Fox News viewers turn on Donald Trump as he's accused of lying
Story by Connor McCrory
• 9h •
President Donald Trump warned that reversing his tariff policies would severely damage the U.S. economy, claiming the country would owe "trillions of dollars" in refunds.
The interview, taped from the White House briefing room during a live appearance on Fox News, triggered immediate criticism online, with users accusing him of misrepresenting trade economics.
Asked whether he planned to introduce new tariffs, Trump responded, "I'm going to hope that we win. I can't imagine that anybody would do that kind of devastation to our country. You know, we'd have to pay back trillions of dollars." The news came as health fears spiked for the President after a deeply worrying TV appearance.
He continued, "We've taken in trillions. We haven't taken in billions. We've taken in trillions of dollars. We've made trade deals based on that that give us, as an example, the European Union, $950 billion."
"Japan, $650 billion. South Korea, $350 billion. Without this, we're not talking about that kind of money, and they're OK. They're satisfied."
"They love us. I just left. They all love us, so it's not like we're such bad people, but they were doing it to us until I came along."
Critics pointed out that tariffs are paid by U.S. importers, not foreign governments, and the costs are often passed on to consumers.
"The numbers Trump is tossing around are wildly misleading," wrote one user.
A second user wrote, "Yes I'm sure U.S. consumers (the ones paying the tariffs) would be devastated to receive their money that TRUMP STOLE... back."
"National debt and trade balances aren't a simple tally of incoming and outgoing funds, and framing it like a personal victory ignores the complexity of global economics," another added.
A fourth penned, "So he's 'taking in trillions' from other countries and then companies pass those costs on to the American people while the government is cutting or denying benefits to ordinary Americans and giving enormous tax breaks to billionaires? What a racket."
"Literally NONE of that is true," wrote another. "Either he's a horrific liar, he has dementia, or both." |
