By Ricardo Lezama 
Real Causes For Trump Backtracking
On April 9, 2025, Donald Trump’s dumb ass executed a familiar maneuver: suspend the heat for some political allies and his inner circle of cronies, escalate the fire on rivals. In this case, he offered a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for most countries—except China and the European Union (since they also did retaliate), which saw its tariffs leap to 125%. The move reasserts an aggressive U.S. trade posture while attempting to frame the U.S. as a benevolent hegemon to aligned nations.
The U.S. Treasury basically collapsed or buckled under the weight of the announcement, filled with contradictions and stupid assertions about people kissing Trump’s ass. Despite this grandiosity, US T bills recorded the worst bond selloff since the pandemic, with long-term yields spiking in a three-day window not seen since 2001. Bloomberg noted that risk-adjusted spreads were violently repriced, reflecting traders’ flight from risk and anticipation of deeper financial turmoil.
Collateral Damage: From Tokyo to Sydney
The bond market chaos didn’t stay confined to the U.S.
• Japan’s government bonds nosedived as global investors backed away from uncertainty.
• Australia and other Asian markets also felt the tremors.
• Even as China’s bond market showed signs of resilience, the U.S. stance signals a deepening decoupling, not just economically but ideologically.
Bloomberg flags the risk of global economic bifurcation, as the U.S. presses ahead with hardened trade lines, while China fortifies its internal economic architecture.
Users from various segments of the political spectrum have taken to platforms like Blue Sky to criticize the former president’s recent decisions, especially his retreat from imposing higher tariffs amid growing pressure.
One commenter reflected on their initial impression of Trump’s book, asserting that it painted him as “a pompous asshole”—a sentiment that has resurfaced as his economic policies are called into question. They lamented, “He is a malignant tumor that just won’t go away,” highlighting the ongoing divisiveness his presidency continues to evoke.
Further raising eyebrows was a statement from Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, who challenged the media narrative asserting that Trump had backed down. She claimed, “You clearly failed to see what President Trump is doing here,” reiterating that those who criticized him “missed the art of the deal.” Critics, however, have responded with skepticism, pointing to Trump’s decisions resulting in considerable financial setbacks for middle-class Americans, saying the supposed “art” has primarily benefited the wealthy. In a pointed remark, one critic mused, “Isn’t insider trading with a bad comb-over the very definition of Trump’s Art of the Deal?”
Trump’s supposed business acumen comes at the expense of economic stability for ordinary citizens, as retirement funds and stock market investments feel the pinch from volatile policies. I suspect the rebound hasn’t fully compensated anyone’s stock portfolio or market driven retirement fund.
The debate has intensified with references to several economic indicators. For instance, the Dow Jones has reportedly fallen by 9.5% since the beginning of the year, prompting commentary on the apparent disconnect between Trump’s bravado about his negotiation skills and the reality of the market’s performance.