 We have received your email. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with President Donald J. Trump. The willingness of the American people to stay informed is essential to our enduring democracy. Please know that President Trump will never stop fighting for the citizens of our great Nation! For additional information about President Trump’s policy initiatives or current events at the White House, please visit www.WhiteHouse.gov.  On most days I write a letter to either the White House or to my Congressman and Senators. I usually receive some sort of reply. It's important to let them know my opinions in real time before the next outrage of the day takes over the news cycle and my attention. March 11, 2025 Dear Mr. President, Seriously President Trump, were you actually hocking Tesla automobiles in front of the White House? This is a new low, even for you. Just one billionaire helping a fellow billionaire, I guess. Too bad most Americans can’t afford the price of a new Tesla. Knowing your disdain for electric vehicle mandates it seems very disingenuous to purchase one. But of course, this was a favor for a friend. But it won’t play well in middle America where fair play and an even playing field still mean something. Your vulgar display of favoritism shown to Elon Musk and his Tesla Corporation shows that you are not above using the White House and the office of the Presidency to personally benefit yourself and your friends. My only conclusion is that your administration will pick winners and losers, and that the economy will be driven by favoritism. This is ethically and morally wrong, but that hasn’t stopped you in the past from acting. By the way, I won’t shut up about the price of eggs. March 12, 2025 Dear Mr. President, Congratulations, your trade war has begun. Now it is time to wield your presidential superpowers and decide who receives one of your golden “Get Out of Tariffs Free” cards. As demonstrated by your endorsement of Tesla, you are more than willing to pick winners and losers. The retaliatory tariffs imposed by Canada, Mexico, China, and the European Union will hurt a variety of private businesses and entire industries across the country. Now the process of exempting favored businesses will begin in earnest. The main issue that I have with the exemption process is that it is opaque, often arbitrarily applied, and could easily be influenced by political favoritism. I wonder if one of the main drivers of your love affair with tariffs is the influence it gives you over friends and foes. Once the exemption process begins the line of supplicants willing to grovel at your feet will stretch out from the Oval Office. These reeks of crony capitalism and is why many Americans don’t trust the federal government and view it with distain. March 13, 2025 Dear Mr. President, Congratulations Mr. President, the new administrator of The Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, has just identified another government agency that your administration can eliminate, his own. Yesterday Mr. Zeldin announced that the E.P.A. would unwind dozens of protections against air and water pollution. He wants his agency to ease restrictions on carbon dioxide and mercy emissions from power plants, diminish tailpipe emission standards, overturn regulations that protect wetlands and other waterways, and take away the E.P.A.’s authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Mr. Zeldin has said that the E.P.A.’s mission is to “lower the cost of buying a car, heating a home and running a business”. That mission can easily be handled by an existing agency such as Commerce, Energy, or the Small Business Administration. But Mr. Zeldin won’t have to fret about being out of a job. He will be able to quickly get a lucrative job lobbying for the oil and gas industry. Mr. President, I know that you are a lame duck, but you certainly care about your legacy and the country that you will leave to your children and grandchildren. If you have any doubt about the impacts from weak or unenforced environmental regulations, I suggest that you visit Delhi, India or the industrial regions of China. Being a native of New York I know that you don’t have to be reminded of the tragedy of Love Canal. In order to “Make America Great Again” you must first keep America beautiful. March 16, 2025 Dear Mr. President, You campaigned on the pledge to keep the United States out of foreign wars. But from the start of your 2nd term, you have gotten us into two. The first is the ongoing international trade war and the 2nd, which is news to most people, is the war with Venezuela. On Friday you issued an executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 which allows for the deportation of people from countries at war with the U.S. In the executive order you declared that you were targeting Venezuelan gang members for arrest and deportation. Therefore, the U.S. must be at war with Venezuela. I was happy to learn that cooler heads prevailed over the weekend when a federal judge ordered your administration to cease using the wartime law to deport Venezuelans without a hearing. March 17, 2025 Dear Mr. President, The executive order establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) instructs all federal government agency heads to ensure that DOGE has full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems. This means that Elon Musk and his DOGE bros have access to citizens’ Social Security records, tax returns, medical records from Medicare and Medicaid, student loan documents, military records, and records from many other federal programs. I for one don’t trust DOGE or Elon Musk to safeguard this data or to prevent it from being used to benefit themselves or the Trump Administration. This is potentially the greatest breech of Americans’ personal data in history. What assurances can you provide me and other Americans that our