Donald Trump Getty
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

‘You utter buffoon’: Predictably, Trump can’t convince Americans that Mexico and Canada will foot the bill for higher costs of living

Donald Trump spent his presidential campaign pushing American to act against their own economic interests, and now Americans are pushing back.

Recommended Videos

Trump recently announced that he would be walking back his decision to impose a 25% tariff on Mexico, planning to delay the move for a “month.” Trump’s policy 180 came on the heels of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s promise to send 10,000 troops to the U.S./Mexico border in an effort to combat drug trafficking.

The decision softened the blow of a potential economic disaster. At the same time the tariff was intended to go into effect, stock market rates around the world began to plummet. The decision will also likely cool off Mexico’s threat of retaliatory tariffs against the United States, averting further economic “pain” that president Trump warned that Americans could suffer as a result of the budding trade war. While the president has long promised that the tariffs against Canada and Mexico will cause American prosperity, average Americans expressed their skepticism across X. “They owe us a bunch of money, and I’m sure they’re gonna pay” Trump told America.

“You utter buffoon,” Americans told him back.

“WE are going to pay for the tariffs” wrote political commentator Art Candee on X. According to the general consensus of economists, Candee is right. A tariff, by definition, is a tax that is imposed on the importer of a good. If an American company buys a good from Canada, then the American company pays the tariff. In order to pass off the cost, the importing company charges the consumers (in this case, the American citizen) a higher price for the good. The little guy pays the tariff, a fact that corporate executives have admitted – and warn will continue to happen should Trump’s tariff policy go unchecked.

Trump promised his base that Mexico would pay for a border wall while running for office for the first time. Mexico didn’t pay for it, taxpayers did. In his Inaugural Address, Trump promised his voters that “instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.” Twitter’s response? Fool me once.

Another user suggested that Trump pay his own taxes before promising any money from foreign countries. Trump didn’t pay a dime in income tax in 2020, after all.

Trump apparently owes a lot of money to a lot of people, and the internet suggests he pay them first. Hundreds of contractors, dish washers, painters and lawyers have said that Trump stiffed them. According to Twitter, old habits die hard.

Trump was found guilty of sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll, and was ordered to pay her $5 million in restitution. Trump also pledged to pay Senator Elizabeth Warren $1 million for a DNA test to prove her Native American heritage—he didn’t. Trump famously ripped off hundreds of contractors who built his casinos in Atlantic City, denying many every cent they were owed. If Trump can’t settle his own debts, Twitter wonders, how does he intend to settle America’s?

According to Trump’s tax plan, tax breaks for the wealthy is exactly what Trump has in mind. The nation’s top 5% of earners will receive tax breaks under Trump according to the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, while the remaining 95% will foot the bill.

College of Charleston prof. Chris Lamb reminds that Trump stole from his voters’ pockets at campaign rallies. If Trump failed to pay the cities his spoke in, taxpayers likely made up the difference. Trump’s tariffs are only part of a lifelong rip-off cycle.


The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Sarah Fimm
Sarah Fimm
Sarah Fimm (they/them) is actually nine choirs of biblically accurate angels crammed into one pair of $10 overalls. They have been writing articles for nerds on the internet for less than a year now. They really like anime. Like... REALLY like it. Like you know those annoying little kids that will only eat hotdogs and chicken fingers? They're like that... but with anime. It's starting to get sad.