Ignoring Small Business Needs, Trump Policies Favor Big Corporations Instead

Small businesses fuel America’s economy, employing millions and sparking innovation. The Trump administration’s National Small Business Week proclamation touts tariffs and deregulation as their salvation. It paints a vision of thriving entrepreneurs shielded from global competition. Yet this vision crumbles under scrutiny. These policies threaten to bury small firms under rising costs and trade conflicts, betraying the very people they claim to champion.

The administration promises tariffs will revive local jobs and bolster supply chains. With 33 million small businesses supporting 61.7 million workers, the idea feels like a lifeline. But reality bites. Tariffs on steel, aluminum, and Chinese goods inflate raw material prices, disrupt sourcing, and provoke retaliation from trading partners. Small firms, already reeling from inflation, face a brutal squeeze. This approach gambles with their survival.

Entrepreneurs embody resilience, but they’re not superheroes. Unlike large corporations, small businesses lack the resources to absorb sudden cost hikes or navigate trade wars. The proclamation celebrates their role in creating two-thirds of new jobs but ignores how many could disappear if exports falter or expenses soar. This policy feels like a betrayal of trust.

Tariffs project strength, but they wound small businesses. The 10% import levies and 145% duties on Chinese goods aim to protect domestic production. Yet small manufacturers, dependent on affordable inputs, face crippling cost increases. In 2025, 58% of owners named inflation their top worry, with material and labor costs already eroding profits. Tariffs add pressure, forcing price hikes or losses.

Global trade has flaws. Post-World War II rules, meant to rebuild economies, sometimes enable unfair subsidies that harm American producers. But isolation isn’t the fix. Small businesses export $650 billion yearly, and retaliation from nations like the EU or Canada could shut them out of vital markets. The USMCA supports smarter trade through nearshoring, yet the administration’s tariff focus risks unraveling these gains.

The Made in America Initiative claims to create jobs but overlooks a key issue: small firms often lack the capital to expand quickly. Contrast this with the CHIPS and Science Act, which spurred $1 trillion in private investment. Strategic government support, not blanket tariffs, drives growth without punishing entrepreneurs.

Cutting $100 billion in regulations sounds like relief for small businesses buried in compliance costs, estimated at $1.8 trillion. Paperwork and taxes drain time and money. But regulations often protect workers, the environment, and fair markets. Scrapping them blindly, as proposed through the Congressional Review Act, invites chaos where big corporations thrive, and small firms suffer.

Fair rules create stable markets where small businesses can compete. Worker safety, labor standards, and environmental protections ensure large firms don’t undercut smaller rivals by skimping on ethics. Deregulation may free up some capital, but it risks empowering giants with deeper pockets to dominate, leaving entrepreneurs vulnerable.

A smarter path exists. Streamlined compliance, paired with SBA mentorship and loan programs, helps small firms grow without sacrificing protections. These efforts, echoing New Deal principles, support entrepreneurs while safeguarding the workers who power their businesses.

Small businesses thrive with practical, inclusive policies. Workforce investments—job training, child care, paid leave—address labor shortages and boost efficiency. The Quadrennial Supply Chain Review and CHIPS for America show how government can catalyze growth, creating jobs in semiconductors and beyond. These targeted efforts outshine tariffs’ collateral damage.

Fair competition strengthens entrepreneurs. Modern trade rules targeting non-market subsidies, stronger antitrust laws, and selective tariffs protect small firms without sparking trade wars. SBA programs, offering financing and federal contracts, empower businesses to scale. Unlike tax cuts skewed toward the wealthy, these policies deliver broad, tangible benefits.

The administration’s tariffs and deregulation claim to uplift small businesses but endanger their stability. America’s 33 million small firms, driving 45% of GDP, deserve policies that invest in their potential, not ones that raise costs and risks. Entrepreneurs need support, not empty promises.

Small businesses define America’s spirit—innovation, community, and perseverance. They generate nearly half our economy and most new jobs. Yet the Trump administration’s policies—tariffs, deregulation, tax breaks—threaten their future by hiking costs, curbing exports, and favoring corporate giants.

A better future is possible. By investing in workers, enforcing fair trade, and streamlining smart regulations, we can empower the 61.7 million Americans employed by small firms. Their success shapes our economy’s strength. Let’s fight for policies that lift them up, not tear them down.