personal data will be safeguarded? March 18, 2025 Dear Mr. President, I was deeply disturbed to learn that DOGE and the F.B.I. entered the headquarters of the U.S. Institute of Peace and evicted its officials. Need I remind you that this agency is a congressionally chartered nonprofit that is not part of the executive branch? This action by DOGE and your administration is an illegal takeover of a private nonprofit corporation. This is un-American and throws cold water over our democracy. Has DOGE become the equivalent of the brown shirt thugs used by Hitler to do his bidding? I don’t know where this ends Mr. President, but if you continue along this path the U.S.A. will never see its 250th anniversary. March 19, 2025 Dear Mr. President, I am writing to comment on your recent social media post in which you proclaimed that the pardons from President Biden to the congressional committee investigating the Capitol riot are void because they were signed with an autopen instead of by his own hand. To quote you, “In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them, but more importantly, he did not know anything about them”. First of all, there is no law governing a presidential use of an autopen. Your lawyers know this and so should you. But more importantly, you showed contempt for common decency and spread a vicious lie which will be taken as truth by your supporters. This will further erode faith in our government and chip away at the foundation of our democracy. But that’s been your plan all along. Say hello to your fellow traveler Putin for me! April 1, 2025 Dear Mr. President, On the eve of your historic “liberation day” for the implementation of tariffs, it is important to remember the speech given by President Reagan before he imposed tariffs on certain Japanese imports back in the 1980s. My fellow Americans: As perhaps you've heard, last week I placed new duties on some Japanese products in response to Japan's inability to enforce their trade agreement with us on electronic devices called semiconductors. Now, imposing such tariffs or trade barriers and restrictions of any kind are steps that I am loath to take. And in a moment I'll mention the sound economic reasons for this: that over the long run such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer. But the Japanese semiconductors were a special case. We had clear evidence that Japanese companies were engaging in unfair trade practices that violated an agreement between Japan and the United States. We expect our trading partners to live up to their agreements. As I've often said: Our commitment to free trade is also a commitment to fair trade. But you know, in imposing these tariffs we were just trying to deal with a particular problem, not begin a trade war. We want to do this, because we feel both Japan and the United States have an obligation to promote the prosperity and economic development that only free trade can bring. For those of us who lived through the Great Depression, the memory of the suffering it caused is deep and searing. And today many economic analysts and historians argue that high tariff legislation passed back in that period called the Smoot-Hawley tariff greatly deepened the depression and prevented economic recovery. You see, at first, when someone says, ``Let's impose tariffs on foreign imports,'' it looks like they're doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while it works -- but only for a short time. What eventually occurs is: First, homegrown industries start relying on government protection in the form of high tariffs. They stop competing and stop making the innovative management and technological changes they need to succeed in world markets. And then, while all this is going on, something even worse occurs. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. The result is more and more tariffs, higher and higher trade barriers, and less and less competition. So, soon, because of the prices made artificially high by tariffs that subsidize inefficiency and poor management, people stop buying. Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs. The memory of all this occurring back in the thirties made me determined when I came to Washington to spare the American people the protectionist legislation that destroys prosperity. Now, it hasn't always been easy. There are those in this Congress, just as there were back in the thirties, who want to go for the quick political advantage, who will risk America's prosperity for the sake of a short-term appeal to some special interest group, who forget that more than 5 million American jobs are directly tied to the foreign export business and additional millions are tied to imports. Well, I've never forgotten those jobs. And on trade issues, by and large, we've done well. In certain select cases, like the Japanese semiconductors, we've taken steps to stop unfair practices against American products, but we've still maintained our basic, long-term commitment to free trade and economic growth. Note: The President spoke at 12:06 p.m. from Camp David, MD. 04/25/1987 April 2, 2025 Dear Mr. President, Congratulations, your “Liberation Day” for America was a big flop. Stock markets are crashing around the world and stock futures in this country are predicting a bloodbath in the markets on Thursday. The world is in a full-fledge trade war, and you are responsible. You have apparently forgotten the lessons of the Great Depression when restrictive tariffs were implemented by our government. The result was a deeper and more prolonged economic depression. You want the American people to be patient, promising that manufacturers will come back to the U.S. and flood the economy with cash. That is a pipe dream. It takes years for companies to overhaul business plans, build factories, and develop new supply chains. In the meantime, investment portfolios of ordinary Americans have taken a big hit, upending the retirement plans of millions of Americans. Consumer confidence has plunged, resulting in declining spending and slowing economic activity. Your economic advisors should all be fired. April 5, 2025 Dear Mr. President, It is curious that you recently fired several White House National Security Council members shortly after meeting with Laura Loomer. Apparently, these individuals were fired for not being loyal enough to you or your agenda. It is your right to fire these people, but your timing couldn’t be worse. These firings come on the heals of the massive security breach by the NSA using the messaging app “Signal”. Your defense secretary texted sensitive plans on upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a Signal chat group that included a journalist. