Feeling like the complicated plot of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, it looks like the trade negotiations are falling apart.
The question is, who are the Jedi, and who's the shadowy Emperor Palpatine lurking in the shadows? As the stock markets continue to tumble and countries brace for massive levies on foreign imports, there was apparent 'fake news' about some last-minute talks about President Donald Trump putting a 90-day pause on his tariffs.
With Donald Trump saying he's had enough of the USA being 'pillaged' by foreign enemies and allies alike, he's added a 10% baseline tariff on all foreign imports.
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That's only the start of it for countries like China and Cambodia facing much higher, customized tariffs, while he's also taken some of his frustration out on the European Union - we guess he's taking aim at Zelensky with that one.
There are more questions than answers right now, like did the government use ChatGPT to do the math on the tariffs, and why has Trump targeted the unpopulated Heard and McDonald Islands which are some of the most remote places on Earth?
It's not just us Average Joes that are accusing the math of not mathing, with Elon Musk unusually calling out the Commander-in-Chief's working out. Having already said he'd like to see a tariff-free European Union, Musk has also mocked the fact that the tariffs will charge the penguins of Heard and McDonald.
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In the aftermath of the tariff controversy, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick addressed why the Trump administration felt the need to levy a 10% tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands when no humans live there and the main residents are various colonies of macaroni, gentoo, king, and eastern rockhopper penguins.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously mocked the situation and said: "Nowhere on Earth is safe."
Trade Minister Don Farrell then told ABC that the tariffs were "clearly a mistake" and were part of a "rushed process."
Speaking to CBS' Face the Nation, Lutnick explained that leaving anywhere on the map off the list could lead to loopholes: "If you leave anything off the list, countries that try to arbitrage America try to go through those countries to get to us.
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"The President knows that, he's tired of it, and he's going to fix that."
When someone else shared the clip, Elon Musk responded with a laughing emoji and a simple response of, "This is funny."
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Calling out the situation, someone else responded: "Even the penguins 🐧 don’t get a break, they all gotta pay 💰."
Another said: "How do you feel about so many stupid people in the administration? Regret it yet?"
A third joked: "If The Penguin is the problem, should you add Batman to DOGE?"
Musk could be getting revenge against Lutnick after Tesla stocks dipped to a worrying low. Tesla shares plunged 9.2% to $217.41, which reminds us of what Lutnick told Fox News on March 19. When Tesla closed at $235.86 back then, Lutnick told people to buy the stock because "it’ll never be this cheap again." It seems he cursed Mr. Musk.
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As for the Trumpenomics of Trump's tariffs, it seems his critics and allies alike will continue to question them.