Anthony Mendoza, 41 years old, is a father of two and a military veteran. Trump's recently announced reciprocal tariff policy left him devastated.

He had stumbled upon an invention that allows amateur antique watch aficionados to gently rinse a timepiece’s components. He named it Chrono Clean, and it began to go viral. By last winter, Mendoza had sold out of his first 500 units.

Unable to find a reasonably priced manufacturer in the U.S., Anthony Mendoza turned to a Chinese manufacturer. This allowed him to price the device at $150 per unit—while U.S. manufacturers were quoting over $300 at the minimum. Promoting through a popular watchmaking community on YouTube, he estimated a $60,000 profit after costs.

After selling out the first batch of 500 units in the winter, he placed an order for another 500 units on Valentine’s Day. Two weeks later, Trump’s reciprocal tariff policy took effect, with duties on Chinese imports repeatedly hiked—eventually reaching 145%. By then, his second batch of products was already finished and awaiting shipment. The tariff hike made his business model financially unviable, and he seriously considered giving up Chrono Clean entirely.

“I really felt like my American dream had been ripped out of my hands,” Mendoza said. “And that our own president and government was letting it happen.”

On May 12, the Trump administration finally announced a rollback of the tariffs between the U.S. and China, bringing them back to the original 30%. Mendoza acted immediately, instructing his Chinese supplier to ship the products.

Still, even with the lower tariff, shipping costs still had surged—from $1,100 for the first batch to $2,650 for the second.

As an alternative, Mendoza said he began redirecting part of his inventory to the U.K. to avoid U.S. tariffs entirely. But this option significantly cuts into his profit margins.

Even today, Mendoza remains deeply anxious about the unpredictability of Trump’s trade policy. His product is in high demand, but with a five-month production cycle, he needs certainty to make decisions confidently.

Reflecting on everything he’s been through, Mendoza says it makes the experience even more heartbreaking.

“You’re someone who was deployed overseas, rose from private to major, survived a terrible divorce, you’re a great father, and now you’ve invented a product that people love—and they’re buying it.”

“Then your own government steps in and crushes your dream—just to make big corporations and Elon Musk richer.”

“That’s not the American Dream to me. The American Dream should belong to small businesses, the middle class. Everyone deserves a chance. These tariffs could bankrupt me. It’s hard to accept.”