By Mac Slavo

The trade war has seen more losers than winners with the United States consumer and businesses getting hammered the hardest. The institution of tariffs on goods imported from China has resulted in yet another such loss: a crash of the RV industry.

Trade war regulations have damaged the American manufacturing sector, and a lot of stress is building up in the RV industry, according to discussions with industry insiders and economists. Data is showing a sharp sales decline amid increasing costs, reported Reuters.

The recreational vehicle industry has taken a brutal blow from the tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum.  Other retaliatory duties on thousands of Chinese-made RV parts, from electronics to LED lights to vinyl have caused a spike in prices consumers simply cannot afford and a subsequent crash.

Americans have paid for this trade war in the form of higher prices for goods at a time when most are living paycheck to paycheck.  Certainly, an RV isn’t something a person living on the financial edge should consider purchasing, but the trade war has forced those who may have bought to hold onto their hard-earned cash.

Domestic shipments of RVs to dealers have plummeted 22% in the first five months of this year, compared to the same period last year, after dropping 4% in 2018, according to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. The RV industry’s crisis shows how President Trump’s trade war has backfired, hurting the industry he promised to protect.