.” After the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s tariffs, Michigan businesses that paid $3.8 billion under the policy faced uncertainty over whether they would recover their money.
As Of February 2026, Perry Johnson Supported Trump’s Tariffs And Claimed They Were “Necessary.” According to Perry Johnson’s Interview with WXYZ, “Host: Do you support the tariffs that have been in place? Perry Johnson: Absolutely. The tariffs are something that were necessary. They've been necessary for a long time because you can't have a situation where it's not fair.” [Perry Johnson, WXYZ, 2/13/26] (VIDEO)
February 2026: Perry Johnson Applauded Trump’s Tariff Agenda And Claimed The United States Had Faced “Unfair” Trade Relationships For Years. According to Perry Johnson’s Interview with OANN, “HOST: I want to start by getting your reaction to this, this tariff saga. PERRY JOHNSON: Well, you have to keep in mind that Trump's position on tariffs is pretty strong, and I think it's something that we needed a long time ago. […] We've had an unfair advantage, or dis, I should say, an unfair relationship with countries. For years. When I first started my business, we had a situation where Japan had come into the United States and they had the ability to deliver cars. There was we didn't have any big tariff on them. They could just sell their cars for whatever price they wanted. Yet if we tried to do that in another country, we didn't have that kind of situation. It's been so totally unfair for years, and it's about time that somebody addressed this issue.” [Perry Johnson, OANN, 2/25/26] (VIDEO)
September 2025: Perry Johnson Claimed Tariffs Were Having “No Impact Whatsoever” On Grocery Prices Before Conceding They Would Raise Prices On Imported Goods After A Reporter Pressed Him On The Costs Of Imported Food. According to Perry Johnson’s Interview with WJBK, “HOST: Are Republicans dealing with the same issue where they're saying the economy is fine. Nothing to see here. When the people at home right now, who aren't Perry Johnson or many others out there, are really feeling the pinch, should the messaging be more accurate to what people are actually feeling? […] Will the tariffs hurt or help grocery prices In your mind? PERRY JOHNSON: Tariffs are having no impact whatsoever. HOST: But when they go into effect, some of the a lot of the things that we get right are from Mexico. Some of the products we get are from Canada and other parts. PERRY JOHNSON: Right, you are right in the event that you have something, some fruits that you're being that are being purchased over there and they're tariffed, then the prices are going to go up on those, on those products.” [Perry Johnson, WJBK, 9/3/25] (VIDEO)
September 2025: Perry Johnson Said He “Didn’t Know” Whether Tariffs “Hurt” Small Businesses And Claimed His Business Was “Not Hurt” Despite A Reporter Noting His Company Was A Multi-Billion Dollar Business, Not A Small Business. According to Perry Johnson’s Interview with WJBK, “HOST: Do the tariffs at this rate, at this high level Do they hurt small and medium businesses? […] Do they hurt small and medium businesses? PERRY JOHNSON: I don't know. My business is not hurt. HOST: Yours is a big, it's a it's a medium to large business. It's a multi-billion dollar business, right? A little different than if your balance sheet looks little.” [Perry Johnson, WJBK, 9/18/25] (VIDEO)
February 27, 2026: Perry Johnson Called On Republicans To “Get Behind Tariffs” And Declared He “Loved” Trump And He Supported Every Single Trump Policy. According to Perry Johnson’s speech at the Macomb County Republican Party Meeting, "I'm the first to tell you that I'm most conservative guy here. I'm the first to tell you that I love President Trump, and I'm the first to tell you that I think that everything he's done is amazing, and he may very well be the best president in the history of our country. I am behind every one of the items he has. I think we have to get behind them as a group. Let's get behind the tariffs. Get behind ICE, get behind every area. And what do you say as a group? Here we go whole hog, and we make it a red state. [...] I love America, I love Trump, and I love you. So what do you say? We work together as a team, and let's make Michigan great again." [Perry Johnson, Macomb County Republican Party Meeting, 2/27/26]
February 20, 2026: The Supreme Court Ruled 6–3 That Trump Exceeded His Authority With Sweeping Global Tariffs. According to the New York Times, “A Supreme Court decision on Friday striking down President Trump’s sweeping global tariffs dealt a major blow to his economic agenda and brought new uncertainty to global markets struggling to adapt to his whipsawing trade policies that was compounded when he announced that he was imposing a new across-the-board 10 percent tariff. The court, in a 6-to-3 decision written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., ruled that Mr. Trump had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs on nearly every U.S. trading partner last year.” [New York Times, 2/20/26]
HEADLINE: “Michigan Businesses Face Uncertainty On Tariff Refunds” [Axios Detroit, 2/24/26]
February 2026: The Supreme Court Ruling Against Trump’s Tariffs Left An Unclear Refund Process That Could Take Up To 18 Months. According to Axios Detroit, “Now that the U.S. Supreme Court declared a large swath of President Trump's tariffs illegal, the question is whether businesses — or everyday Americans — will get refunds. […] In its ruling, the Supreme Court left that question to the Trump administration. ‘The Court says nothing today about whether, and if so how, the government should go about returning the billions of dollars that it has collected from importers,’ Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his dissent. TD Securities economists view the refund process as ‘unclear’ and estimate it could take up to 18 months as cases make their way through the federal court system.” [Axios Detroit, 2/24/26]
