During the first 100 days of his second semester and the ups and downs on the level of tariff threats, President Trump is an avid golfer who often takes pictures in classes and in golf carts, usually a cart made by domestic company club club cars or EZ-Go. It may not be a "beast" or "Cadillac One", as the president's limousine calls it, but it is Trump's preferred mode of transportation and is not immune to the trade war.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration said it would charge tariffs for automakers making in the U.S. to ease pressure to shift more production to domestic factories. This is no surprise, because for several years, even cars identified as "the most made in the United States" are far from 100% domestically sourced. Tesla is closest to as much as 87.5%.

Another good example of the global reality behind Trump’s “Made in America” manufacturing proposition is Trump’s most popular wheel, another great example. While Club Cars and EZ-GO both assemble golf carts in the United States, they come from countries such as China, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Türkiye and Europe.

According to global market insights, the two companies dominated the golf cart industry’s substantial market share in 2024 and are part of a case filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission, accusing China International Trade Commission of harm. The ITC has found reasonable signs that imports from China caused substantial harm to the low-speed, individual transport vehicle market in the United States. The final determination may include announcing tariffs on Chinese-made golf carts on June 17.

According to ImportGenius, the United States imported $709 million in fully assembled golf carts in 2024, with $703 million of which comes from China.

For Club Cars and EZ-GO, data collected and analyzed by ImportGenius suggest that although assembly of their shopping carts may be conducted in the United States, supply chains have the potential to be exposed to many Trump administration tariffs.

EZ-GO is part of diversified industry Devinsprocure golf carts from a supply chain that relies heavily on products from China and Taiwan. The engine of the golf cart is made in Taiwan. The GPS tracking system is made in Malaysia; and the golf cart itself - golf cart seats, mirrors, windshields, cargo holds, housings, fenders, steering wheel, golf seat trays, golf cart batteries and sought-after handles are all made in China.

For club cars owned by Ingersoll-Rand for years but now owned by private equity firm Platinum Equity, the golf cart supply chain is more diverse. In addition to motors, speaker systems, plastic injection molds, chargers, brakes, clutches and Chinese parts, key components are imported from various countries. These include chargers from Hong Kong; drive shafts imported from Japan; drive axles from Singapore; lithium-ion and other golf cart parts from South Korea; rotor disks and other golf cart parts from Germany, Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka and India; solenoid valves switch from the UK; and rear shock absorbers from Vietnam.

"These golf carts illustrate the complexity of our dependence on Chinese imports," said Michael Kanko, co-founder and CEO of ImportGenius. "The rise in consumer goods prices from tariffs is one thing, but it highlights the risks of U.S. manufacturers. 'Made in the U.S.'"

Club Car and EZ-Go both declined to comment.

GMI expects the golf cart market to grow by 8% between 2025 and 2034, and is currently estimated at $2.6 billion. Driving this rise is added to the use of residential communities, airports, hotels, resorts, industrial facilities, professional golf competitions and recreational golf courses.

If the ITC case does lead to high prices for fully manufactured golf carts in China, it will benefit domestic players in the market. But broader global tariffs will force the domestic golf cart industry to choose between passing higher prices to consumers or sacrificing profit margins – or some combination of the two, and the decision matrix is ​​now weighing many companies in many industries.

Even the "most" American players across departments are worried about the tariffs taking a major blow. On Wednesday, U.S. solar leader First Solar fought a years-long battle with Chinese solar cell and group manufacturers that “created significant economic headwinds” at factories in India, Malaysia and Vietnam, two of which serve the U.S. market.

Golf carts are just one example of complex products that the U.S. relies on foreign components, according to Jason Miller, department of supply chain management at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad School of Business.

“Many U.S. factories rely on inputs from China, especially electrical components, to manufacture metals and textiles, and often few (if any) available domestic alternatives,” Miller said. “In an era of global supply chains, it is difficult to find complex commodities generated by inputs from one country.”