WASHINGTON, D.C. (Michigan News Source) – In February, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was critical of President Donald Trump’s controversial hike on tariffs with international trade partners. Whitmer called them a “middle class tax hike.”

“Michiganders are already struggling with high costs—the last thing they need is for those costs to increase even more. A 25 percent tariff will hurt American auto workers and consumers, raise prices on cars, groceries, and energy for working families and put countless jobs at risk. Trump’s middle-class tax hike will cripple our economy and hit working-class, blue-collar families especially hard,” Whitmer said in February in a press release.

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But now, Trump’s tariffs are being portrayed in a more favorable light after it was announced by media outlets that the taxes brought in a record $23 billion in May.

According to Bipartisanpolicy.org, Trump’s tariffs have generated $70.6 billion in gross revenue as of April 30. By comparison, the U.S. only brought in $45.6 billion in gross revenue from tariffs for all of 2017. The most gross tariff revenue brought in during a single year over the past nine years was $117.5 billion in 2022.

The U.S. goods trade deficit with China was $295.4 billion in 2024.