First Trump promised that his tariffs were NOT a negotiating tactic. Then he flip flopped by celebrating that many countries were coming, cap in hand, willing to kiss his ass and offering to give the US a massively favorable deal like no one had ever seen before.
Then he blinked.
Without one word of any significant country negotiating a deal with the administration, Trump announced, on Wednesday afternoon, a 90-day tariff pause on everyone except China.
Here is how CNN reported Trump’s surrender:
President Donald Trump said he is applying a 90-day pause on new tariffs as his trade war shakes the world economy.
At the same time, he announced he was raising tariff rates on China to 125%, ratcheting up his tit-for-tat with Beijing.
Trump said he has “authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately.”
It was not immediately clear which countries the pause will apply to. CNN is reaching out to the White House for further clarification.
In the same message, Trump said he was raising US tariffs on China as he works to bring Beijing to the negotiating table.
“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately. At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” he wrote.
On Tuesday Trump mouthpiece Karoline Leavitt said Trump “has a spine of steel and he will not break.” Spine of steel? Please! He has no fucking spine at all. On Wednesday, he broke like any bully getting punched in the nose breaks.
