{"id":22413,"date":"2026-02-20T20:37:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T01:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/?p=22413"},"modified":"2026-02-20T21:05:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T02:05:32","slug":"trump-tariff-meltdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2026\/02\/20\/trump-tariff-meltdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Tariff Meltdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl\">\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl\" dir=\"auto\">\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl\" data-ad-rendering-role=\"story_message\">\n<div class=\"x1l90r2v x1iorvi4 x1g0dm76 xpdmqnj\" data-ad-comet-preview=\"message\" data-ad-preview=\"message\">\n<div class=\"x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u\">\n<div class=\"xu06os2 x1ok221b\">\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl\">\n<div class=\"xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">In a press conference today, Trump proclaimed: &#8220;I can destroy the [foreign] country.&#8221; Trump was outraged that the Supreme Court struck down his primary tariff scheme as an illegal abuse of power. Vice President Vance condemned the &#8220;lawlessness&#8221; of the decision &#8211; as if any limit on Trump&#8217;s dictatorial power over imports was lawless. How did economic policy get so deranged? Here are some of my potshots at tariffs over the years, spurred in part by my 1991 book, <a href=\"_wp_link_placeholder\" data-wplink-edit=\"true\"><strong>The Fair Trade Fraud<\/strong><\/a> (St. Martin&#8217;s Press).\u00a0 The tweet from the White House on &#8220;Keep Calm&#8221; spurred this blog post.\u00a0<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPB-FTF-cover-and-White-House-Tariff-on.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"597\" src=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPB-FTF-cover-and-White-House-Tariff-on-1024x597.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPB-FTF-cover-and-White-House-Tariff-on-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPB-FTF-cover-and-White-House-Tariff-on-800x467.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPB-FTF-cover-and-White-House-Tariff-on-150x88.jpg 150w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPB-FTF-cover-and-White-House-Tariff-on-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPB-FTF-cover-and-White-House-Tariff-on.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Vice President Vance defines &quot;lawlessness&quot; as any limit on President Trump&#39;s dictatorial power over imports. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1QPUrf42V3\">https:\/\/t.co\/1QPUrf42V3<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/2024940059921719356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Good point. I think the indignation is more intense now but not as pervasive, at least on tariffs. Trump&#39;s wacky claims on tariffs &amp; claims that he was &#39;never friends&#39; with Epstein make it more difficult to blindly worship him.<\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/2024962321538331028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Press Conference on Supreme Court tariff smackdown &#8211; Trump says he is worried about \u201cforeign interests\u201d \u201creal slimeballs\u201d having too much influence on the U.S. government.<\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/2024921463753453829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump&#39;s &quot;Liberation Day&quot; doesn&#39;t work if Americans discover how much of their money is being &quot;liberated&quot; by Trump&#39;s high tariffs. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JpN3rSiiof\">pic.twitter.com\/JpN3rSiiof<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1917251189810307378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 29, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump bragged that his new U.S. tariff regime is a glorious success because &quot;these countries are calling us up, kissing my *ss.&quot; But U.S. &quot;fair trade&quot; complaints against Vietnam show the absurdity of the Trump crusade. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aAii2Jo0yx\">pic.twitter.com\/aAii2Jo0yx<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1910497709674340577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My 1993 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@nytimes<\/a> tariff bash: &quot;For members of Congress, a trade barrier is a real golden goose. The politicians are rewarded for putting up the barrier, and then rewarded again each year for not taking it down. The more uncompetitive the industry, the bigger the political\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3HQIwQDgR1\">pic.twitter.com\/3HQIwQDgR1<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1924570456784318845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 19, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump talks like if he deserves a Nobel Prize for Economic Triumphs. But his tariffs &amp; other policies are spurring inflation that is punishing average Americans and making their lives feel Bidenesque. my <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nypost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@nypost<\/a> oped <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Jp4hibpgiQ\">pic.twitter.com\/Jp4hibpgiQ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/2017950174140657856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 1, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In Iowa, Trump bragged about his high tariffs like they were holy water he splashed across the nation. But tariffs are costing Iowa importers (including farmers) almost $100 million a month, a 304% increase since Trump took office. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lxo8a0VSi5\">https:\/\/t.co\/lxo8a0VSi5<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/2018050383906574777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 1, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump is practically claiming boundless power over Americans who seek to purchase any product from abroad.  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YNEZpRN5uR\">https:\/\/t.co\/YNEZpRN5uR<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1943725073715605635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 11, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In The Fair Trade Fraud (1991), I wrote: &quot;The U.S. tariff code looks like a variable value-added tax  that was concocted in an lunatic asylum.&quot;<br>Same is true of the Trump super-tariffs announced today except they look even more arbitrary. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sxrb1bTG9b\">pic.twitter.com\/sxrb1bTG9b<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1907567002857644135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 2, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Maybe one of the champions of Trump&#39;s Super-Tariffs should revive a cookbook from East Germany, where cabbage and potatoes were plentiful and trade was scarce <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EoC5lkZ0xn\">pic.twitter.com\/EoC5lkZ0xn<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1909619749018890366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 8, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There is no reason to presume that Trump\u2019s tariff policy is more prudent than it is honest. The concoctions used to fabricate \u201creciprocal tariff levels\u201d are on par with the nonsensical assumptions about the benefits of torpedoing trade. