The Commerce Department's report reveals a 0.9% contraction in US retail sales for May, compounding April's 0.1% dip, a downturn largely imputed to a precipitous decline in automotive sales subsequent to a March surge fueled by consumers preempting President Trump's proposed 25% levy on imported vehicles and components; notwithstanding a palpable erosion of consumer sentiment, persistently subdued inflation coupled with exiguous unemployment figures may yet sustain moderate expenditure levels in the foreseeable future, as evidenced by a 0.4% upswing in sales excluding volatile sectors like gasoline, automobiles, and restaurants, implying continued, albeit selective, discretionary purchasing, with e-commerce platforms, apparel outlets, and furniture retailers bucking the overarching trend and registering sales growth, further exacerbating anxieties that Trump's tariff policies are engendering inflationary pressures that demonstrably impinge upon retail performance.