President Donald Trump unloaded on MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle this week after she suggested his tariff policies were collapsing under pressure, leaving him “backed into a corner” and scrambling to avoid a supply chain crisis.
Ruhle, speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, warned that Trump’s broad-based tariffs could soon cause a “COVID-like supply chain crisis” if ships stop arriving at U.S. ports. She claimed Trump’s recent U.K. deal was just a face-saving maneuver. “Unless he turns this around, three weeks from now… we’re going to have a COVID-like supply chain crisis, and Trump is looking for an exit,” Ruhle warned.
The president hit back hard on Truth Social.
“I just watched an exhausted, highly neurotic Stephanie Ruhle spew LIES about Tariffs,” Trump wrote. “Few people know Stephanie Ruhle, but I do, and she doesn’t have what it takes.”
He called her analysis not only dishonest, but also foolish, suggesting she lacked the intelligence to understand his tariff strategy. “Stephanie was never known as a ‘High IQ’ person,” he added.
Trump also defended the U.S.-U.K. trade deal, which reduces tariffs on key imports like steel, aluminum, and cars, while maintaining a baseline 10% rate on other goods. He cited a $10 billion Boeing order from British Airways as proof the deal was already generating value.
“Our Deal with the United Kingdom yesterday was AMAZING for both Countries,” Trump declared. “We’re going to make a fortune with Tariffs, only smart people understand that.”
But Trump’s ire didn’t stop with Ruhle. He accused MSNBC—mockingly called “MSDNC”—of functioning as a Democratic Party propaganda outlet and argued it should face tax penalties for what he claimed was de facto political advocacy.
“MSDNC has become the Voice of the Democrat Party, and they should be treated as a Political Advocate with all of the Taxes and Penalties therefrom,” Trump said, also targeting Comcast CEO Brian Roberts for allegedly allowing partisan bias to run unchecked at the network.
A Tariff Strategy Under Fire — or Just Getting Started?
Trump’s tariff-first trade agenda has drawn sharp reactions from both sides of the aisle. Supporters argue it creates leverage for better deals, raises revenue, and encourages domestic manufacturing. Critics, including Ruhle, claim it disrupts global trade, raises prices, and risks triggering a recession.
Trump, however, appears undeterred. He’s already negotiated the first round of tariff reductions with the U.K., and his administration insists more deals are on the way—including with Germany, Japan, and possibly even China, where a temporary 90-day truce just cooled tensions after a brutal tariff escalation last month.
At the center of the political storm is whether Trump’s blunt economic pressure tactics will hurt his poll numbers or deliver the “Made in America” results his supporters expect. For now, the president seems to be betting on the latter—and warning his critics to get out of the way.