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ccAbGFLIEm\">pic.twitter.com\/ccAbGFLIEm<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1907838281938571731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 3, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">President Trump came up with one of the wackiest definitions of fair trade ever devised to set tariffs.  Via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@nytimes<\/a> tonight -o <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TigXOaqS8u\">pic.twitter.com\/TigXOaqS8u<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1907615863550664883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 3, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump will hit Vietnamese exports with a 46% tariff because, among other crimes, Vietnam blocks the sale of used lawnmowers from America.  First time used lawnmowers are a MAGA rallying cry  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GzaS5JpczK\">https:\/\/t.co\/GzaS5JpczK<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1910417959136211264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 10, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump&#39;s trade war is deranged. Basing penalty tariffs on trade flow data is like a federal judge sentencing a criminal based on the weight of the defendant, not on the actual offense he committed.  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GzaS5JpKpi\">https:\/\/t.co\/GzaS5JpKpi<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1910417355026686207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 10, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Any price hikes due to Trump&#39;s tariffs should be considered &quot;Presidential Ass-Kissing Surtaxes.&quot; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3SZHYqbPEm\">https:\/\/t.co\/3SZHYqbPEm<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1910004678328221812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 9, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tariff-classification disputes expose the hypocrisy of \u201cfree-trade agreements\u201d like NAFTA that stretch for a thousand pages and include endless legal hair-splitting. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/u72yFu8LpL\">https:\/\/t.co\/u72yFu8LpL<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1858985521688834441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 19, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Greatest Tariff Speech in Congressional History<br>by Jim Bovard | Nov 19, 2024 <br>Donald Trump is bringing his idolatry of high tariffs  back to the White House. Trump proclaims that \u201ctariffs are the  greatest!\u201d and that \u201ctariff\u201d is \u201cthe most beautiful word in the  dictionary.\u201d\u2026<\/p>&mdash; James Bovard (@JimBovard) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\/status\/1858924216739131490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 19, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a press conference today, Trump proclaimed: &#8220;I can destroy the [foreign] country.&#8221; Trump was outraged that the Supreme Court struck down his primary tariff scheme as an illegal abuse of power. Vice President Vance condemned the &#8220;lawlessness&#8221; of the decision &#8211; as if any limit on Trump&#8217;s dictatorial power over imports was lawless. How [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4779,494,24,443,708],"class_list":["post-22413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-destroy","tag-protectionism","tag-supreme-court","tag-tariffs","tag-trump"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trump Tariff Meltdown - James Bovard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2026\/02\/20\/trump-tariff-meltdown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump Tariff Meltdown - James Bovard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a press conference today, Trump proclaimed: &#8220;I can destroy the [foreign] country.&#8221; Trump was outraged that the Supreme Court struck down his primary tariff scheme as an illegal abuse of power. Vice President Vance condemned the &#8220;lawlessness&#8221; of the decision &#8211; as if any limit on Trump&#8217;s dictatorial power over imports was lawless. How [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2026\/02\/20\/trump-tariff-meltdown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"James Bovard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jim.bovard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-21T01:37:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-21T02:05:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JPB-FTF-cover-and-White-House-Tariff-on.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jim\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jimbovard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jim\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/20\\\/trump-tariff-meltdown\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/20\\\/trump-tariff-meltdown\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jim\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/79550830ad81c14be529a2c37469974f\"},\"headline\":\"Trump Tariff Meltdown\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-21T01:37:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-21T02:05:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/20\\\/trump-tariff-meltdown\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":193,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/20\\\/trump-tariff-meltdown\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/JPB-FTF-cover-and-White-House-Tariff-on.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"destroy\",\"protectionism\",\"Supreme Court\",\"tariffs\",\"Trump\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/20\\\/trump-tariff-meltdown\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/20\\\/trump-tariff-meltdown\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/20\\\/trump-tariff-meltdown\\\/\",\"name\":\"Trump Tariff Meltdown - 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The Wall Street Journal called Bovard \"the roving inspector general of the modern state\" and Washington Post columnist George Will called him a \"one-man truth squad.\" His 1994 book, Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty, received the Free Press Association\u2019s Mencken Award as Book of the Year. His Terrorism &amp; Tyranny won the Lysander Spooner \"Best Book on Liberty in 2003\" award. He received the Thomas Szasz Award for Civil Liberties work, awarded by the Center for Independent Thought and the Freedom Fund Award from the Firearms Civil Rights Defense Fund of the National Rifle Association. 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