Economists say levies of between 10% and 50% have dramatically added to the risk of a worldwide downturn

As world leaders reacted to the US president’s “liberation day” tariff policies demolishing the international trading order, about $2.5tn (£1.9tn) was wiped off Wall Street and share prices in other financial centres across the globe.

World leaders from Brussels to Beijing rounded on Trump. China condemned “unilateral bullying” practices and the EU said it was drawing up countermeasures.

While Trump timed his Wednesday evening Rose Garden address to avoid live tickers of crashing stock markets, that fate arrived when Asian exchanges opened hours later.

      • @[email protected]English
        0•20 days ago

        It’s always unclear whether he’s deliberately destroying the West in the service of Russia, or whether he’s just unwittingly destroying the West in the service of Russia. That’s his great mystique.

        Although by leaving Russia and only Russia out of these tariffs he may have just made himself a little less intriguing.

    • @[email protected]English
      0•20 days ago

      Or perhaps he does and simply isn’t being transparent with his true objectives for America. He did say everything was going to plan, after all …

      • Tiefling IRLEnglish
        0•20 days ago

        His handler’s goal is to dismantle the US. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, he just knows he gets to sniff the mushroom every time he follows orders

        • @[email protected]English
          0•20 days ago

          Putin could not possibly have any dirt on Trump that is worse than the publicly available knowledge we have of his personality and activities. If he’s working with Russia it’s because he wants to, not because he’s being coerced.

          • @[email protected]English
            0•20 days ago

            If Trump is a Russian asset as we all believe then Putin will have irrefutable proof that would be able to put Trump in prison.

            He’s also likely to have evidence of other crimes that everyone is pretty sure that he has done and is doing.

            A lot of the publicly available stuff has a lack of evidence, a lack of motivation to get the evidence or a lack of will to impeach and prosecute a sitting president. It’s possible that Putin could release enough information to overcome those barriers.

      • @[email protected]English
        0•20 days ago

        Nah pretty sure that’s him just not having the ability to even acknowledge its going to shit. Never admit defeat type of mentality.