Donald Trump rages over a reporter’s simple question about his blunders
President Donald Trump has yet again evaded a difficult question posed to him by a reporter. The president doesn’t seem to appreciate being asked about the effectiveness of his tariffs.
“Is there pain in the market, at some point, that you’re unwilling to tolerate?” Bloomberg‘s Annmarie Hordern asked Trump. She was referring to the effects of Trump’s tariffs. Ironically, this is an inquiry most Americans have in mind after Trump unleashed his Liberation Day tariffs.
“I think your question is so stupid,” Trump responded to Hordern. He added, “I don’t want anything to go down, but sometimes, you have to take medicine to fix something.” The president continued and blamed the administrations before him for handling the country poorly.
Trump further remarked, “We have been treated so badly by other countries because we had stupid leadership that allowed this to happen.” The hostility comes as no surprise, given that Trump doesn’t have an amicable relationship with the press. It has been his recent tactic to dodge questions by attacking the reputation of news outlets that criticize his actions.
Despite his attempts to shut Hordern’s question down, Americans are growing increasingly wary of Trump’s next moves. Trump, who made it his campaign promise to “defeat inflation,” appears to only be making the economic situation worse. Moreover, the X users that replied to Hordern mostly agree—it wasn’t a stupid question to ask.
Not enough pain for the Trump administration to retreat
The stock market has plunged after these tariffs were announced, which most likely prompted the question from Hordern. Similarly, other countries have already mustered a response against Trump’s excessive tariffs. Even China, Japan, and South Korea have banded together to promote regional trade in light of Trump’s decision. This isn’t to say Trump has been deterred, as he now plans to add another 50% tariff on China.
Trump denies that crashing the markets isn’t intentional, but intention doesn’t matter as much as the consequences do. Speculatively, the plan is to put tariffs on allies and neutral countries for the goal of economic domination. The short-term pain clearly doesn’t matter as much to Trump and his cabinet since they see a vague, long-term gain out of it. But it’s also possible for other countries to see these tariffs as an opportunity to wean off reliance on the United States—a reality that the Trump administration is conveniently dismissing.
It’s also more likely for these many aggrieved countries to fight back with tariffs of their own until the United States caves.
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