Trumps Math does not Add Up!

The Trump administration’s brilliant plan for calculating import taxes has left economists rolling on the floor with laughter. Turns out, the reciprocal tariffs were not based on any actual data from other countries, but rather on a magical formula created by the White House – a formula that has been the butt of jokes among experts.

This formula, which assigned completely random tariffs to different countries, including some uninhabited islands, gained attention thanks to an anonymous social media user who connected the dots between the tariffs and other countries’ trade surpluses with the U.S. divided by their exports. So, in essence, the tariffs meant to combat unfair trade practices are themselves based on a completely arbitrary formula.

The U.S. loves to buy cheap goods from other countries, and the money spent often comes back to American companies and government debt. But now, thanks to these tariffs, U.S. importers are stuck footing the bill and potentially passing on the cost to consumers.

Economists are warning that these tariffs could lead to price inflation, slow economic growth, and maybe even push us into a recession. Bravo, Trump administration, for what could possibly be one of the biggest economic blunders in U.S. history. David Beckworth, an economist from the Mercatus Center, summed it up perfectly by calling it an “unforced economic policy error.”