Trump Pulls a 180 on His Tariffs Threat—and Makes Things Way Worse
Trump has just made his most extreme tariffs threat yet.

President Trump continues to pivot endlessly on tariffs, badly destabilizing the very market he claims he’s trying to balance.
“On the tariffs that you’re planning … you’re expected to hit something like 10 to 15 countries, is that right?” a reporter asked Trump on Sunday, referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s description of the countries with the largest trade deficits with the U.S. as the “Dirty 15.”
“I don’t know who told you 10 or 15 countries,” Trump replied.
“Well we heard that.”
“But you didn’t hear it from me.”
“How many countries will be in that initial chunk?” the reporter pressed.
“You start with all countries, so let’s see what happens,” Trump said, dramatically expanding his threat.
“There are many countries.… If you look at the history, and you look at what’s happened to us.… Go to Asia, and you take a look at every single country in Asia, what they’ve done to the United States in trade,” Trump continued vaguely. “I wouldn’t say anybody has treated us fair, or nicely.”
Trump plans to drop these reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday, which he is framing as “Liberation Day.” But this spiteful trade war will only hurt American consumers and manufacturers already dealing with inflation, potentially leading the country into a recession. But Trump has already admitted he doesn’t care.