After courts ruled Trump's tariffs unconstitutional, the government is refunding the money to corporations instead of the shoppers who actually paid it — bad for consumers, good for big companies.

• Courts struck down the tariffs, forcing about $100 billion in refunds — but that money is going to corporations, not the people who footed the bill.
• Companies like Apple and Amazon passed the tariff costs straight onto shoppers through higher prices, then stayed highly profitable anyway.
• Now those same firms — many of them Trump donors — are getting big refund checks, while consumers get nothing back.
• Prices on tariffed goods jumped sharply after "Liberation Day," and food and farm goods saw a huge tax increase paid mostly by households.
• Costco stands out as the exception, saying it will return its tariff refunds to members, showing other companies simply choose to keep the cash.

Outlook: Expect the refunds to flow to corporations rather than consumers, fueling more populist anger that both parties may try to ride into the next elections.