Presidents of companies in the US are preparing for the consequences of the duties proposed by president Trump. "They worry," said Tim Walsh, KPMG president, in the beginning announcement of Yahoo Finance. "Presidents must respond to tariffs [and] supply chains. They reduce costs to respond to these additional costs."
According to a fresh survey by KPMG US CEO Outlook, attended by 400 CEOs of companies with yearly revenues of at least $500 million, “86% stated that their organization would increase the price of goods and services if needed”. Walsh noted that companies "take price decisions based on what their consumers can absorb".
The poll results came as Trump's stance on trade tightened. On Monday, he announced a fresh work of 25% on all average and dense trucks imported to the US, which is to enter into force on 1 November. This decision, announced through Truth Social Post , is further evidence of Trump's desire to defend home production. Mexico is the largest exporter of these trucks.
The KPMG study stresses that duties can reduce profits, disrupt supply chains and yet lead to higher prices for US consumers. "89% of respondents stated that duties would have a crucial impact on their performance and operations over the next 3 years", according to the KPMG report.
In response, 85% of the company's CEOs stated that they are already modifying supply strategies to mitigate the effects, mainly by transferring more of the production and materials to the United States. These changes concern different industries, including retail, technology, automotive and production.
In April Trump's Liberation Day duties began a extremist change in US trade policy . Currently, a 10% base work is in force for most imports, and higher "reciprocal" duties apply to countries with higher trade surpluses. China faces rates above 30% and Brazil and India with duties of 50% on selected goods. The European Union set a 15% rate under the Agreement of August 2025.
Additional duties on individual products include 50% for steel, aluminium and copper intermediates and 25% for cars and parts. The United States has besides withdrawn the de minimis exemption, which means that all imports – even low-value shipments of little than $800 – are now subject to duties and charges.
Ford's CEO ( F ) Jim Farley earlier said in an interview with Yahoo Finance at the Pro Accelerate conference Ford in Detroit, that customs prevent an American car maker from “even more investing in the United States, ” citing a $2 billion challenge.
During the same event, Union Pacific CEO ( UNP ) Jim Vena expressed his support for presidential tariff policy and reshoring, calling it " Great for him.grating machines America.
According to KPMG, company presidents are inactive mostly assured of the economical situation: 84% of them are optimistic about the prospects of their own improvement and 74% are convinced of global prospects. The company reported that among the most crucial challenges affecting short-term decisions were the resilience of the supply chain (34%), cybersecurity (29%) and global economical uncertainty (25%). Despite overall economical uncertainty, around 3 quarters of respondents (74%) stated that artificial intelligence is the most crucial investment priority.
"Presidents are beginning to see the possible of artificial intelligence, they are starting to see agents and how this can affect their activities," Walsh said. "But now these technologies besides have an impact on how and what companies offer in the market".
