POLITICS: Trump’s tariff pause: Letters

The Issue: President Trump’s pause of larger tariffs on some countries for 90 days after stock-market chaos.

It’s like what President Trump said: “Someone had to do it” (“ ‘Yippy’ . . . to yippee!” April 10).

The pause, resulting from numerous countries reaching out for negotiation, is proof that his plan is effective.

When we agreed to embrace the World Trade Organization model of global economics, I don’t think tens of thousands of plant closings and those jobs getting shipped to foreign countries was what we expected.

This is a good way to fix the imbalances in trade agreements that have existed for decades.

There are so many benefits to Trump’s approach, such as stopping the exploitation of cheap labor and giving us the chance to restore our middle class with manufacturing jobs.

I’m from a middle-class family, and all my dad’s jobs, ranging from automotive to plant manager, were closed and shipped overseas.

The time is now!

Greg Raleigh

Washington, DC

Trump proves again he understands the art of the deal.

Many people thought the tariffs were going to bankrupt our great nation, but he suspended the larger tariffs on many countries for 90 days.

President Trump did a turnaround, and the stock market rebounded.

Who knew that would happen?

Trump did.

He knew what he was doing and proved a good gambler, and his tariffs worked for the good of the country.

Our nation is truly lucky to have Trump as our president.

I say, bravo Trump.

Frederick Bedell, Jr.

Bellerose

When Trump turns from “My policies will never change” to “You have to have flexibility” in a week, does that make him more like the (fictional!) government in George Orwell’s novel “1984” declaring that “War is peace,” “Freedom is slavery” and “Ignorance is strength”?

Or does it make him what Elon Musk would call a “moron”?

Richard Siegelman

Plainview

On Tuesday, the stock market rallied — until Trump opened his mouth and announced a 100% tariff on China (although who knows how high the tariffs will be the time this is published).

Somebody needs to muzzle him.

I’ve been a strong Trump supporter, but he needs to calm down.

Walter Wayne

Morris Plains, NJ

Every time Trump says “tariffs,” the stock market takes a nose dive. And every time he orders a pause on tariffs, stocks go up.

There is a need to make sure that the president’s family, Cabinet members, appointees and members of Congress don’t profit from insider trading.

How about requiring more disclosure about their stock-market investments during the Trump presidency?

We need stronger laws to prevent any kind of insider trading.

Trump has the ability to make his inner circle very rich by his actions.

Is the president’s uncertain and erratic decisions stock-market manipulation to help his friends?

Paul Feiner

Greenburgh

Glenn Reynolds says the tariffs could boost manufacturing (“Trump’s economic shake-up is a shock to the system — that could pay off big,” April 7).

But tariffs also raise the cost of the raw materials manufacturers rely on, making it harder for them to grow.

Previous tariffs on steel and aluminum cost us 75,000 jobs in industries that rely on those materials, while the US steel sector gained just 1,000 jobs in return.

Hans Bader

Arlington, Va.

Trump seems oblivious to John Nash’s game theory, for which he won the Nobel Prize in economics.

America’s prosperity depends not just on our actions, but also on those of the nations we trade with. Unilateral policies won’t serve the people — they’ll ruin them.

Karl Olsen

Watervliet

One of the key platforms Trump campaigned on in 2024 was increased tariffs.

This is what 77 million Americans voted for.

Bob Sweeney

Warwick, RI

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