Summary
Donald Trump abruptly reversed his tariff policy Wednesday, announcing a return to a 10% baseline tariff on most countries and a steep 125% rate on China.
His administration appeared blindsided, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unable to explain the move and press secretary Karoline Leavitt resorting to combative rhetoric.
The shift likely responds to mounting criticism from conservative allies and market instability marked by a debt sell-off.
Despite confusion and lack of clarity, officials tried to play up Trump’s unpredictability as strategic leverage rather than a sign of disarray.
They aren’t really “struggling to explain it”, so much as “struggling to explain it, in a way that doesn’t imply market manipulation and insider trading”. Because that IS the only rational explanation for what he’s doing.