Lower thirds:

0:03  Report by / Dan Hirschfeld
0:28  Mike Nestler / Production Manager at Steinbach Volkskunst
1:18  Frederic Günther / Managing Director of the Association of Ore Mountain Artisans and Toy Manufacturers
1:55 Rico Paul / Owner of Steinbach Volkskunst

Script:
 
0:01
Donald Trump at his desk in the Oval Office – as a nutcracker doll. The idea from the German company Steinbach Volkskunst has been a huge hit in the US. The doll costs 379 dollars, but the price could soon climb sharply due to looming tariffs imposed by the real-life US president. That's a big problem for the manufacturer: More than 95 percent of its production is sold in the US.    
   
0:27     
Mike Nestler, Production Manager at Steinbach Volkskunst 
"A 20 percent tariff hike means the price tag will be above 400 dollars, and some customers might think that’s too much. 370 is already a lot, and then adding 20 percent more, whether we’ll lose customers, that’s the big question."
  
0:42
In the toy-making village of Seiffen in the Ore Mountains, wooden figures, toys, Christmas pyramids — and the world-famous candle arches known as Schwibbögen — are sold on every corner.. More than 120 small and large manufacturers operate in this region.

0:59

In Seiffen, there is even a school for wooden toy makers, where around fifty apprentices currently learning the craft. Frederic Günther is a toy maker himself and the head of the Association of Ore Mountain Artisans. The U.S. market is the most important for ALL manufacturers worldwide.
       
1:17
+++ Frederic Günther, Managing Director of the Association of Ore Mountain Artisans and Toy Manufacturers 
"We’ve had several dealers in the USA who tried to get a 20 percent discount guaranteed by our manufacturers. That obviously doesn’t work. In the end, what will happen is that everything will be exported, the 20 percent extra tariff will be added, and then at Christmas time, we’ll see whether the prices still work in that market or not."
 
01:40
The head of Steinbach Volkskunst is in Seattle, meeting customers at a trade fair. He says the impact of tariffs on EU imports is not yet fully understood by customers and dealers in the US.
 
01:54
Rico Paul, Owner of Steinbach Volkskunst 
"In the worst-case scenario – speaking for the entire industry – it could mean job cuts, that would be the worst case. If you no longer produce enough or sell what you produce, then you have to cut costs. And the major cost in our industry is, of course, labor."

2:13
All of Rico Paul's nutcrackers are handmade. If the tariffs take effect, he may be forced to let go of some of his staff. However, the 35 employees don’t want to let the debate over tariffs drive them crazy: They see the recently announced 90-day delay as a positive sign.