logo
Trump's trade war hits his second-favorite set of wheels, the golf cart

Trump's trade war hits his second-favorite set of wheels, the golf cart

NBC News30-04-2025

Across the first 100 days of his second term and ups and downs in the level of tariff threats, President Trump, an avid golfer, has often been on the course and photographed in a golf cart, typically a cart made by domestic companies Club Car or E-Z-Go. It may not be 'The Beast' or 'Cadillac One,' as the presidential limo is called, but it's a preferred mode of transport for Trump, and it is not immune to the trade war.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration indicated it would carve out tariff exemptions for automakers manufacturing cars in the U.S. to alleviate some of the pressure of moving more production to domestic plants. That is no surprise, as for years even the cars identified as being the most 'Made In America' are far from 100% domestically sourced. Tesla comes closest at as much as 87.5%.
Trump's second favorite set of wheels, the golf cart, is another good example of the global reality behind 'Made in America' manufacturing claims. While both Club Car and E-Z-Go assemble their golf carts in the United States, they source their components from China, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Turkey, and Europe, among other countries.
The two companies — which collectively held a substantial market share, over 37%, of the golf cart industry in 2024, according to Global Market Insights — were a part of a case brought to the U.S. International Trade Commission alleging harm from unfair Chinese trade practices. The ITC has already found a reasonable indication that imports from China are materially injuring what is defined as the U.S. low-speed, personal transportation vehicle market. A final determination, which could include tariffs on Chinese-made golf carts, is scheduled to be announced on June 17.
According to ImportGenius, the U.S. imported $709 million in fully assembled golf carts in 2024, with $703 million, or 99% of that, coming from China.
For Club Car and E-Z-Go, data gathered and analyzed by ImportGenius shows that while the assembly of their carts may take place in the U.S., the supply chains are potentially exposed to many Trump administration tariffs.
E-Z-Go, which is part of diversified industrial Textron, sources its golf carts from a supply chain that is heavily reliant on products from China and Taiwan. The engines for their golf carts are made in Taiwan; the GPS tracking system is made in Malaysia; and the golf cart itself — golf cart seats, mirrors, windshields, cargo bed, enclosures, fenders, steering wheels, golf seat trays, golf car batteries, and grab handles — are all made in China.
For Club Car, which was owned by Ingersoll-Rand for many years but is now owned by private equity firm Platinum Equity, the golf cart supply chain is more diverse. In addition to the motors, speaker systems, plastic injection molds, chargers, brakes, clutches, and parts from China, key components are imported from a wide variety of countries. These include chargers from Hong Kong; drive axles imported from Japan; transaxles from Singapore; lithium ions and other golf cart parts from South Korea; rotor disks and other golf cart parts from Germany, Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka and India; solenoid switches from the U.K.; and rear shock absorbers from Vietnam.
'These golf carts illustrate the complexity of our reliance on Chinese imports,' said Michael Kanko, co-founder and CEO of ImportGenius. 'The price increases on consumer goods from tariffs is one thing, but this highlights how American manufacturers are also at risk. 'Made in America' doesn't mean 'Exempt in America.''
Both Club Car and E-Z-Go declined to comment.
GMI projects an estimated 8% growth of the golf cart market between 2025 and 2034, which it currently estimates at a size of $2.6 billion. Driving that rise is increased use in residential communities, airports, hotels, resorts, industrial facilities, professional golf tournaments, and recreational golfing.
The ITC case, if it does lead to steep tariffs on golf carts made wholly in China, would benefit the domestic players in the market. But the broader set of global tariffs will force the domestic golf cart industry to choose between passing along higher prices to consumers or sacrificing profit margin — or some combination of the two, a decision matrix many companies across industries are now weighing.
Even the 'most' American players across sectors are fearing big hits from tariffs. On Wednesday, U.S. solar power leader First Solar, which has been in a multi-decades-long battle with Chinese-based solar cell and panel manufacturers, said Trump's tariffs 'create a significant economic headwind' for its plants in India, Malaysia and Vietnam, the latter two of which serve the U.S. market exclusively.
Golf carts are just one example of complex products assembled in the U.S. that rely on foreign components, according to Jason Miller, Eli Broad Professor of Supply Chain Management and interim chairperson for the Department of Supply Chain Management at Eli Broad College of Business for Michigan State University.
'Many U.S. plants rely on inputs sourced from China, especially electrical components, fabricated metals, and textiles, often with few (if any) domestic alternatives available,' said Miller. 'In an era of global supply chains, it is difficult to find complex goods that are entirely produced from inputs that themselves come from one country.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump polls well on immigration, amid Los Angeles protests
Trump polls well on immigration, amid Los Angeles protests

The Herald Scotland

timean hour ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Trump polls well on immigration, amid Los Angeles protests

