Trump: Mattel— they’re the only country I’ve heard saying they’re going to go some place else. That’s okay. Let them go and we’ll put a 100% tariff on his toys. He won’t sell one toy in the US. pic.twitter.com/sT9bsaGukf
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 8, 2025
Trump basically threatened to put Mattel, a U.S. company with about 4,000 U.S.-based employees, who earn an average salary of over $100K per year, out of business by imposing a 100% tariff on its toy imports to force Mattel to manufacture its toys in the U.S. I thought he cared…
— Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) May 9, 2025
President Donald Trump has taken his trade war to an unexpected target—Mattel, the American toy giant behind Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Uno. In a move that stunned industry watchers, Trump threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on Mattel’s toy imports, effectively forcing the company to manufacture its products in the United States or risk losing its largest market.
Mattel employs around 4,000 U.S.-based workers, with an average salary exceeding $100,000 per year. Despite this, Trump’s remarks suggest he is willing to pressure the company into reshoring its production, regardless of the economic consequences. The Constitution, however, presents a major obstacle. Federal law mandates that all excise taxes, including tariffs, must be uniform. This means Trump cannot legally single out Mattel for punitive tariffs unless every other toy importer faces the same restrictions.
Mattel’s CEO, Ynon Kreiz, has been clear about the company’s stance. He stated that moving production to the U.S. is not financially feasible, even with tariffs in place. Instead, Mattel is diversifying its manufacturing, shifting production from China to India and other nations. Currently, 20 percent of Mattel’s imports come from China, but the company plans to reduce that figure to 15 percent next year and eventually below 10 percent by 2027.
Trump’s response was blunt. He dismissed Kreiz’s concerns, stating, “Let him go, and we’ll put a 100 percent tariff on his toys. He won’t sell one toy in the United States, and that’s their biggest market.” His remarks suggest he believes Mattel is using the threat of moving production elsewhere as leverage in negotiations.
SOURCES:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-country-mattel-toys.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/06/mattel-ceo-toy-manufacturing-trump-tariffs.html