The Wall Street Journal delivered a sharp critique of President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policy, cautioning that American consumers are now bearing the brunt of a “triple whammy” under his tariff strategy.
In an editorial titled “Trump’s Exceptional Tariff Weekend,” published on Sunday, the paper’s conservative editorial board described the past weekend as chaotic and confusing, highlighting what they called the “arbitrary nature of Trump trade policy.”
The confusion began when the administration announced a temporary exemption on tariffs for imported electronics like smartphones and laptops.
Soon after, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that those tariffs would increase again shortly.
Then, on Sunday, Trump posted on social media that “NOBODY is getting ‘off the hook,’” contradicting both previous statements.
“So what happened, and what’s the real policy? Who knows?” the editorial board wrote.
The piece ended with a grim warning: “Welcome to the new tariff economy—where you’re hit with heavy taxes, stifling regulations, and now the added uncertainty of unpredictable, politically driven tariffs.”