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz inadvertently included the journalist to the chat, exposing military secrets which put military personnel at risk and threatened the success of the mission. This episode exposed the incompetence of your administration’s national security leadership. The lies and blame shifting by Secretary Pete Hegseth and other members of your administration only made the matter worse. Please explain to the American people what steps your administration is taking to address this national security breach. Firing some NSA officials for being “disloyal” is not the answer. The correct course of action is to fire Pete Hegseth and/or Mike Waltz. April 7, 2025 Dear Mr. President, I am writing in opposition to your tariff policies. I believe that in the end they will harm the U.S. consumer and the overall economy of our country. I know that you don’t agree with this, but tariffs are a tax on the U.S. consumer. The producer and foreign country from which the product is shipped doesn’t pay the tariff. It is the importer or buyer within our country that pays the tariff, and to recoup the cost of the tariff they must increase prices to the end user. In this case the U.S. consumer. The whole point of tariffs is to make the price of U.S. produced goods more competitive with foreign made goods. Without the foreign competition, prices on U.S. products will tend to increase. Coupled with higher priced foreign goods this leads to inflation, the very thing you promised to decrease. You consider all trade deficits with foreign countries to be bad, but in many cases they are beneficial. It doesn’t benefit our country to produce low value items that require high labor inputs. Should the U.S. be producing all our clothing and every widget and gadget sold in Walmart and on Amazon? This would be a very inefficient use of our capital and labor. We don’t need low wage factory jobs in this country, not to mention the fact that we don’t have the labor required. Let Vietnam, China and other countries with cheap labor produce the low tech, low margin products so that we can focus on high end manufacturing, design and engineering, 21st century technologies such as advance computer chips, AI, robotics, advanced health care, biotechnologies, aerospace and other industries vital to our safety and security. We can’t and shouldn’t produce everything that our consumer-driven economy demands. You falsely equate all trade deficits as economic disadvantages. But consider this; If I pay a landscaper $500 to do some yard work for me, I have a $500 trade deficit in relation to him. I have given the landscaper $500 to render a service, but that does not put me at an economic disadvantage, I have gained a valuable service. The same goes for a foreign purchase that I make on vacation for an item only produced in that country. I am at a trade deficit with that foreign merchant because he hasn’t purchased an equivalent amount of goods or services from me. That doesn’t mean that the merchant took advantage of me, I entered freely into the transaction. The uncertainty of your messaging on tariffs has rattled financial markets around the world, frayed relations with all our trading partners, and has been a gut punch to consumer confidence. We all need clarity on whether the tariffs are simply a negotiating tactic like in 2017 or are a permanent economic policy that the world will need to adjust to. Please reconsider your tariff policies before they do lasting damage to our economy and that of the world. April 12, 2025 Dear Mr. President, Thank you for exempting smartphones, computers and other electronics from your reciprocal tariffs. This move, in addition to your recently announced 90 day pause on most tariffs, is a step in the right direction. I don’t agree with your tariff policy, and I am convinced that it will end up costing U.S. consumers more than the revenue generated. I don’t agree with Elon Musk very often, but I do agree with his stance that tariffs are bad for business. I also think that your trade advisor Peter Navarro has led you astray and should be fired. To bring sanity to your current tariff gambit you must bring certainty. Businesses will not invest in such uncertain times. Negotiating trade deals with hundreds of countries will take years, and the economies of the world cannot wait. Fire Navarro, admit that your tariff policies were misguided, allow trade negotiations to continue, but stop all tariffs now. You will be seen as a reasonable and bold leader. Otherwise, you will go down in history as the president who wrecked the world’s economy! April 14, 2025 Dear Mr. President, Your executive orders to expand the mining and use of coal are not a step forward for the country, they are a giant step backwards. Coal is the most polluting of all fossil fuels and is more expensive than other available energy sources. The use of coal has dropped significantly in the U.S. as utilities have switched to cheaper and cleaner energy sources to produce electricity. You are out of touch with the rest of the world when it comes to coal. It is the