Just Ask The Question Newsletter - 4.11.25
The Mad "King" runs amok!
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"Suffering from the whims of a madman": MAGA measures true cost of Trump's tariff gamble
Our supposedly brilliant president caves in on tariffs in less than a week — but it may be too late
The penguins and seals won.
Donald Trump’s retaliatory tariffs, which he said would bring back manufacturing jobs, boost the economy, pay off the national debt and cure warts, were less than a week old when he announced he had substantially scaled them back for 90 days. “[B]ased on the fact that more than 75 countries have called representatives of the United States,” Trump explained Wednesday on Truth Social, “I have authorized a 90 day pause, and a substantially lowered reciprocal tariff during this period of 10 percent — also effective immediately.”
The exception was China, a country Trump said has shown the world a “lack of respect” and has had a history of “ripping off the U.S.A.” Trump bumped China’s tariffs to 125 percent.
Heard Island and McDonald Islands, populated by penguins and seals and also subject to the tariffs, offered no comment.
“I’m glad Trump folded,” former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger posted on Threads, asking, “What did we go through that for?”
"Liberation Day" surprise: Trump gets outmatched
Sen. Cory Booker steals Trump’s tariff limelight with a historic marathon speech
Donald Trump strode into the Rose Garden Wednesday with the elegance and subtlety of a sledgehammer. He was there to enact a variety of “reciprocal tariffs” on a host of nations, friends and foes, on what he called “Liberation Day.” Within a minute of smiling and walking to the podium, he talked about “punishing” our allies and told us “in many cases the friend is worse than the foe” in trade. He pointed at the Oval Office about 60 feet away from where he stood, and as the brisk April breeze danced through his thinning hair, he said he blamed former presidents and past leaders for destroying the manufacturing base of the U.S. “To an extent no one can even believe.”
Then he tried to gild the lily by saying the Great Depression would have never happened if there had been tariffs at the time. The problem is, there were. And, worse, President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act into law in 1930. The law exacerbated economic strife in America, which led to less international trade, cooperation and trust among nations. The economy, as we all should know, if we took any American history in 12 years of mandatory education, did not improve because of the tariffs.
Just Ask the Press - Tariffs and the end of the Pax Americana
In this episode, Brian Karem, John T. Bennett, and Mark Zaid discuss the significant news of the week, focusing on tariffs introduced by Trump and their implications for the economy. They explore the political strategy behind these tariffs, the public's response through protests, and the potential consequences for the market. The conversation also touches on the role of dissent within the administration and the future of Trump's policies. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the current political landscape, focusing on the state of opposition to the Trump administration, the effectiveness of protests, the implications of tariffs on the economy, and the influence of controversial figures like Laura Loomer within the White House. They explore the disconnect between public protests and actionable political change, the historical context of tariffs, and the challenges faced by the Democratic Party in mobilizing voters. The conversation highlights the complexities of political loyalty and the impact of individual influencers on national security and policy decisions.
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How two veteran lawmakers sum up parties’ views on Trump’s economic agenda
Democrat sees chaos, but Republican sees ‘will’ of voters
ANALYSIS — Does Donald Trump’s tariff plan and related goal of revamping the U.S. economy amount to central planning by an overstepping president or him executing the “will of the people”?
When it comes to Trump’s economic agenda, the views of two veteran lawmakers capture their parties’ different public views. One Democrat sees “central chaos, not central planning,” while a top Senate GOP leader protested the notion of Trump as the central planner in chief, overseeing a command economy.
Trump made clear Monday that his objective is to methodically negotiate with many of the nearly 90 countries he slapped tariffs on last week. He also acknowledged that his vision of new factories dotting the American landscape would take years to carry out.
“Yeah, it takes time. You’ve got to build a thing called a factory. You have to build your energy. You have to do a lot of things,” Trump said Monday, defending his tariffs and economy-overhauling push.
“We’re going to have one shot at this,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “And no other president is going to do this, what I’m doing. And I’ll tell you what, it’s an honor to do it because we have been just destroyed, what they’ve done to our system.”
All of that is just fine with many Republican lawmakers.
Asked Friday if the economic makeover that Trump has pushed since being sworn in on Jan. 20 gives him any concerns about an all-powerful executive branch dictating to the private and public sectors, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso replied, “Oh, I disagree with everything you’re saying.”
Just Ask The Press - Signalgate: National Security Crisis
In this episode, the hosts discuss the implications of the recent Signalgate incident involving high-level government officials and the use of Signal for classified discussions. They explore the accountability of government officials, the role of the judiciary, and the potential impact of Trump's policies on international relations and the economy. The conversation also touches on the upcoming tariffs and their expected effects on the market, as well as the broader implications for law and order in America.
Signalgate is Team Trump's first big screw-up — and now they’re stuck
The president’s people are pretending like they’re playing video games, while real lives remain in the balance
Alina Habba strolled up to the sticks outside of the White House on Wednesday with the swagger of a pirate and the credibility of a felon on the run. In other words, her usual M.O. If we’re keeping track, Habba is currently serving as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey — as well as a counselor to the president in the second Trump administration. She’s Donald Trump’s former personal legal spokesperson and also a former senior advisor to MAGA, Inc., Trump’s super PAC. She changes her title, but never her job: fealty to Trump.
She took a few questions about the ongoing Signal scandal that found high-level members of the new Trump administration acting like they were the Master Chief in a Halo cosplay bro’ chat room. The funny part? The government bros also invited the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeff Goldberg, into the text chain. Soon we’re reading the type of news that not only survives the daily news cycle, but shows continued life because of self-inflicted wounds by the administration. “I would love if the press, for once, would focus on the actual facts and actions of the administration. This is just – this is frankly just noise,” Habba bemoaned.
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