March 13, 2025
So what did Donald Trump’s threats cause today. Focusing on the markets, it was 100% predictable. The DOW ended the day down by 537 points, or 1.3%. The S&P 500 fell 1.39% and the Nasdaq Composite went down by 1.3%.
But Trump says that it doesn’t phase him. He indicated today that he is not going to bend on the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, vowing that any resulting economic disruption “won’t be very long.” His Treasury Secretary claims that Trump’s tariffs will bring back the economy. How, by some miracle?
The bottom line evident to everyone is that if Donald Trump does not start caring about the markets and peoples life savings, then the markets will continue to decline and the people will have very lasting pain. Trump says he doesn’t watch the markets, but of course that’s just another lie. In a very short period time, the markets have dropped over 4,000 points from their record highs. There are already talks about a recession. If we hit that point, not much can stop us to head towards a depression.
To me what is uncomprehensible is the fact that this country is declining from being on-top of the world economically to one of the least admired countries in the world. Many of our allies across the globe looked at America as the ‘beacon of light’ for democracy and freedom prior to Donald Trump, but now they are distancing themselves from America and the traitorous policies of Trump. Countries like Canada and Mexico feel betrayed and feel hurt.
I will concede that the Canadians and Mexicans haven’t been totally honest and reasonable regarding their taxes on products that Americans buy, but at least there was some kind of order in the past between the United States and our neighboring countries to keep the idea of free trade more than just a thought. The world seemed normal and people were accepting the world as status quo.
With Trump’s tariffs and the reciprocal tariffs, free trade is now about something that’s happened in the past. Yet, Donald Trump is trying to force the rest of the world to accept his trade practices, or else there will be a penalty to pay in the form of a tariff, when ultimately the American people will have to pay. Trump is realizing that the world doesn’t have to listen to him and they are not. Instead, they are picking other partners to trade with, leaving Trump and his America behind. Canada is now trading with the European Union, China and Japan, and for the most part is not charging a tariff on anything because these countries are not tariffing them. But Canada is now tariffing America, all because of Donald Trump.
The biggest trade problem in the world can be said in two words…