Republicans try to paint Trump tariff climbdown as stroke of genius

Democrats reacted with anger and Republicans with praise after Donald Trump made a shock retreat on Wednesday, announcing a 90-day pause on the hefty tariffs he had just imposed on dozens of countries.

Trump said in an abrupt announcement on Wednesday that he would be implementing a 90-day pause on his tariff plan, and that goods entering the US from most countries would now face a 10% blanket tariff until July, except for Chinese exports, which he said would face a tariff of 125% effective immediately.

Following the announcement, global markets, which had plummeted in response to the sweeping tariffs, surged, and White House officials insisted that this was part of Trump’s plan and “strategy all along”, showcasing “the art of the deal” in action, referencing Trump’s 1987 book.

Republican lawmakers praised the decision to pause the tariffs, with the House speaker, Mike Johnson, stating on social media: “Behold the ‘Art of the Deal.’ President Trump has created leverage, brought MANY countries to the table, and will deliver for American workers, American manufacturers, and America’s future!”

The Iowa senator Chuck Grassley echoed the same sentiment, describing Trump as a “great dealmaker” after the pause was announced, adding that the president will “continue to bring fairness to US economy”.

Grassley added that the decision to implement a pause “brings more certainty” and that “things are moving”.

Before the pause was announced, a small but growing number of Republican lawmakers and Trump supporters in the business world expressed concerns about the risks of Trump’s tariff policy.

The Texas senator Ted Cruz, for example, publicly expressed his concerns over the tariffs last week and warned that the Republican party could risk a “bloodbath” in the 2026 midterm elections if the tariffs caused a recession.

On Wednesday, Cruz praised Trump’s decision to pause the tariffs, saying that he “urged President Trump to focus on two things: focus on China. Focus on reciprocity.

“He did,” Cruz said. “And today’s announcement is terrific news.”

The Kentucky senator Rand Paul, who expressed his opposition to Trump’s tariff plan, was more blunt on Wednesday, telling Politico “10% tariffs are bad, but they’re better than 60%.”

Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager and Trump supporter who advocated for Trump to pause his trade war over the weekend, reacted to the announcement saying that “this was brilliantly executed by @realDonaldTrump. Textbook, Art of the Deal.”

The benefit of Trump’s approach, Ackman claimed “is that we now understand who are our preferred trading partners, and who the problems are. China has shown themselves to be a bad actor. Our counterparties also have a taste of what life is like if they don’t take down their trade barriers. This is the perfect set-up for trade negotiations over the next 90 days.”

David Sacks, the former PayPal executive who is currently an adviser to the White House on AI and crypto, described Trump’s reversal as a win for the president.

“They did everything they could to create a panic,” Sacks wrote on X. “They predicted a Black Monday that never came. They became jubilant over an intraday correction on Tuesday. They were rooting for Trump to fail even if it meant the market and economy crashed.

“Fortunately their hopes have been dashed. Trump has been vindicated,” he added. “China is isolated, and the rest of the world is lining up to negotiate new trade deals. Do you think this would have happened if Trump had asked nicely? Maybe if he had said pretty please? Never. This was the only way to rewrite the rules of global trade. Once again, Trump was right about everything!”

Other industry leaders criticized the administration’s back-and-forth and tariff decisions.

“The effective tariff rate is actually HIGHER with the pause than it was as announced on April 2, due to the tariffs on China,” Diane Swonk, the chief economist of the professional services firm KPMG, wrote on social media. “There will be some diversion through connector countries. However, the effective tariff rate now peaks at 30.5% during the pause. That is worse than our worst case scenarios.”

Richard Branson, the British billionaire and Virgin founder, who, earlier this week, described Trump’s tariffs as a “colossal mistake”, said on Wednesday that “this was a moment for the US administration to accept their mistake and change course” adding that the “reversal is a huge relief for the whole world”.

While Republicans and White House officials praised Trump’s decisions, Democratic lawmakers such as Senator Chuck Schumer pushed back. Schumer told his supporters that “this chaos is all a game to Donald Trump”.

“He thinks he’s playing Red Light, Green Light with the economy,” Schumer said. “But it is very real for American families.”

Some Democrats have made accusations of market manipulation.

“These constant gyrations in policy provide dangerous opportunities for insider trading,” Senator Adam Schiff said. “Who in the administration knew about Trump’s latest tariff flip-flop ahead of time? Did anyone buy or sell stocks, and profit at the public’s expense? I’m writing to the White House – the public has a right to know.”

The New York representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez echoed similar concerns, urging any member of Congress who purchased stocks over the last two days to disclose that.

“I’ve been hearing some interesting chatter on the floor,” she said. “Disclosure deadline is May 15th. We’re about to learn a few things. It’s time to ban insider trading in Congress.”

The Democratic House whip, Katherine Clark, wrote: “Two hours before announcing his tariff pause, Trump told his paid Truth Social subscribers it was ‘a great time to buy’ on the stock market. Corruption is the name of their game.”

The Nevada representative Steven Horsford questioned the US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, asking the representative during a committee hearing whether the climbdown was market manipulation.

“How is this not market manipulation?” Horsford asked, to which Greer responded “No.”

“If it was always a plan, how is this not market manipulation?” Horsford asked again.

“Tariffs are a tool, they can be used in the appropriate way to protect US jobs and small businesses, but that’s not what this does,” Horsford said. “So if it’s not market manipulation, what is it? Who’s benefiting? What billionaire just got richer?”

Some Democrats also took to social media to mock the president for the turnaround.

Senator Tina Smith wrote on X: “I’m not going to cave on tariffs! But also these are a negotiation! But also these are permanent! We need these tariffs now! But also I will pause them and maybe turn them back on!”

The Hawaii senator Brian Schatz wrote in all-caps: “Our plan is working perfectly and is just a negotiating tactic but it is also going to be permanent and we will be the world leader in textiles and now there is a pause and everyone needs to chill but also we will never back down aaaaaahhhhhhh.”