Most Tariffs Paused for 90 Days: My Take on What’s Happening

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So I woke up this morning—April 9, 2025, if you’re keeping track—and saw this wild headline: Trump’s hitting pause on most of those big tariffs he rolled out last week. Ninety days, just like that. Except for China, where he’s cranking it up to 125%. I mean, what’s even going on? I had to dig into this because it’s been a rollercoaster, and I figured I’d share what I found.


How We Got Here

Last week was nuts. Trump came out swinging with these “reciprocal” tariffs—10% on everything coming into the U.S., plus extra on top for certain countries, some as high as 50%. He called it “Liberation Day” for American workers, but the stock market? Total meltdown. Trillions gone in days. My buddy who’s into trading was texting me nonstop about how his portfolio was tanking. Then yesterday, the Dow flipped positive out of nowhere—turns out people were whispering about a pause. And boom, today Trump confirmed it on Truth Social. Most tariffs are back to just 10%, China’s getting slammed, and we’ve got 90 days to see what’s next.


Why’d He Back Off?

I’m no insider, but I’ve got some guesses. First, the markets freaked out so bad it probably scared even Trump. The S&P crashed hard, then shot up 9.5% today—craziest day since 2008, they’re saying. My guess is he didn’t want to be the guy who tanked the economy right after winning the election. Plus, I read that over 75 countries started calling up the U.S., begging to talk trade. Trump’s like, “Don’t retaliate, or I’ll double it,” so maybe this pause is his way of giving them a chance to play nice. Oh, and Bill Ackman—this billionaire Trump fan—kept saying we’d hit an “economic nuclear winter” without a break. Maybe that got through.


What’s Still Going On

So here’s the deal: most countries are off the hook for those insane extra tariffs, but the 10% base rate’s still there for almost everyone. Mexico and Canada get a pass because of old trade deals, I think. China, though? 125%. They hit us with 84% tariffs, so Trump’s hitting back harder. Everything else—like lumber or drugs—seems to be sticking where it was, too. It’s not a full reset, just a breather.


What It Means for Us

I’m honestly relieved. My Amazon cart’s full of stuff from places like Vietnam, and I was dreading those 46% tariffs jacking up prices. Today, stocks tied to those countries popped off—Malaysia’s market jumped over 4%, which is huge. But that 10% tariff’s still gonna sting a bit at the store, you know? And China getting hammered means my next phone might cost a fortune if it’s made there. On the flip side, this 90-day thing could mean some cool trade deals. Trump says he’s jumping into the talks himself, which could be wild—imagine him negotiating with, like, Denmark over butter or something.


Where’s This Heading?

I don’t know about you, but I feel like this is just a timeout, not the endgame. Three months from now—July 8—we might be right back in tariff chaos if these talks flop. Or maybe we’ll get some slick new deals and everyone calms down. China’s the big wildcard; that 125% feels personal. For now, I’m just glad the markets aren’t imploding anymore. My buddy’s already celebrating his portfolio’s comeback.

What do you think? Is this pause gonna fix anything, or are we just kicking the can down the road? Hit me up with your take—I’m curious!

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