Fox News has been consistently promoting a stream of messaging in favor of Trump’s tariffs.
Sean Hannity recently declared that Trump’s so-called Liberation Day tariffs “will be remembered as a turning point and the start, I hope for every American, of a new golden age of American wealth and exceptionalism.”
Not to be outdone, Jesse Watters chimed in, stating, “These tariffs are for the children.” He argued that Trump is set to transform “the country into a place with thriving main streets and hometowns where American workers make American products sold to the American public. Doesn’t that give you a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling inside?”
Red, White, and Blue. Rah-Rah!!!
In their quest to protect American jobs, one would assume Fox News is also committed to selling “made in America” goods, right?
If you’ve read the headline, you can probably guess where this is headed.
Oliver Darcy from the Status newsletter decided to put his money where the rhetoric is by purchasing some items from the official Fox News store and reported:
Earlier this week, we ordered three T-shirts from the official Fox News store (yes, it did pain us to send a few bucks into Rupert Murdoch’s coffers, even though we used a discount code). When they arrived on Thursday afternoon, each shirt carried tags from Central American countries: Guatemala and Nicaragua. Even the tee emblazoned with the word “America” under stars was manufactured overseas, though the label on each shirt boasted “USA Strong” and claimed it was made with “US components.” Perhaps that’s why the Fox News store conveniently omits details about the origins of their products.
The irony here is palpable. Fox News t-shirts illustrate the complexities of the global trade system, where components traverse borders and products are manufactured in one country before being sold in another.
Ironically, the same system that Fox News openly critiques is the very one they capitalize on through their merchandise sales.
Fox has chosen to source their t-shirts from Central America, likely because it is more cost-effective, thus boosting their profit margins.
While urging viewers to endure the economic fallout from tariffs and a trade war, Fox News simultaneously profits from the international trade they disparage.
For context, Trump’s merchandise is notably made in China, and Jeff Bezos’s Amazon empire thrives on the sale of Chinese-made products.
This serves as further evidence that the tariffs are not genuinely about safeguarding workers or revitalizing American jobs.
Indeed, tariffs act as a regressive tax, disproportionately impacting the middle class and low-income earners. The true intention behind the tariffs, while simultaneously slashing taxes for the wealthiest Americans, is to facilitate a massive transfer of wealth that reinforces America’s economic hierarchies.
In essence, it boils down to taxing the less fortunate to enrich the affluent, and Fox News exemplifies the dissonance between their proclamations and practices.
What are your thoughts on Fox News advocating for tariffs while their products are produced in Central America? Share your views in the comments below.