February 2026: Trump Administration Tariffs Could Force More Than $100 Billion In Refunds To Importers. According to the New York Times, “Tariff refunds: The administration may have to refund more than $100 billion in tariff revenue to thousands of American importers — a head-spinning process unparalleled in scale and complexity that could take months or even years.” [New York Times, 2/20/26]
Trade Partnership Worldwide: From February To December 2025, Michigan Businesses Paid $3.8 Billion In Tariffs Under Trump Policies The Supreme Court Later Rejected. According to Axios Detroit, “Trade Partnership Worldwide estimates Michigan businesses paid $3.8 billion in tariffs from February to December 2025 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The high court rejected tariffs imposed under IEEPA. By the numbers: Michigan imported about $167 billion worth of goods last year, the fifth-highest in the nation, with autos accounting for more than half, the Detroit News reported.” [Axios Detroit, 2/24/26]
February 2026: Trade Attorney Jennifer Smith-Veluz Said Refunds From Trump Tariffs Were “Not Going To Be Forthcoming” Without Lawsuits. According to Axios Detroit, “Butzel Long trade attorney Jennifer Smith-Veluz, who represents auto suppliers, told the News that companies seeking tariff refunds will likely have to file a lawsuit with the U.S. Court of International Trade. ‘Refunds are not going to be forthcoming,’ she said, adding that recovery efforts will likely need to be litigated based on Trump's indications.” [Axios Detroit, 2/24/26]
HEADLINE: “Grocery Inflation Highest Since 2022 As Trump Tariffs Pile Up” [Axios, 9/16/25]
HEADLINE: “Detroit Boutique Owner Details Impacts Of Tariffs As Deadline For Deals Passes Without Ceremony” [Michigan Advance, 7/10/25]
November 2025: The Michigan Department of Agriculture And Rural Development Linked Trump’s Tariffs To Rising Prices And Plunging Farm Exports. According to Center Square, “The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported steep drops in farm exports in the first half of 2025, including an 89% decline in wheat and a 62% decline in cherries, as retaliatory tariffs cut off key markets. Food processors and packagers faced higher input costs, pushing food prices up and reducing disposable income for low-income families.” [Center Square, 11/7/25]
November 2025: State Of Michigan Report Warned Trump’s Tariffs Were Squeezing Family Budgets And Slowing Job Growth. According to News From The States, “A newly released multi-agency report from the state of Michigan warns that federal tariffs and retaliatory trade measures are driving up costs for families, homebuyers and workers across the state. […] The report cautions that higher food prices and rising housing costs may squeeze household budgets, particularly for lower-income families. Additionally, delayed or more expensive public projects could slow job creation and economic growth.” [News From The States, 11/6/25]
July 2025: The Peacock Room’s Rachel Lutz, A Detroit Small Business Owner, Warned That Trump’s Tariffs Hurt Local Shops Competing Against Big Corporations. According to Michigan Advance, “Rachel Lutz, the owner of The Peacock Room in Detroit, said she started her business by maxing out a $1,500 credit card, and had since grown to generating $1.5 million in revenue a year, creating 12 to 14 jobs. […] Lutz said she carries products from overseas to give a wide price range to her customers, noting that she serves a very mixed-income neighborhood in the city. ‘As a small business, we are competing against big, big players that ahead of the tariffs going into effect, they were able to ship massive amounts of inventory, warehouse them to buffer their impact from these tariffs. Small businesses like mine don’t have that capability. We don’t have those large pockets of capital to draw upon’ Lutz said, emphasizing that small businesses are particularly vulnerable to tariffs levied on consumer goods.” [Michigan Advance, 7/10/25]
April 2025: Image Works’ Chris Bennett, A Michigan Small Business Owner, Said Trump’s Tariffs Triggered A 24% Price Increase. According to Bridge Michigan, “When Chris Bennett heard President Donald Trump was imposing across-the-board tariffs on foreign imports, he expected price increases on the ink, paper and other supplies he uses in his Dearborn printshop. But Bennett didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. Trump on Wednesday announced sweeping ‘reciprocal’ tariffs, levying near-universal 10% taxes on foreign imports that took effect Saturday and promising even higher taxes on goods from China, Japan, the European Union and other nations starting April 9. By Friday afternoon, suppliers were notifying Bennett of a 24% price increase on the Epson ink cartridges, paper and printers used in his shop. The company, based in Japan, was passing on all costs from the new tariff Trump had proposed just days before. ‘So many people think it’ll just be Ford and the big corporations that will get hit with these price increases,’ said Bennett, whose Image Works shop specializes in archival-quality printing for photos and art. ‘I knew prices would go up for me. But 24% so quickly, within two or three days? That was pretty shocking.’” [Bridge Michigan,