past, not the future. It is highly unlikely that utility companies will build new cold fired plants, and existing ones are getting older and more expensive to run. Even if you are unconcerned with the environmental impact of burning coal, using coal as an energy source doesn’t make economic sense. For once please look beyond the politics of an issue like coal and do the right thing for the country and future generations. April 15, 2025 Dear Mr. President, My wife and I don’t have cable TV and get a lot of our news and entertainment programing through public broadcasting. PBS and NPR are beloved institutions within our household. They provide unbiased professional journalism, and world class programs on art, history, music and science. The educational programing provided on PBS is unsurpassed, and the programing on travel, food and culture brings us closer to communities around the world. I live near a major metropolitan area so federal cuts may not be the death nail to the public television and radio stations that enrich my life. Not so for many rural communities across our country. Many stations which service rural areas will close because of federal funding cuts, diminishing the news and entertainment options for millions of Americans. Cutting funding to public broadcasting is not making America great again. It is a partisan attack on excellent broadcasting which has been caught up in the cross hairs of the GOP’s anti-woke, and anti-American campaign. Ask your children and grandchildren what they think of the programming on PBS, not a bunch of out of touch congress members. April 16, 2025 Dear Mr. President, I am writing to urge you to bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. from El Salvador immediately. Several years ago, he received an immigration protection called withholding of removal after the Department of Homeland Security decided that he was not a danger to the security of the U.S., allowing him to stay. There is no proof that Abrego Garcia is a terrorist or member of the MS-13 gang as you have declared. He has never even been convicted of a crime in this country. Your Justice Department called Abrego Garcia’s deportation an “oversight” and “administrative error” in a court filing. On April 10, the Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. government had to “facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador”. You are now defying court orders and playing games with the law by saying you have no authority to have Abrego Garcia released and brought back to this country. The president of El Salvador is your friend and would jump at your command. You claim to be the most powerful man in the world, so exercise some strength and courage. Abrego Garcia could be back in this country within hours if you snapped your fingers and everyone knows it. Americans and the world are watching this blatant abuse of power. April 17, 2025 Dear Mr. President, With all the pressing issues facing your administration why are you wasting valuable time and government resources going afford Harvard and other institutions of higher learning? This makes very little sense to the average American and does nothing to solve inflation and the high cost of living, things that you campaigned on. Let’s face it. Going after Harvard University is a vanity project, not to mention an abuse of power. You claim that Harvard is defying your orders to eliminate DEI from admissions, curriculum and hiring. Even if this dubious claim was true, you have no Constitutional authority to tell a private institution such as Harvard how to conduct their day-to-day business. Just because you may disagree with some of their practices doesn’t give you the right to threaten them with financial retaliation if they don’t bend to your whims. This is America, not an autocracy! You also claim that legal protests on Harvard’s campus protesting the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza at the hands of the Israel military is somehow antisemitic. Even if this was true, college students, like all Americans have the right to free speech even if that speech opposes your agenda or point of view. You equate all pro-Palestinian speech as terrorist speech, which couldn’t be further from the truth. It is hard to imagine any human being who isn’t sympathetic to the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza whose lives have been ruined and whose territory destroyed at the hands of the Israelis. I feel for the Palestinian people and want the wanton destruction of Gaza to stop immediately. That doesn’t make me a supporter of Hamas or any other terrorist group. Do not trample on the free speech rights of students and use it as a pretext to punish their universities. This is a blatant abuse of power and one that you will not win. If you continue down this path of infringing on the civil rights of American citizens, it will destroy your presidency, and your legacy will be tarnished for all time. April 19, 2024 Dear Mr. President, For the sake of financial market stability and the continued independence of the Federal Reserve, please don’t fire Federal Reserve Chairman Powell. He has done a great job keeping unemployment low and preventing inflation from getting out of control. If politics is allowed to influence the policies of the Fed. the confidence in the U.S. dollar will be shaken, triggering the beginning of the end to the dollar as a reserve currency. I understand that you want Chairman Powell to lower interest rates in order to boost the economy, but that will only lead to higher inflation. Don’t forget that the people voted for you to lower inflation. It is in the best interest of the economy and your legacy to keep Chairman Powell in place and to maintain an independent Federal Reserve.  Keep Writing Your Elected Officials. Your Voice Matters!If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 American @gmail.com.
