WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) sounded the alarm in The Washington Post about the devastating impact Trump’s tariffs are already having on tourism, which is the backbone of Nevada’s economy. In an interview published this morning, Senator Rosen highlighted how the steep drop in visitors, particularly from Mexico and Canada, caused by Trump’s reckless tariffs is hurting Nevada’s economy – including the small businesses and workers that rely on the hospitality industry.
Washington Post: This senator worries America is scaring away tourists
By Dan Merica and Matthew Choi
- Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) is worried. Not just about the Trump administration writ large, but specifically about how the president’s second term has impacted tourism to her visitor-dependent state.
- “I am really concerned by what this is going to do to Nevada families,” Rosen told us. “This is Trump’s self-inflicted problem. He brought this on us for no damn reason.”
- The impact is already being felt in Las Vegas, where the city’s Convention and Visitors Authority reported this week that visitors fell nearly 8 percent in March compared to the same time in 2024. The group’s guidance blamed the downturn on “evolving federal policies rippling thru international and domestic markets” and a less packed event calendar.
- Las Vegas’s economy is highly dependent on tourism. A report by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas found roughly a third of all jobs in the region are supported by tourism. That has historically made the area particularly vulnerable to economic downturns and shifts in travel habits.
- Rosen backed up her concerns by pointing to data showing a 70 percent drop in U.S.-Canadian travel. Many Early Brief readers north of the border have contacted us to say the ongoing feud with the Trump administration has caused them to rethink both vacations and how they spend their money.
- “Less tourism means less shifts at the job, less small businesses that support our tourist industry,” Rosen said. “It’s going to cause businesses to go under. It has a trickle-down effect. It’s going to be devastating to Nevada.”
- The impact on Las Vegas would be spread out across the valley. Major casinos, many owned by multinational, publicly traded companies, will feel the impact, but local business — from tour organizers to restaurants just off the Strip to local coffee shops — could be even more dramatically affected.
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