A heartbroken Donald Trump voter has publicly pleaded with the president to end his administration’s aggressive tariff policy, after those very tariffs nearly destroyed his daughter’s business. Holly Eve, owner of a California-based deodorant venture, told the Economic Times that soaring tariffs on key components have pushed her costs up an eye-popping 60 percent to 200 percent.
With a pandemic-era small-business loan still hanging over her, she fears collapse is imminent. “This just seems like a problem too large to solve,” she confided, “it has completely wrecked my mental health.”
Her father, Stephen R. Landfield, delivered a raw, emotional plea straight to the White House. A registered Trump supporter, Landfield wrote a personal letter asking the president to reconsider, saying, “Small businesses are the backbone of our country, yet these tariffs unfairly target them; many will have no choice but to close their doors. I urge you to reconsider this policy so that American entrepreneurs and small-business owners like my daughter can continue contributing to our economy without being crushed by costs beyond their control.”
Trump says “trillions of dollars are coming in from tariffs all over the world”
FACT: 100% of money coming in from tariffs is paid by the American companies who import foreign goods. 0% is coming in from any other part of the world.
Why do his cult members still believe him? pic.twitter.com/SWbJvfTcR5
— BlueDream (@58bugeye) August 13, 2025
Holly’s situation is dire. She explained that her suppliers have informed her that the cost of the components she needs to keep her products on the shelves has exploded, in some cases doubling or tripling overnight. For a small brand already stretched thin after the pandemic, that sort of price shock is nearly impossible to overcome.
She said she took out loans to try to keep the company alive, but now she worries she will not be able to make the payments. The stress has taken a toll on her health, and she admits the weight of the tariffs has broken her optimism.
And she is not alone. The Economic Times found that other business owners were reporting the exact same squeeze. Richard May, whose company MFG Direct USA has been designing garage doors and medical treatment beds since the 1990s, told reporters that his business could close within 60 days because of the tariffs.
If you think groceries and other essentials feel more expensive than they were a few months ago, it’s because they are — and Trump’s tariffs are the reason.
He came into the job promising to lower costs and he’s doing the exact opposite. pic.twitter.com/hDNuOxzZFx
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) August 20, 2025
His company relies on manufacturers in Asia, and suddenly, he must pay an additional 83 percent tax to the federal government to bring products in from China. “We are hanging on by a thread,” he admitted. “We have been doing everything possible. We are working harder just to stay in business.”
Across the country, small businesses echo these fears. Many say they are in “survival mode,” cutting staff, reducing product lines, and in some cases closing their doors altogether. What was pitched as a plan to strengthen American industries is instead driving up costs for import-reliant companies, creating chaos in supply chains, and forcing mom-and-pop shops to shoulder the burden.
BREAKING: CNN is finally admitting that prices are rising in America specifically because of Donald Trump’s tariff policies. It’s about time. pic.twitter.com/Pd8n4UfzZi
— Democratic Wins Media (@DemocraticWins) August 21, 2025
Meanwhile, larger companies are also feeling the sting. Retailers warn that higher tariffs on imported goods are being passed directly onto consumers, fueling inflation and squeezing household budgets. Manufacturers that depend on global supply chains complain that planning has become impossible as tariff levels shift unpredictably. Economists argue that tariffs intended to punish foreign rivals are increasingly punishing American workers, entrepreneurs, and consumers instead.
