"Eat the tariffs" - Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary on how China might respond to the tariff war on July 9th

Kevin O'Leary, the Shark Tank investor, recently discussed the reciprocal tariffs that China will impose on the United States on July 9, 2025. The investor also connected this to the employee anxiety at some huge brands such as Target and Home Depot.

This retail sector, of course, is anxiously eyeing potential retaliatory tariffs from China. Kevin agreed with the News Nation host that the next 24 to 48 hours might be pivotal for such major American retailers.

The Shark Tank investor acknowledged the significance of the impending tariff decisions and their potential ripple effects that might spread across the US retail landscape. He said,

"Well, obviously, right now we have this quiet period with China where do many of these good comes from and July 9th it switches over. We're gonna find out what reciprocal tariffs are going to be.

He added,

This idea that the President says, 'Listen, retailers eat the tariffs,' that's not gonna happen, there's going to be some distribution of the pain between increased prices and the retailers will take some hit but really it depends what the hit is. We don't know. Is it 10%, 20%, 25%? What is it? Nobody knows."

Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary says American retailers are bracing for impact

This message, communicated by Kevin O'Leary, the Shark Tank investor, is at a time when the government is pressing the message that American retailers should absorb the impact of tariffs rather than pass the costs onto consumers.

However, Kevin does not agree with the opinion. He says that the uncertainty lies in the lack of clarity around the actual tariff rates that might be imposed on the United States. This is exactly what is making it difficult for the retailers to plan and strategize because of potential pricing adjustments.

Target, which is the fourth largest employer in the United States, along with Home Depot and Lowe's, which rank fifth and ninth respectively, are especially vulnerable due to their deep reliance on Chinese-manufactured goods. If the tariffs are high, it may affect their cost structures or margins and ultimately their pricing strategies.

Kevin O'Leary talked about how the resolution also depends on various global trading partners, and not just China. He says,

"And of course, they are going to lobby the administration around this. What we really need to get to is the finalisation of all these tariff agreements around the world, notably the Europeans, of course, the Indians, the Japanese, Britain, Canada and Mexico, and China.

Continuing, he added,

And so that's really gotta get worked out. I really think that this is kind of like job ownership between the retailer and Trump. But that's it, we're at the beginning of a negotiation."

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Shark Tank season 16 episodes are available to stream online via Hulu.

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