Will Donald Trump really slap 20% tariffs on all goods imported from all countries, pumping inflation in his own country and causing untold chaos on world trade? And what about …drugs?
There’s an eerie calm in the air this morning – both in Washington and around the world. Everyone’s just…waiting for Donald Trump to walk into the rose garden and throw a grenade into the global economy.
Will he really slap 20% tariffs on all goods imported from all countries, pumping inflation in his own country and causing untold chaos on world trade. Will he restrict himself to merely slapping tariffs on the countries he hates the most?
Or will he, as all of us half expect…bottle it and delay “liberation day” until, I dunno, sometime in May? We’ll find out when the US President gives a “Make America Wealthy Again” speech outside the White House this evening.
But in the meantime here’s a few of the unhinged things that happened in Trump world overnight…
1. He says he wants to tax smuggled drugs
As the world braces for whatever mad tariffs Trump announces tonight, he gave a hint at one that is even madder than anyone expected.
In a post on Truth Social, the US President suggested applying tariffs to smuggled fentanyl crossing the border from Canada.
He called on Republican lawmakers to “fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy.”
It’s unclear how he would force drug smugglers to pay such a tariff, given they’re quite well known for flouting the law – but from the quote it seems clear he’d expect the cost of the import tax to be passed on to street dealers and their customers.
Which makes us wonder why he insists the same thing won’t happen to, for example, groceries.
2. Musk and Trump get a costly humiliation in Wisconsin
Elon Musk was left deeply humiliated in Wisconsin yesterday – twice.
Firstly, pictures emerged of him taking to the stage in the “cheesehead state”, wearing the region’s traditional novelty headwear.
You’re going to have to look up the Cheesehead thing yourself, I can’t explain it.
Secondly he, and Donald Trump, were roundly rejected by the electorate in Wisconsin.
After winning the state by around 30,000 votes in the Presidential election last year, Trump and Musk’s pick for the crucial Supreme Court race in Wisconsin – Brad Schimel – suffered a thumping defeat to liberal judge Susan Crawford.
The state voted for Crawford by 55% to 45% – despite Musk pumping millions of his own cash into the race.
Sadly Florida remains distinctly MAGA, with both Florida House seats won by Republican candidates.
3. The losing judge got booed for telling MAGA fans he was going to accept the result
Brad Schimel turned up on stage looking a little sad, and told his supporters he’d conceded the race.
Boos rippled through the crowd, and then he said a sentence you should probably never say to a MAGA crowd: “You gotta accept the results…”
4. He geared up to sell his stock in Truth social
In September, Donald Trump vowed not to sell his shares in the parent company of Truth Social – in a tiny sop to financial propriety.
“A lot of people think I will sell my shares … but I don’t want to sell my shares,” he said. “I don’t need to sell my shares. I don’t need money.”
So imagine our shock when the Trump Media and Technology group filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that allows him to sell up to 114,750,000 shares held by the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust.
According to Axios, as of close of markets on Tuesday, Trump’s shares would have been worth $2.3 billion.
5. Cory Booker smashed the record for longest senate speech without a bathroom break
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker smashed the record for the longest speech on the senate floor – condemning the Trump administration’s first 71 days for 25 hours and five minutes.
“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” he said at the start of his speech – adding: “I believe sincerely that our nation is in crisis.”
The record was previously held by segregationist Strom Thurmond – who in 1957 tried to filibuster the civil rights act.
As he smashed through Thurmond’s record, Booker said: “I’m here despite his speech. I’m here because as powerful as he was, the people are more powerful.”
Booker in a later interview said Thurmond holding the record “irked” him.
He’s widely expected to run for President in 2029. Assuming there’s an election in 2029.