Trump imposed a 50% tariff on imports of washing machines in 2018. Researchers estimate the value of washing machines jumped by around 12% as a direct consequence, equivalent to $86 per unit, and that US consumers paid around $1.5bn extra a year in total for these products.

After promising during his election campaign to put import taxes back at the center of US economic policy during his second term as president, President Donald Trump took a dramatic step in that direction on Feb.