Trump effed around, American consumers will find out

A President elected partly because of "inflation" is about to make everything more expensive.

Donald Trump’s potentially devastating 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico was supposed to be implemented on Inauguration Day.

Then they were supposed to be implemented on February 1.

According to a Reuters report which came out literally while I was writing this post, the tariff bomb is expected to fall on March 1:

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce new tariffs against Canada and Mexico that will begin on March 1, but will include a process for the countries to seek specific exemptions for certain imports, three people familiar with the planning told Reuters.

The tariff situation remained fluid on Friday and no decision is final until Trump makes a public announcement.

The sources, who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said they did not have details on a final tariff rate, but noted Trump has consistently said that he plans to impose a 25% tariff on imports from the two countries on Saturday.

Separately, an administration official said Trump on Friday was reviewing tariff plans, which may allow for some exemptions. Still, any exemptions would be "few and far between," the official said.

By the time you read this, the deadline may have changed yet again. Or maybe Trump will have said “screw it” and implemented the tariffs immediately, via Truth Social.

Or maybe we’ll find some way to let Trump take a symbolic victory lap and the tariffs are shelved altogether. But most of us Canadians are acting on the assumption Trump’s mind is made up and that there’s no way to convince him it’s a bad idea based on fundamental misconceptions about how the economy works.

Oh well, good thing the political party running the federal government and the premier of Canada’s economic powerhouse province aren’t distracted with election campaigns or anything. That would be some really bad timing, amirite?