Early on the morning of April 7, President Trump decided, amid a market meltdown and the ongoing financial insecurity being felt by many Americans, to boost morale with the following uplifting post to X:
The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO. Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!). Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!
Interesting that the President would choose to use the word ‘stupid’ for which the definition is ‘having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense.’
One might say it is lacking in intelligence not to realize that the ‘something’, i.e., the tariff policy that he was referring to in this post, was already done DECADES AGO. In the 1930s, to be exact.
And how well did that work out?
As Douglas Irwin examined in his book Clashing over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy, the resulting effect of ever-growing protectionist policies in the 1930s across borders did not alleviate the economic struggles of the citizens, but in hindsight, likely led to prolonged suffering. In the aftermath of the Tariff Act, the United States experienced a significant decline in international trade, with a reduction by nearly half, which further exacerbated the severity of the Great Depression. Between 1929 and 1932, in the United States, the Depression resulted in a 30% contraction of GDP.
The reality is that people are not panicking because they are weak or stupid. Many are deeply concerned as they witness the chaos brought on by a misbegotten tariff policy that will ultimately make life more challenging and expensive for many, particularly lower-income households.
Life is already expensive for many households. Many are already precariously on the brink.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), almost 18 million U.S. households face food insecurity, which accounts for nearly 14% of all U.S. households.
The situation is even more distressing in many metropolitan centers, including, most notably, in the city that is home to Wall Street, New York City, which has experienced significant market declines over the past week.
Just last week, on April 3, the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) submitted testimony to the New York City Council Committee on General Welfare Oversight – Hunger and Food Insecurity in New York City, outlining the dire situation for millions of New Yorkers.
The organization noted that “nearly 1 in 5 Black and 1 in 7 Hispanic New Yorkers experienced food insufficiency compared with 1 in 11 white New Yorkers. Nearly a third of New Yorkers in the lowest income bracket (those with annual income of less than $25,000) experienced food insufficiency, 13 times the rate for New Yorkers in the highest income bracket (those with annual income of $100,000 or more).”
Further complicating the situation is that recent decisions by the Trump Administration have resulted in massive cuts to state and city funding for food security programs.
NYHealth explained that “recent federal cuts to the safety net make City investment all the more critical. Just last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut more than $1.6 billion in food assistance by ending the Local Food Purchase Assistance and Local Food for Schools programs—slashing $500 million from food banks and $660 million from schools.The agency also paused $500 million in funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), effectively freezing half of the program’s entire budget.In real terms, this means shipments of poultry, produce, eggs, cheese, and other essential foods destined for food banks won’t arrive. In New York City alone, 2.5 million meals are at risk.”
Maybe that is why people are panicking?
When a family is faced with rising food prices and cuts to social programs they rely on, how does the President expect them to react?
Again, it harkens back to the Great Depression in March 1930. In New York City, a group of men – a coalition of trade union leaders – wrote a letter to Mayor James J. Walker, which included perhaps one of the most profound statements about food insecurity in New York City. They wrote:
“It would be a lasting disgrace if in the richest city of the world a single, man, woman or child should go hungry.”
Perhaps the current Administration, repeating the ill-conceived policy decisions of past governments, which ultimately harm the most vulnerable in society, is weak and stupid. One would think that greatness comes from learning from past mistakes.
A lasting disgrace indeed.