Thanks, Armchair American
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 There is an old Turkish Proverb, “When a clown moves into a palace he doesn’t become a king, it only makes the palace a circus”. If you want to join the circus, here’s an opportunity of a lifetime. But you have to be quick, the application process is only open for a few more days. I will be busy this summer so won't be able to apply, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. You could be in the class of 2025. The White House Internship Program is a public service leadership program that provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. Focused on cultivating future leaders, the program deepens interns' understanding of the Executive Office and prepares them for careers in public service. Interns take on tasks such as conducting research, managing inquiries, attending meetings, writing memos, and staffing events, gaining hands-on experience that is both impactful and enriching. In addition to daily responsibilities, interns participate in weekly activities like a speaker series, professional development workshops, and volunteer projects. These events foster a sense of community and shared purpose among participants. The Summer 2025 program emphasizes leadership development and community impact while honoring the White House’s legacy as a training ground for emerging leaders. Summer 2025 Internship Timeline: Application Posted – April 7, 2025 Application Deadline – April 23, 2025 Acceptance Notifications Complete – May 9, 2025 Internship Start Date – June 4, 2025 Internship End Date – August 8, 2025 If you get the internship job, drop me a line. I'd love to hear all about it.
If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 American @gmail.com. Thanks, Armchair American  Today is the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. It was a war fought over eight years to free American colonists from their overlord King George III, who threatened their civil liberties and freedoms through repressive policies. In recognition of this historic anniversary I am reposting a blog that I wrote after a visit to Concord and Lexington Massachusetts two years ago. The title of the blog was The Shot Heard Round The World. The “Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson was written for the dedication of the Battle Monument on July 4, 1837 in Concord, Massachusetts. It commemorated the Battle of Concord which took place at the North Bridge at the outbreak of the American Revolution. By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set today a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. Spirit, that made those heroes dare To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee.  While visiting relatives in New England last month I had the opportunity to spend time in the towns of Concord and Lexington in Massachusetts. These towns witnessed the opening salvos of the Revolutionary War nearly 250 years ago.  On the morning of April 19, 1775 hundreds of British soldiers left Boston and marched toward Concord to capture and destroy stockpiles of gunpowder and military supplies stored by the local militia. Along the way the British soldiers confronted seventy-seven militia men waiting for them on Lexington Green. No one is sure who fired the first shot, but within minutes eight colonial militia men were killed and several more were wounded. The British suffered only one minor casualty and soon resumed their march to Concord. Once in Concord, British soldiers searched homes and barns for military supplies, and burned all that they found. Thinking that the soldiers had set their town on fire, the local militia confronted the British soldiers at the North Bridge. The soldiers fired upon the militia, killing two men and injuring several more. A militia officer ordered his men to return fire and two British soldiers were killed. This was an act of treason against the British government and the spark that ignited the American Revolutionary War.  At the Minute Man National Historical Park I joined a guided walk along the Battle Road Trail, part of the colonial Bay Road where several battles and skirmishes took place on that fateful day in 1775. As we walked along the woodland path lined with maple, oak and beech trees alight in their colorful autumn splendor, it has hard to imagine the enormity of the events that had taken place here.  Walking along Battle Road that day, I couldn’t stop thinking about the bravery of the local men who confronted the world's mightiest army. Pushed to the extreme, these citizen soldiers knew no other way to preserve the liberties and freedoms that they cherished. The local militias in Concord, Lexington, and surrounding communities had effectively repelled professional soldiers of an overseas king. There was no going back.  Colonial Militias: In colonial times a militia represented a military force raised from the civilian population, for the common defense of the community. Militias were distinct from professional soldiers, and were generally organized around towns, regions, or colonies. Members of Massachusetts militias were required to possess and be skilled in the use of a musket, powder, and shot. Local militia units from all of the thirteen original colonies were the backbone of George Washington’s army during the Revolutionary War. The “Militia Act of 1792” stipulated that the militia would consist of each and every able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, who is at least 18 years of age and under the age of 45. At the start of our new republic, the founding fathers feared that a standing army could be used to suppress the liberties of the citizens, and therefore opposed the formation of one. But they needed to provide for the common defense, and saw the state and local militias as a necessary compromise. It should therefore be no surprise that armed militias were enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.  Nearly 250 years after Americans freed themselves from a tyrannical king, the citizens of our country are once again rising up in opposition to the regime in power. People across the country are joining protests to oppose a president who is trampling on civil liberties enshrined in our Constitution. We are witnessing the erosion of the rule of law and the right to due process under the law. Freedom of the press, free speech, and the rights of private institutions are being suppressed. The checks and balances built into the Constitution are not stopping the power grab by the Trump regime whose stated goal is to build the presidency into an all powerful executive. This smells of tyranny, and is what the brave patriots fought against 250 years ago. It is up to the people to prevent autocracy from once again talking hold of our great country. We threw out a king to build the freedoms we enjoy today. There are no king's in America and we all have a responsibility to see to it that we never do.  If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 American @gmail.com.
