Trinity’s David Macpherson Discusses Supreme Court Tariff Ruling on KSAT Q&A

David Macpherson, Ph.D., the E.M. Stevens Professor of Economics and chair of the economics department at Trinity University, joined KSAT’s Q&A to discuss what the recent Supreme Court ruling on President Trump’s tariffs could mean for consumers. Macpherson said the decision does not mean tariffs are going away, noting the president can still legally impose a 10% tariff for up to 150 days and pursue more targeted tariffs. As a result, consumers should not expect immediate changes. “We won’t have much of an impact from this right away,” he said, adding that grocery and gas prices will not drop immediately because it takes time for higher costs to work their way through the system.

Macpherson explained that it could take at least six months before consumers see the full effects. However, if some tariffs are lifted after the 150-day period, that could begin to ease price pressures. “This should tend to reduce the rate of inflation so that prices don’t go up as fast, which is good for consumers,” he said. He added that greater certainty around tariffs would also benefit the broader economy and world trade. Watch the full story here.