{"id":58662,"date":"2026-02-17T14:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/the-art-of-the-tariff-trumps-tuesday-tradewar-and-the-5-billion-gaza-surprise\/58662\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:00:23","slug":"the-art-of-the-tariff-trumps-tuesday-tradewar-and-the-5-billion-gaza-surprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/the-art-of-the-tariff-trumps-tuesday-tradewar-and-the-5-billion-gaza-surprise\/58662\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of the Tariff: Trump\u2019s Tuesday Tradewar and the $5 Billion Gaza Surprise"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you woke up this morning expecting a quiet Tuesday in the equities market, you clearly haven’t been paying attention to the 47th President\u2019s Truth Social feed. In a whirlwind of policy announcements that ranged from the geopolitically altruistic to the “wait, did he really just tax movies?”, Donald Trump has once again proven that the only thing more volatile than a 0DTE option is a White House press release. As of 2:00 PM ET, the DOW<\/b> is oscillating like a heart monitor in a horror film, currently sitting at 44,210.15, down 0.4% after a brief morning spike. Meanwhile, the S&P 500<\/a><\/b> is clinging to the 6,100 level, down 0.22%, as traders try to figure out if a 100% tariff on Canadian aircraft is “bullish” for domestic aerospace or just a headache for supply chains.<\/p>\n

The Great Wall of Ontario: Bridging the Gap with Threats<\/h2>\n

In a move that surely has logistics managers reaching for the extra-strength aspirin, President Trump threatened to block the Ontario-Michigan bridge until the U.S. is “fully compensated” for… something. The rationale? Canada is apparently being “eaten alive” by China, a fate the President intends to prevent by making it impossible for a Ford F-150 to cross the border without a diplomatic escort. The market reaction was swift: GM<\/a> (-1.8%) and F<\/a> (-2.1%) both saw immediate dips in mid-morning trading as the reality of a severed Michigan-Ontario artery set in. It\u2019s a bold strategy to protect the American auto industry by potentially stopping its parts from arriving, but consistency has always been a secondary concern to “leverage.”<\/p>\n

The threat extends beyond infrastructure. Trump also lobbed a 100% tariff threat at Canadian-made aircraft, sending BA<\/a> (+0.8%) on a minor relief rally, though the gains were capped by fears of retaliatory measures. After all, if Canada can\u2019t sell planes here, they might just stop buying the ones we make. But in the world of “America First,” a trade war with our largest trading partner is just another Tuesday. The NASDAQ<\/b>, sensitive to the tech and manufacturing ripples of such a move, fell 0.5% in pre-market trading<\/a> before stabilizing as investors realized that “threatened” and “implemented” are two very different things in this administration.<\/p>\n

Hollywood\u2019s 100% Horror Show<\/h2>\n

In perhaps the most “on-brand” announcement of the day, Trump took a break from mourning the legendary Robert Duvall to announce a 100% tariff on foreign-made movies. While the news of Duvall\u2019s passing at 95 brought a somber tone to the morning, the subsequent policy shift brought a different kind of grief to studio executives. Shares of DIS<\/a> (-1.2%) and NFLX<\/a> (-0.9%) softened as analysts began calculating the cost of importing that gritty French noir or the next big Australian blockbuster. Apparently, the “Buy American” mandate now applies to cinematography. If you want to watch a movie in 2026, it better have been filmed in a tax-incentivized zone in Georgia or the President might just double the price of your ticket at the border.<\/p>\n

The irony, of course, is that many “American” blockbusters are filmed abroad for the subsidies. Whether the President realizes he\u2019s essentially taxing Marvel movies filmed in London is a question for the next press briefing. For now, the market is treating this as a “wait and see” scenario, though the volume spike in SONY<\/a> (-2.4%) suggests that international conglomerates are already feeling the heat of this cinematic protectionism.<\/p>\n

The Gaza Pivot and the Beef with Argentina<\/h2>\n

In a plot twist that no one on Wall Street saw coming, Trump announced more than $5 billion in aid for Gaza reconstruction. This comes alongside a deal to boost imports of beef trimmings from Argentina. The market for agricultural commodities reacted with its usual grace: confusion. While the USDA is busy telling specialty crop growers to report their acres for aid\u2014presumably to offset the damage from the *other* tariffs\u2014the beef deal suggests a softening of the protectionist stance, at least when it comes to steak. TSN<\/a> (+1.4%) saw a modest bump on the news, as more beef trimmings generally mean lower input costs for the processed meat giants.<\/p>\n

The $5 billion for Gaza, however, is the real head-scratcher for fiscal hawks. In a stagnant job market where worker sentiment is “taking a hit,” as noted in recent Truth Social posts, the sudden pivot to international nation-building is a fascinating contradiction. It seems the “Art of the Deal” now includes a $5 billion olive branch, though the DOW<\/b> barely blinked at the figure, perhaps because $5 billion is a rounding error compared to the potential 25% tariffs threatened against Iran\u2019s trade partners.<\/p>\n

The Iran-China-Russia Trifecta<\/h2>\n

Speaking of Iran, the President has threatened 25% tariffs on any country that dares to trade with Tehran. This “multi-front trade war,” as some analysts are calling it, is designed to squeeze the Iranian economy, but it\u2019s also squeezing the nerves of European and Chinese diplomats. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted that Washington might also slap tariffs on countries buying Russian oil, a move that would effectively turn the global energy market into a game of Minesweeper. XOM<\/a> (+0.5%) and CVX<\/a> (+0.3%) are trading slightly up as supply concerns linger, but the real story is the 30% tariff already imposed on South African exports, which has left relations “frayed” as the new envoy arrives.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Philippines seems to be the only nation in the “Good Graces” club this week. After a White House meeting with President Marcos, Trump announced a tariff deal that actually *lowers* barriers, proving that if you play your cards right (and perhaps host a few missile launchers), you can escape the 100% tax hammer. This news provided a rare bright spot for emerging market funds, though it wasn’t enough to offset the general sense of “who’s next?” pervading the trading floor.<\/p>\n

Truth Social and the Retail Rollercoaster<\/h2>\n

Finally, we turn to the barometer of the MAGA movement: DJT<\/a> (+4.2%). Despite\u2014or perhaps because of\u2014the chaotic news cycle, the stock remains a favorite for retail investors who view every tariff threat as a win for the home team. The stock saw a volume spike of 12 million shares in the first hour of trading, even as the President used the platform to claim Jesse Jackson “could not stand” Barack Obama. It\u2019s a reminder that for DJT<\/a> holders, the P\/E ratio is less important than the “Post-to-Earnings” ratio. As long as the President keeps the markets guessing, the volatility will keep the traders coming, even if the “stagnant job market” he mentioned suggests that the real economy is still waiting for the “Great” part of the slogan to kick in.<\/p>\n

As we head into the closing bell, the S&P 500<\/b> remains under pressure. The 100% tariff on Canada, the movie tax, and the Iran threats have created a “wall of worry” that even a $5 billion aid package can’t quite climb. But hey, at least we\u2019ll have cheaper beef trimmings from Argentina to eat while we watch our 100% taxed American-made movies. Winning<\/i>, as they say, has never been so expensive.<\/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":"

If you woke up this morning expecting a quiet Tuesday in the equities market, you clearly haven’t been paying attention […]<\/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-58662","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\/58662","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=58662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58662\/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=58662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}