{"id":50836,"date":"2025-07-22T02:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T06:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/tariff-tantrums-truth-social-triumphs-the-markets-peculiar-dance-with-trump\/50836\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T02:00:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T06:00:35","slug":"tariff-tantrums-truth-social-triumphs-the-markets-peculiar-dance-with-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/tariff-tantrums-truth-social-triumphs-the-markets-peculiar-dance-with-trump\/50836\/","title":{"rendered":"Tariff Tantrums & Truth Social Triumphs: The Market’s Peculiar Dance with Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ah, the financial markets. A bastion of logic, predictability, and sober analysis, right? Not when Donald J. Trump<\/a> is in the vicinity. For investors navigating the turbulent waters of 2025, the former (and potentially future) President’s pronouncements have become less a compass and more a daily game of economic roulette. Yet, in a testament to either profound resilience or collective amnesia, the market continues its peculiar dance, often shrugging off what would, in any other era, be considered seismic shifts in global trade policy.<\/p>\n

The Tariff Tango: A Familiar Tune, Different Partners<\/h2>\n

It appears the global economy is once again being treated to a masterclass in the art of the tariff. President Trump<\/a>, ever the connoisseur of import duties, has been busy. Recent announcements include threats of a staggering 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, a move that stirred America’s “BIGGEST” coffee crisis, according to some reports. Not to be outdone, the European Union is bracing for potential 30% tariffs, with whispers of them rising even higher if Brussels dares to retaliate. French lipstick brands, for instance, are reportedly on “red alert” [2, 22 from alerts].<\/p>\n

The steel industry, however, seems to have found its silver<\/a> lining. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF<\/a>), a domestic steelmaker, saw its stock rally a robust 4.4% in premarket<\/a> trading on July 21, closing the day up an impressive 12%. Its CEO, Lourenco Goncalves, confidently stated that the company is “uniquely positioned to benefit from this new reality” of tariffs and the administration’s push for domestic manufacturing. One might almost forget Stellantis (STLA<\/a>), the multinational automaker, which reported a preliminary loss of $2.7 billion for the first half of 2025, citing tariffs as a significant contributing factor [7, 11, 23, 24 from alerts]. Despite this rather inconvenient truth, STLA<\/a> shares still managed to climb nearly 1% on July 21, with trading volume increasing by 95% from the previous session, closing at $9.45. A testament to investor optimism, or perhaps, a profound belief in the power of selective hearing.<\/p>\n

The tariff threats extend far and wide, encompassing everything from a 50% tariff on copper imports, announced by President Trump on July 22, to a truly eye-watering 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals made abroad [4, 21, 26 from alerts]. Even Canada and Mexico, traditional allies, face potential 35% tariffs [8, 19 from alerts]. The Port of Everett is already bracing for a “brutal” Q3 amid this delightful uncertainty [6 from alerts]. The overall average U.S. tariff rate has now reportedly soared from about 2.4% to approximately 20.6%, marking the highest level since 1910. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. Treasury collected nearly $27 billion in tariff revenues in June alone.<\/p>\n

Truth Social: The Market Whisperer?<\/h2>\n

While the market grapples with the tangible (or intangible) impacts of these policies, President Trump himself has offered his unique perspective from the digital pulpit of Truth Social. In a recent post, he declared, “Nobody had to explain that to me. I know better than anybody what’s good for the Market, and what’s good for the U.S.A.” [35 from alerts]. He even claimed to have prevented a stock market crash in a swipe at the Wall Street Journal [35 from alerts].<\/p>\n

One might expect such bold claims to send tremors through trading floors. Yet, the broader market’s reaction has been, shall we say, understated<\/i>. On July 21, the S&P 500<\/a> (SPX<\/a>) closed at a fresh record high, gaining a modest 0.1%, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (IXIC<\/a>) also hit a new record, up 0.4%. The Dow Jones<\/a> Industrial Average (DJI<\/a>) dipped less than 0.1%, barely registering a blip. This “muted market response” has even become a topic of discussion, with the Wall Street Journal itself noting it [25 from alerts]. Investors, it seems, have developed a remarkable case of “headline fatigue,” shrugging off tariff news that once caused significant swings.<\/p>\n

Policy Whimsy: Beyond Trade<\/h2>\n

Beyond the realm of tariffs, Trump’s policy pronouncements continue to offer a fascinating sideshow. From announcing a travel ban citing security concerns [1 from alerts] to imposing new flight restrictions on Mexico [4 from alerts], and even floating the idea of a U.S. Crypto Reserve [10 from alerts], the policy landscape remains as unpredictable as a coin toss in a hurricane. His recent declaration on Truth Social, threatening to block a Washington Commanders stadium deal unless the team reverts to its former name, Washington Redskins, certainly captivated sports fans, though its direct market impact remains, thankfully, negligible [29, 30 from alerts].<\/p>\n

Analysts: Calm Before the Storm, or Just a Snooze?<\/h2>\n

Economists, bless their hearts, are still trying to make sense of it all. Many initially warned of “catastrophic economic harm” from Trump’s tariffs, yet their fears have “not materialised” so far. Goldman Sachs Research, for instance, noted that “trade uncertainty has a smaller impact on the economy than feared,” with “barely visible” effects on actual economic activity. Joseph Foudy, an economics professor at New York University Stern School of Business, suggests that while tariffs at 20% or more could lead firms to “stop importing altogether,” the current limited effects might be due to businesses stockpiling in anticipation.<\/p>\n

The prevailing sentiment among some analysts is encapsulated by the tongue-in-cheek acronym: TACO \u2013 “Trump Always Chickens Out”. This theory posits that markets respond sharply to aggressive tariff threats, only to recover when the President walks back or delays those measures. While the S&P 500 and NASDAQ continue to reach new highs, up 7-8% year-to-date, analysts like Chris Low from FHN Financial note that the tech sector, which has powered much of this rally, remains in the “crosshairs” of tariff negotiations. So, while the stock market appears to be climbing a wall of worry with remarkable nonchalance, one can’t help but wonder if it’s merely enjoying the calm before a self-imposed, tariff-induced storm. Or perhaps, it’s just gotten really, really good at ignoring the noise.<\/p>\n

DISCLAIMER: <\/b> We read Trump’s posts so you don’t have to. This is comedy meets market data, not financial advice. Not political advice either – we just like charts and chaos.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, the financial markets. A bastion of logic, predictability, and sober analysis, right? Not when Donald J. Trump is in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":50312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4331],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trump-stock-market"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}