.jpg)
By Mihar Dias April 2025
If Donald Trump were a stock, Wall Street would’ve suspended trading by now due to extreme volatility.
Just days after threatening to torch the global trading system with a bonfire of tariffs—some hitting an eye-watering 104%, then 125% for China—Trump suddenly declared a “90-day PAUSE” on most of them. Why? Because 75 countries supposedly called him up, and in his words, were “kissing my ass.” Diplomacy, Trump-style. https://newswav.com/A2504_v7842V?s=A_2ZS10nF&language=en
It’s hard to tell if we’re witnessing an economic strategy or the world’s most expensive improv show.
The only certainty? This isn’t just a trade war. It’s a Trumpian power trip, with the global economy as his stage and the US consumer as his unwilling stunt double.
Let’s break it down.
China, accused by Trump of "ripping off" the US, now faces a 125% tariff—presumably to teach them a lesson about capitalism… by making American imports unaffordable. https://newswav.com/A2504_v7842V?s=A_2ZS10nF&language=en
Beijing responded with a cool 84% retaliation. That’s not a trade war, that’s economic MMA.
Wall Street, after a week of screaming into its spreadsheets, suddenly surged the moment Trump hit pause.
The S&P 500 jumped 6%—proof again that markets no longer respond to fundamentals, just to Trump’s mood swings on Truth Social. https://newswav.com/A2504_v7842V?s=A_2ZS10nF&language=en
Meanwhile, Trump’s new baseline 10% global tariff still stands, even applying to remote islands and an uninhabited rock near Antarctica. Presumably, penguins are next on the sanctions list. https://newswav.com/A2504_v7842V?s=A_2ZS10nF&language=en
So is Trump playing chess, poker, or just Battleship with a blindfold?
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says this was “the plan all along,” claiming Trump baited China into a corner. https://newswav.com/A2504_v7842V?s=A_2ZS10nF&language=en
If that’s the strategy, it’s a bit like burning your house to get rid of a termite. (Marahkan nyamuk kelambu dibakar!)
Sure, it worked—but now you're homeless or without a mosquito net).
And let’s not forget the Europeans. The EU, whom Trump charmingly claims was “created to screw the US,” retaliated with tariffs on €20 billion worth of American soybeans, motorcycles, and beauty products. https://newswav.com/A2504_v7842V?s=A_2ZS10nF&language=en
But curiously, they avoided hitting back at the new 20% all-country levy. Maybe they’re just as confused as the rest of us.
China, meanwhile, isn’t blinking. It’s busy warning its citizens about traveling to the US (something many Americans already dread doing themselves). https://newswav.com/A2504_v7842V?s=A_2ZS10nF&language=en
And back home, US consumers are left wondering why everything from their gadgets to groceries now cost more than a Taylor Swift ticket.
Trump believes this chaos will revive American manufacturing. But it’s more likely to revive the Great Depression cosplay movement.
In Malaysia, we’re watching this with morbid fascination. Because when two elephants fight, the grass suffers—and we’re the grass. Our own exporters, especially in electronics and commodities, rely on US-China stability. When Trump cranks up the madness, we feel the tremors.
So what’s next? Will Trump threaten tariffs on TikTok dance routines? Will China respond by banning KFC?
Hard to say.
But if there’s one thing Malaysians understand, it’s wayang kulit—shadow puppets, big drama, and unclear motives.
Trump, once again, is proving that when it comes to international trade, he’s less of a president and more of a performance artist.
And the world? We’re just the paying audience… watching the curtain burn.
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
