Campaigns are hype. Every past president has fallen far short of campaign promises, so time will tell what, if anything, will come to be.

Nevertheless, if everything were to be enacted and Chinese imports diminished, shelves would not go barren. American manufacturing would fill the void at nearly the same price points if the opportunity were presented. If immigration were curtailed, 320+ million people would fill jobs and keep up buying, especially now that more states have raised the minimum wage.

I’m trying to set aside ideology here, because the split verdict on the election leaves voters uncertain on both sides. Will Mr. Trump live up to his harshest platform promises or try to moderate his views? Today, nobody knows whether the answer to that question will chill fourth quarter sales or stimulate them.

So the only way to answer this over the long haul is to look at the economic impact on consumers. Tax cuts and infrastructure spending are good for businesses and consumers but (on the other hand) protectionism and tariffs will lead to higher prices. And any effort to restrict (or reverse) immigration patterns will stall the population growth that our economy depends on.

Finally, the plans to “repeal and replace” the ACA may have a huge impact. On one hand, lower costs benefit consumers and small businesses; on the other hand, if millions lose insurance coverage they will face an economic threat that will crimp their spending for the foreseeable future.

Retailers like every other business will need to wait and see what impact Trump’s policies will actually have on their businesses. While a number of his policies like trade, for example, appear to be net-negative for retailers, it’s not a forgone conclusion that they ultimately will be negative. And, since Trump has not been completely aligned with the GOP on a number of issues, it’s unclear what the final policy outcomes will be. What I think we can say for certain is the future will be relatively uncertain — and uncertainty is never good for business.

I live in Washington DC, where the new conventional wisdom (after the deep shock of the election) is that Trump will not actually do any of the things he promised. Massive tax cuts, combined with huge new infrastructure programs, tens of billions in cash for an already swollen military, and impactful trade wars would have unmistakable effects on our national debt. It will be interesting to see the next State of the Union address, to say the least.

In times like these customers are more concerned with saving for their (and their children’s) future than spending. When America is in political upheaval people aren’t concerned with buying clothing. Furthermore, the high tariffs on imports will curtail the American economy.

From my involvement in apparel trade shows, I can tell you the proposed deportations would completely shift brand dichotomy. A huge percentage of exhibitors at the OFFPRICE Show are immigrants.

To appease investors, Trump has also pledged to go forth with the Dakota Access Pipeline. Temporarily this may, as he says, create more jobs. However, the protests and polarization that result from polluting native land will be more harmful to commerce as a whole.

The following reflects my opinions and not those of my employer: The new administration would be wise to assure all Americans that we are safe under Trump’s regime. Proposed civil rights violations have terrified U.S. citizens and the terrified don’t spend money.

So which will help retailers more, giving the government more money to continue an explosive growth of regulation and government management of society, or moving the needle the other way, with businesses and SHOPPERS controlling more of their own money? Duh! The confusing thing is why in a free America this question would be confusing.

There are a number of issues on the table, but I’ll only address one. Typically, the fiscally conservative (as in Republican) approach has favored business. I think we’ll see more favorable decisions made that will help business in general.