Costco Takes on Trump

12.2.25

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to today’s edition of Common Sense with Ally Sammarco—your daily briefing on politics. Let’s break it down.

Costco Joins the Fight Over Trump’s Tariffs….Costco has moved to merge its lawsuit with nearly two dozen others challenging the legality of Donald Trump’s IEEPA tariffs—cases that all make the same basic argument: the tariffs were never authorized by law. One of those lawsuits is already at the Supreme Court, with a ruling expected early next year. If the Court strikes down the tariffs, more than $90 billion in refunds could be on the line. Costco says it filed separately because even if the Supreme Court rules the tariffs unlawful, importers aren’t guaranteed refunds without their own judgments. The company is seeking an immediate halt to additional tariff payments and wants its money back for duties already paid. The White House is backing Trump’s tariffs, warning of “enormous” economic consequences if they’re overturned. Costco isn’t commenting—but its lawsuit speaks loudly enough.

Common Sense takeaway: Good for Costco. I don’t have a membership, but I may just go get one. This is what all companies should be doing who have been impacted by these unlawful (and just quite, stupid) tariffs. If this prevails, it would be a huge blow to the Trump administration.

Michael & Susan Dell Donate $6.25 Billion to Seed Kids’ Savings Accounts….Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell are making a massive $6.25 billion donation to give up to 25 million American children a $250 boost in new tax-advantaged savings accounts. The funds will go to Invest America, the group administering the so-called “Trump Accounts” created under Trump’s recent tax-and-spending law. Under that law, children born from 2025 to 2028 get a $1,000 federal deposit at birth. The Dells’ donation expands eligibility to most kids age 10 and under who were born before that window, with older kids possibly included if funding remains. Accounts will track a stock index and allow up to $5,000 in additional private contributions each year. The White House is celebrating the move, calling it a “revolutionary” investment in the next generation. Sign-ups are expected to open July 4, 2026.

Common Sense takeaway: An interesting move by the Dell family that I will definitely never call “Trump accounts.” This could put a lot of lower-income Americans on a level playing field with the rest of the country. However, it requires that parents contribute regularly to these accounts and not withdraw the money as soon as it’s deposited.

Hegseth Shifts Blame to Admiral Mitch Bradley….Congress is still demanding answers after Pete Hegseth ordered an operation where no one on a suspected drug-smuggling boat was meant to survive. The Washington Post says Hegseth’s “execute order” told the military to ensure all 11 passengers were killed—an allegation he now calls “fabrication.” But instead of directly addressing the order, Hegseth is pushing responsibility onto Adm. Mitch Bradley, with the White House insisting Bradley acted within his authority during a second strike. Bradley—an otherwise respected Special Operations commander—is now being framed as the one who “carried out” the follow-up action based on Hegseth’s directive and intelligence assessments. Legal experts say the administration is stretching post-9/11 authorities to justify lethal force against drug smugglers—something Congress never authorized. Members of both parties want the intel, the legal rationale, and the actual chain of command. As Sen. Thom Tillis put it: if the allegations are true, “whoever made that order needs to get the hell out of Washington.”

Common Sense takeaway: Either the bucks stops with you, or it doesn’t. Clearly for Pete Hegseth, it doesn’t. If he’s not approving these military strikes, then who is really in charge? Clearly he’s trying to deflect blame from himself and Trump, but that’s not going to work in the court of law, Pete.

Trump Now Says Affordability Is a “Democrat Con Job”….Trump is now dismissing the affordability crisis as a Democratic “hoax,” calling the word itself a “con job” despite spending the last week branding himself the “affordability president.” Trump now argues the issue is fabricated by Democrats to attack his economic record, even as polls show voters deeply concerned about rising costs and unhappy with his handling of inflation. Vice President JD Vance echoed the attack, blaming Democrats for the crisis and insisting the economy is about to “take off.” But Trump faces growing political headwinds: his approval is stuck around 40%, his tariffs continue to raise consumer prices, and millions could see major health insurance premium hikes if Republicans don’t reach a deal on ACA tax credits.

Common Sense takeaway: What a joke. Every time he doesn’t want to talk about something, he calls it a “hoax.” All he paraded on during his campaign was lowering prices for average Americans. He even called himself the "affordability president.” Now it’s not a real issue. It’s a Democrat con job—just like the Epstein files. Pretty convenient. Keep talking, Donald, it will definitely help Republicans win more elections next year.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense. Check back tomorrow for more.