Donald Trump is usually accomplishing stuff on his own. But now he needs help.
And he announced the one thing he wants Americans to do for him.
President Trump didn’t shy away from the big topic looming over his Tuesday night speech to a joint session of Congress: tariffs.
He dove right in, owning the economic ripples they’d cause and asking Americans to “bear with” him through what he called an “adjustment period.”
He laid out a bold plan, announcing a major agricultural tariff set to kick in April 2. “The tariffs will go on agricultural products coming into America and our farmers, starting on April 2,” Trump said.
“It may be a little bit of an adjustment period. We had that before, when I made the deal with China, $50 billion of purchases, and I said, ‘just bear with me.’ And they did. They did.”
He doubled down, repeating, “You probably have to bear with me again, and this will be even better.” The déjà vu nod to his China deal was a flex—proof he’s navigated choppy waters before and come out on top.
Overnight, the Trump administration unleashed a tariff blitz: a hefty 25% across-the-board hit on Mexico and Canada (with Canadian energy catching a lighter 10% rate), plus a doubled 20% tariff on China.
The move targeted all three for not stepping up enough on the fentanyl crisis—a sore spot Trump’s hammered since last November, when he first floated these punishing levies.
Originally slated for last month, Trump held off, citing headway in talks with the trio. But now, the gloves are off, impacting $1.5 trillion in yearly imports.
Predictably, all three nations fired back with retaliatory tariffs of their own.
Trump didn’t blink. “Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we tax them,” he told Congress.
“If they do non-monetary tariffs to keep us out of their market, then we do non-monetary barriers to keep them out of our market. We will take in trillions of dollars and create jobs like we have never seen before.”
It was a chest-thumping vow—tit-for-tat economics with a promise of jobs raining down.
Even amid the tariff talk, Trump pivoted to a crowd-pleaser, pledging “dramatic and immediate relief to working families” despite the short-term growing pains.
Democrats weren’t buying it—jeers erupted when he touted his economic vision, their skepticism loud and clear.
Earlier Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hinted at a possible thaw, telling reporters the president “probably” has deals brewing with Canada and Mexico, maybe as soon as Wednesday. A glimmer of diplomacy amid the tariff storm? Time will tell.
Trump’s address was a high-wire act—blunt on trade, optimistic on outcomes, and unapologetic in tone. The tariff gamble’s on, and he’s betting Americans will ride it out for a bigger win.
