Summary
Donald Trump imposed sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of nations, including a 104% levy on Chinese goods, claiming to boost U.S. manufacturing.
These tariffs, calculated by dubious trade deficit formulas, hit major trading partners like the EU, Japan, and South Korea.
Economists warn of rising inflation, recession risks, and potential stagflation. JPMorgan estimates a 60% chance of global recession, while U.S. consumers may face $2,100 in added yearly costs.
Despite retaliation threats, Trump refuses to back down. Businesses and allies express concern over economic damage and trade instability.
Don’t forget:
The “math” they said they used includes those two Greek letters
They have disclosed what those letters are supposed to mean, one is a 4 and the other is .25
So they just cancel out.
The issue is when they said where those numbers came from, economists pointed out the .25 should be pretty much 1. They referenced an academic paper but used the wrong number from what they said.
Since that part is in the denominator, that means all US tarrifs are 4x as high as they should be…
The highest tarrif if they used the right number would be 14%.
The admin has been aware of this for at least a day now, they just don’t care it’s wrong
They care a lot about not admitting they are wrong, no matter what though.
The whole thing is a shit show…
Like, they choose those two numbers intentionally so they’d cancel out, and then most likely said the one represents something else because those numbers never really mattered.
They’re doing backwards math
They start with the answer they want. And then backfill an equation to make it justify what they wanted and makes it look like it’s not their decision.
While making the calculation look complex enough that the unwashed masses won’t question it
A. Whole. Lot. More.