Thanks, Armchair American  Donald Trump has been obsessed with tariffs for decades and would love to take our economy back to the 19th century when a large part of the federal government’s revenue came from tariffs on imported goods. Even though the U.S. is the wealthiest country, he is convinced that the rest of the world has been “ripping us off for years” and it’s time for that to change. His solution is to impose a minimum 10% tariff on all imported goods. Of course, the economic benefits to our country will only work if our trading partners cave in to Trump’s demands and don’t impose retaliatory tariffs of their own. Most economists, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and JPMorgan Chase (the country’s largest bank) all agree that tariffs are inflationary and will increase the odds of a recession. Trump is taking a huge gamble with our economy, the financial well-being of Americans, and the global trading system that the U.S. has prospered under for decades. To justify his unprecedented tariff polices Trump has declared a national emergency to strengthen the international economic position of the United States. This explanation is weak at best considering that Trump inherited an historically strong economy by most measures.  Here's What the White House is Saying: This was posted by the White House on April 3, 2025. What is Liberation Day and how does it affect me? President Donald J. Trump has declared a national emergency to tackle unfair trade practices and restore economic sovereignty. Through reciprocal tariffs, he aims to protect U.S. industries, re-shore manufacturing, and strengthen national security. These measures address trade imbalances, reduce dependence on foreign supply chains, and promote "Made in America" to drive economic growth and safeguard American prosperity. Read the Executive Order What are the current problems with trade?
What does the Executive Order address?
How does the Executive Order impact me?
How much are other countries being charged? View Tariffs to Other Countries Here ✅ FACT SHEET President Donald J. Trump Declares National Emergency to Increase our Competitive Edge, Protect our Sovereignty, and Strengthen our National and Economic Security PURSUING RECIPROCITY TO REBUILD THE ECONOMY AND RESTORE NATIONAL AND ECONOMIC SECURITY: Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that foreign trade and economic practices have created a national emergency, and his order imposes responsive tariffs to strengthen the international economic position of the United States and protect American workers. · Large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits have led to the hollowing out of our manufacturing base; resulted in a lack of incentive to increase advanced domestic manufacturing capacity; undermined critical supply chains; and rendered our defense-industrial base dependent on foreign adversaries. · President Trump is invoking his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to address the national emergency posed by the large and persistent trade deficit that is driven by the absence of reciprocity in our trade relationships and other harmful policies like currency manipulation and exorbitant value-added taxes (VAT) perpetuated by other countries. Continue Reading  What Does Trump Really Want to Accomplish with Tariffs: It seems that even the Trump Administration is confused about what it is attempting to accomplish with its tariff policies. Are the tariffs part of a negotiating tactic which will be temporary in order for Trump to extract some unknown concessions from trading partners? Or are the tariffs meant to raise revenues and bring back U.S. manufacturing, which would suggest that they are permanent? This uncertainty further erodes confidence that the U.S. is a reliable trading partner and continues to throw financial markets around the world into turmoil. During his campaign Trump promised to impose tariffs on foreign goods once he regained the White House. But he is after much more than just fulfilling a campaign promise. Here are perhaps some of his motivations:
 What Trump Doesn't Seem to Understand: The imposition of broad import tariffs has been tried before and has been a colossal failure. Families and the overall economy will suffer because tariffs are a tax on the U.S. consumer. The producer and foreign country from which the product is shipped don’t pay the tariff. It is the importer or buyer within our country that pays the tariff, and to recoup the cost of the tariff they must increase prices to the end user. The whole point of tariffs is to make the price of U.S. produced goods more competitive with foreign made goods. Without the foreign competition, prices on U.S. products will tend to increase. Coupled with higher priced foreign goods inflation will increase, the very thing Trump campaigned against. Trump considers all trade deficits with foreign countries to be bad, but in many cases they are beneficial. It doesn’t benefit our country to produce low value items that require high labor inputs. Should the U.S. be producing every stitch of clothing we require, and every widget and gadget sold in Walmart and on Amazon? This would be a very inefficient use of our capital and labor. We don’t need low wage factory jobs in this country, not to mention the fact that we don’t have the labor required. Let Vietnam, China and other countries with cheap