The poll was conducted before Trump ordered the National Guard into Los Angeles on June 8. More: 'I would': Trump says he'd arrest California Gov. Gavin Newsom Under Trump, immigration authorities have ordered arrests and deportations across the country. In San Diego, agents raided an Italian restaurant on June 6, arresting multiple kitchen workers. Sometimes violent demonstrations ignited in Los Angeles that same day over immigration raids. Local law enforcement, responding to the protests were joined by members of the California National Guard on June 8, ordered there by Trump over the objection of Gov. Gavin Newsom. More: Illegal border crossings at record lows as Trump crackdown spreads Newsom has asked the president to withdraw troops, criticized him on social media for "fanning the flames," and said the state is suing the Trump administration. Trump has called the move necessary, writing on Truth Social, "These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists." A small majority of polled voters are backing his overall approach immigration. Fifty-four percent told CBS News and YouGov they approve of the administration's deportation efforts. A little over 40% said they think Trump's crackdown is making America safer. Most of that support came from his base: 93% of Republicans said they approved, compared to 18% of Democrats. Meanwhile, 49% of independents agreed. More: Finneas teargassed in LA protests: 'They're inciting this' Invoking wartime powers to stop what he calls an "invasion," Trump has said repeatedly his administration is targeting violent criminals who are in the country illegally. A majority of voters said they believe all or some illegal immigrants should be deported, in a Pew Research Center survey earlier this year. Of those who said "some," 97% agreed people who committed violent crimes should be forced to leave. More: Massachusetts high school student granted bail by immigration court However, the Trump administration's aggressive efforts have ensnared some immigrants accused of or charged with nonviolent offenses and some with no criminal record at all. And the hurried pace of the deportations has ignored due process, experts and advocates say. Despite receiving most of his support from voters on immigration policy, Trump's overall ratings remain at a dip. Polls in early June show him between 45% and 50% approval. Contributing: Lauren Villagran

Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi shot with nonlethal bullet in LA
Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi shot with nonlethal bullet in LA

The Herald Scotland

timean hour ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi shot with nonlethal bullet in LA

9News reported that Tomasi is sore but otherwise unharmed from the incident. Only about an hour before, Tomasi had been caught in a group of protesters while covering the raids. Exploding flashbang grenades can be heard as Tomasi conducts a live shot before protesters begin yelling at her and grabbing the camera she is talking into. Live updates: Gov. Newsom challenges Trump on National Guard deployment What is happening in Los Angeles? Thousands of people began to gather in Los Angeles on Friday, June 6 to protest President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement operations. Small protests throughout the city have mounted to large demonstrations and some destructive clashes between officers and protesters. Local police and hundreds of National Guard troops were deployed to the city over the weekend. Authorities declared several of demonstrations on Sunday as "unlawful assemblies" and began firing flash bang and tear gas grenades into large groups of protesters. California's 101 Freeway has been blocked by protesters and several vehicles have been set on fire during the protests. Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have continued to spar on the raids, especially after the president sent National Guard troops to the city. "Let's get this straight: 1) Local law enforcement didn't need help. 2) Trump sent troops anyway - to manufacture chaos and violence. 3) Trump succeeded," Newsom said in a X post. "4) Now things are destabilized and we need to send in more law enforcement just to clean up Trump's mess." On the other hand, Trump said in a Truth Social post on June 8 that Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass should "apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots. These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists." Contributing: John Bacon, Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@

Is Musk ready to rekindle his bromance with Trump?
Is Musk ready to rekindle his bromance with Trump?

The Herald Scotland

timean hour ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Is Musk ready to rekindle his bromance with Trump?

Not long after the president's laudatory Oval Office send-off for Musk on May 30, the first buddy-turned-nemesis dueled with his former boss in a spectacular public spat on social media. Musk criticized the president's so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill," a tax and policy package making its way through Congress, calling it a "disgusting abomination" that would burden Americans with "crushing debt" and agreeing with a post that called for Trump's impeachment. Then Musk went nuclear. "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files," he wrote on X on June 5 to his more than 220 million followers. "That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" That Trump had crossed paths with Epstein, a disgraced financier who died while in jail awaiting prosecution on sex trafficking charges, has been public knowledge for years. In 2019, Trump said he'd had a "falling out" with Epstein, whom he described as a "Palm Beach fixture," in the mid-2000s. Now, two days after he'd dropped the bomb, the mercurial billionaire appears to be rethinking those allegations. In less than 48 hours, Musk deleted the Epstein post on X. Then, over the weekend, Musk's reshared post calling for Trump's impeachment disappeared. Instead, Musk highlighted Trump's Truth Social post criticizing California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for failing to rein in unruly immigration protests in Los Angeles following ICE raids. "Governor Gavin Newscum and Mayor Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing LA riots," wrote Trump. "These are not protesters; they are troublemakers and insurrectionists. Remember, No Masks!" While Musk has differences with Trump about the spending bill, he has consistently supported Trump's aggressive push to deport undocumented immigrants. Hours after Trump's controversial decision to deploy California National Guard troops t respond to anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, Musk posted an image of a man in face paint standing on top of a burning car waving a Mexican flag. "This is not ok," Musk said in his post on X. He also reposted Vice President JD Vance's post sharing Trump's Truth Social post saying the "president will not tolerate rioting and violence." The reason for Musk's shift in tone is not clear, although he seemed to voice some regret hours after the big social media fight, after mutual friends of Musk and the president, including hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman and rapper Kanye West, urged the duo to make peace. "I support @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk and they should make peace for the benefit of our great country. We are much stronger together than apart," wrote Ackman. Musk responded with a simple: "You're not wrong." Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store