President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on nations around the world Wednesday, calling that day “Liberation Day” from what he contended were uneven tariffs imposed by friend and foe alike.
The stock market predictably faltered as a result of the move on Thursday, as the market dealt with the impact on American imports and exports, as well as the threat of retaliatory tariffs.
Even some conservatives were disagreeing with Trump over the tactic of reciprocating the tariff rates, which other countries have been imposing on us.
But Trump is viewing the move in light of short-term pain for long-term reward.
On several occasions, the commander-in-chief compared his move to treating an ill patient.
THE OPERATION IS OVER! THE PATIENT LIVED, AND IS HEALING. THE PROGNOSIS IS THAT THE PATIENT WILL BE FAR STRONGER, BIGGER, BETTER, AND MORE RESILIENT THAN EVER BEFORE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!
Donald Trump Truth Social 4/03/25 08:33 AM
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 3, 2025
“This is a patient that was very sick,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One.
He noted, the United States has “lost 90,000 plants since NAFTA,” as well as about six million jobs.
“It was a sick patient. It went through an operation on Liberation Day,” Trump said. “It’s going to be a booming country.”
If Americans will go through the pain of detoxing from spending, will the country be in a position to grow afterward?
America has indeed relied on economic quick fixes that have added up over the decades, to the point where she is terminally ill.
There are almost too many factors to name.
From a bloated technology, finance, and services economy, to an influx of foreign workers amid plummeting birth rates, to a massive federal debt crisis caused mostly by entitlement programs, the cultural and economic struggles slowly killing America are manifold.
.@POTUS: “This is a patient that was very sick… We’ve lost 90,000 plants since NAFTA… and about 6 million jobs. It was a sick patient. It went through an operation on Liberation Day. And it’s going to be a booming country.” pic.twitter.com/IHoNZ3VSqg
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 3, 2025
To continue Trump’s healthcare analogy from a slightly different angle, it’s as if our country spent several decades eating potato chips and sitting on the couch.
America refused to get healthy. Now she wonders why she weighs 400 pounds, suffers from Type II diabetes, and suddenly has a very short life expectancy.
The only answer is to put down the Doritos and pick up some barbells, and the first day in the gym is always one of the hardest.
The best time to start was 30 years ago. The second best time is today.
That was “Liberation Day.”
If nations today want to have a robust and real economy, able to mass-produce items and extract natural resources, they have to provide incentives for foreign companies to invest their time and treasure at home, and some level of an upper hand for domestic competitors.
Tariffs may be anti-globalist and illiberal, but they are at least a starting place for achieving these ends.
It’s more than worth adjusting some expectations in the stock market to ensure our economic growth in America is actually real for generations to come.
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