labor produce the low tech, low margin products so that we can focus on high end manufacturing, design and technology. Our country’s manufacturing base should focus on 21st century technologies such as advanced computer chips, AI, robotics, advanced health care, biotechnologies, aerospace and other industries vital to our safety and security. We can’t and shouldn’t produce everything that our consumer-driven economy demands. It simply doesn’t make sense to expect a poorer nation to purchase as much from our country as we do from theirs. Trump falsely labels all trade deficits as economic disadvantages. But consider this; If I pay a landscaper $500 to do some yard work for me, I have a $500 trade deficit in relation to him. I have given the landscaper $500 to render a service, but that does not put me at an economic disadvantage, I have gained a valuable service. The same goes for a foreign purchase that I make on vacation for an item only produced in that country. I am at a trade deficit with that foreign merchant because he hasn’t purchased an equivalent amount of goods or services from me. That doesn’t mean that the merchant took advantage of me, I entered into the transaction freely. It would take many years and billions of dollars to build the factories to restore the manufacturing sector as envisioned by Trump. Long term planning and investment requires a clear vision of the economic and political realities of today, tomorrow, and years into the future. Under Trump there is a no clear policy direction, precluding any levelheaded business executive from investing in this uncertain business climate. Trust is at the center of a successful trading partnership. The uncertainty of Trump’s messaging on tariffs has frayed relations with all our trading partners around the world. Hopefully the damage isn’t permanent.  Finally, Some Congressional Pushback on Trump’s Tariff Policies: Last week Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, introduced a bill that would reassert Congress’ Constitutional authority and restrict the president’s power to levy tariffs. The legislation, called the Trade Review Act of 2025, would require the president to notify Congress of new tariffs within 48 hours of imposition, his reasons and the impact on consumers and businesses. Then Congress would have 60 days to approve it. If it does not, the tariffs would expire after that period. As spelled out in Article 1 of the Constitution, the Congress has the authority to levy taxes on imported goods. It is about time the U.S. Congress starts acting like a co-equal branch of government and stand up to the damaging policies of the Trump Administration.  It is my hope that foreign governments across the globe don’t cave in to the coercive demands of Donald Trump. Economic blackmail is not an effective trade policy. Trump’s bullying tactics are destroying decades of goodwill, strategic alliances and global security. If Trump’s tariff policies are allowed to take hold, I fear that lasting damage will be done to America’s standing in the world as a force for good. Donald Trump inherited an historically strong economy, but he seems intent on destroying it. He now owns the economy, and we will all live with the consequences.  Updated 4/9/2025: Today Trump capitulated to market pressures (or perhaps he read my blog) and put a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariff policy. He is keeping in place a 10% tariff for most countries, but is escalating the trade war with China, announcing that tariffs will be increased to 125%. Some in the White House are trying to spin the tariff pause as part of the strategy. This is pure nonsense. Many sources, including Fox News, are reporting that Trump’s tariff pause was due to the steep sell off of U.S. Treasury bonds and the low demand for recently issue Treasuries. If the sell-off was not stopped, long term interest rates would spike, hurting borrowing costs for consumers and businesses and making the cost of funding the government’s deficit spending much more expensive. This 90-day pause does nothing to stop the uncertainty of Trump's tariff policies, and the markets will continue to be jittery until some clarity and sanity is brought into the process. If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 American @gmail.com. Thanks, Armchair American   We are on the eve of President Trump's historic “liberation day” for the implementation of tariffs. I know that his favorite word is "tariffs", but I wish that someone would read to him Ronald Reagan's speech to the nation on April 25, 1987. Reagan knew the true cost of tariffs and the damage they could do to the economy and the livelihoods of Americans.  Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade April 25, 1987 "My fellow Americans: Prime Minister Nakasone of Japan will be visiting me here at the White House next week. It's an important visit, because while I expect to take up our relations with our good friend Japan, which overall remain excellent, recent disagreements between our two countries on the issue of trade will also be high on our agenda. As perhaps you've heard, last week I placed new duties on some Japanese products in response to Japan's inability to enforce their trade agreement with us on electronic devices called semiconductors. Now, imposing such tariffs or trade barriers and restrictions of any kind are steps that I am loath to take. And in a moment I'll mention the sound economic reasons for this: that over the long run such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer. But the Japanese semiconductors were a special case. We had clear evidence that Japanese companies were engaging in unfair trade practices that violated an agreement between Japan and the United States. We expect our trading partners to live up to their agreements. As I've often said: Our commitment to free trade is also a commitment to fair trade. But you know, in imposing these tariffs we were just trying to deal with a particular problem, not begin a trade war. So, next week I'll be giving Prime Minister Nakasone this same message: We want to continue to work cooperatively on trade problems and want very much to lift these trade restrictions as soon as evidence permits. We want to do this, because we feel both Japan and the United States have an obligation to promote the prosperity and economic development that only free trade can bring. Now, that message of free trade is one I conveyed to Canada's leaders a few weeks ago, and it was warmly received there. Indeed, throughout the world there's a growing realization that the way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition. Now, there are sound historical reasons for this. For those of us who lived through the Great Depression, the memory of the suffering it caused is deep and searing. And today many economic analysts and historians argue that high tariff legislation passed back in that period called the Smoot-Hawley tariff greatly deepened the depression and prevented economic recovery. You see, at first, when someone says, ``Let's impose tariffs on foreign imports,'' it looks like they're doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while it works -- but only for a short time. What eventually occurs is: First, homegrown industries start relying on government protection in the form of high tariffs. They stop competing and stop making the innovative management and technological changes they need to succeed in world markets. And then, while all this is going on, something even worse occurs. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. The result is more and more tariffs, higher and higher trade barriers, and less and less competition. So, soon, because of the prices made artificially high by tariffs that subsidize inefficiency and poor management, people stop buying. Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs. The memory of all this occurring back in the thirties made me determined when I came to Washington to spare the American people the protectionist legislation that destroys prosperity. Now, it hasn't always been easy. There are those in this Congress, just as there were back in the thirties, who want to go for the quick political advantage, who will risk America's prosperity for the sake of a short-term appeal to some special interest group, who forget that more than 5 million American jobs are directly tied to the foreign export business and additional millions are tied to imports. Well, I've never forgotten those jobs. And on trade issues, by and large, we've done well. In certain select cases, like the Japanese semiconductors, we've taken steps to stop unfair practices against American products, but we've still maintained our basic, long-term commitment to free trade and economic growth. So, with my meeting with Prime Minister Nakasone and the Venice economic summit coming up, it's terribly important not to restrict a President's options in such trade dealings with foreign governments. Unfortunately, some in the Congress are trying to do exactly that. I'll keep you informed on this dangerous legislation, because it's just another form of protectionism and I may need your help to stop it. Remember, America's jobs and growth are at stake. Until next week, thanks for listening, and God bless you". Here is a link to the radio address.  Congratulations Mr. President, your “Liberation Day” for America was a big flop. Stock markets are crashing around the world and stock futures in this country are predicting a bloodbath in the markets on Thursday. The world is in a full-fledge trade war, and you are responsible.
You have apparently forgotten the lessons of the Great Depression when restrictive tariffs were implemented by our government. The result was a deeper and more prolonged economic depression. You want the American people to be patient, promising that manufacturers will come back to the U.S. and flood the economy with cash. That is a pipe dream. It takes years for companies to overhaul business plans, build factories, and develop new supply chains. In the meantime, investment portfolios of ordinary Americans have taken a big hit, upending the retirement plans of millions. Consumer confidence has plunged, resulting in declining spending and slowing economic activity. Your economic advisors should all be fired and you need to admit that your tariff plans are a failure. Please be honest for once with the American people. If you enjoy reading this type of commentary, please subscribe to my blog and tell a friend. You will receive an email notification when new blogs are posted. The email will come from the site’s email: armchairamerican1776 American @gmail.com. Thanks, Armchair American |
AuthorThe Armchair American. 
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