"Make America Poor Again, One Tariff At A Time"

Republican lawmakers are starting to break ranks. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell, and John Kennedy; all once obediently toeing the Trump line, are now speaking out against these tariffs.

Donald Trump has always been ruled by one thing: his ego. It’s loud, inflated, and completely allergic to facts or failure. Whether it was gold-plated bathroom faucets in Manhattan or his obsession with crowd size at his inauguration, Trump doesn’t do subtle. The man builds monuments to himself and calls it leadership. But sometimes, going big doesn’t mean going smart. Sometimes, too big just blows up in your face; and right now, that explosion is echoing through the global economy.

Look no further than Trump’s ongoing trade war with China. It’s not just ill-conceived; it’s economic arson. Trump’s latest move? Slapping a 104% tariff on Chinese imports. One hundred and four percent. That’s not a policy decision; it’s a tantrum dressed up in a red tie. Tariffs at that level don’t "punish China," they punish American consumers, businesses, and workers. They raise prices on everyday goods; tech, clothing, auto parts, machinery, and they ripple through every corner of our economy.

But here’s the kicker: Trump refuses to own the damage. Because accountability has never been his thing. You won’t hear him say, “This might hurt the American people in the short term.” You won’t hear him admit that his economic policies are flailing. No. What you will hear; on repeat, like a broken record, is Trump blaming Joe Biden. Over and over. Because when the going gets tough, Trump and Co. deflect.

The reality? Trump’s tariffs are directly contributing to a storm of financial instability. Prices are rising, savings are shrinking, and 401(k)s are tanking; some down over 25% and still dropping. Markets are volatile. Businesses that rely on global supply chains are scrambling. The American middle class is taking the hit; and Trump’s response is silence, spin, or more often than not, a round of golf.

And now, faced with the economic damage, even Republican lawmakers are starting to break ranks. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell, and John Kennedy; all once obediently toeing the Trump line, are now speaking out against these tariffs. Why? Because they’re finally waking up to the electoral consequences. They see the toll on their constituents. They hear the anger in town halls, the frustration in fundraising calls. They know that inflation at the grocery store, lost jobs at the factory, and shrinking retirement accounts don’t exactly make for winning campaign slogans.

But here’s what makes it worse: Trump doesn’t care. While Americans are watching their financial futures unravel, he’s teeing off; literally. To date, Trump’s golf outings have cost taxpayers over $30 million. That’s not a typo. Thirty million dollars so Trump can escape the mess he made, one swing at a time. It’s the same pattern we’ve seen since Day One; he creates chaos, then flees the scene for a photo op with a cheeseburger and a Diet Coke.

But wait; it gets better. While families are cutting back, tightening budgets, and checking their retirement statements with dread, Trump is allegedly planning his 79th birthday celebration. And not just a cake-and-candles affair. He wants to pair it with a full-scale military parade, supposedly in honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. But make no mistake; this parade isn’t about the troops. It’s about Trump. A $90 million spectacle, all to stroke the ego of a man who dodged the draft with a phony bone spur excuse and then mocked POWs with “I like people who weren’t captured.”

It’s obscene.

Imagine watching your nest egg evaporate while your President is throwing himself a multimillion-dollar party paid for by you. Imagine seeing your retirement dreams pushed years down the road while Trump rolls tanks down Pennsylvania Avenue in his own honor. It’s Marie Antoinette-level hubris; “Let them eat tariffs.”

This is the danger of Trumpism. It’s not just the rhetoric. It’s not just the tweets, posts, the rallies or the narcissistic rants. It’s the real-world consequences; the policy disasters, the erosion of trust in government, the financial instability created by a man who treats the U.S. economy like it’s another Trump-branded product. Spoiler Alert: We all know how many of those ended.

Trump’s refusal to take responsibility is nothing new. He’s never accepted blame; not for bankruptcies, not for COVID, not for January 6, not for anything. But this time, he’s run out of excuses. With these tariffs, with this economy, Trump now owns it all. The Republican Party is finally starting to feel the heat, and it’s not coming from the Chinese; it's coming from within. From voters. From businesses. From Wall Street.

We’re at a breaking point.

That’s why we can’t let up. We can’t shrug this off or look away. We have to keep fighting, challenging every unconstitutional overreach, every authoritarian stunt, every gaslighting post. We must organize, mobilize, and push back; because our future is on the line. Not just the economy, but the very principles of democracy, accountability, and truth.

Because, while Trump is out there planning parades and polishing his golf shoes, we’re the ones footing the bill. We’re the ones living with the consequences of his delusion. And we’re the ones who must stop him before this nation is fully auctioned off; tariff by tariff, lie by lie, dollar by dollar.

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