[Source / Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]
On Tuesday (local time on the 29th), US President Donald Trump, who has returned to office, marked another 100 days in his administration. According to reports by CBS and other American media outlets, at a commemorative rally held in Macomb County, Michigan that day, Trump spent a full 90 minutes boasting about himself, boldly claiming that this was "the most successful first 100 days in any US government."
In his speech, when discussing what he called a "major economic victory," Trump went to great lengths to promote his global tariff policies. He repeated the old tune that imposing tariffs on US trading partners would help revive domestic manufacturing. He also vigorously defended the 145% tariff on China, packaging it as a necessary measure to curb job losses.
However, the South China Morning Post reported on the 30th that despite Trump's exaggerated claims on stage, neither the White House nor the Treasury Department subsequently released economic memorandums or commemorative statements that mentioned tariffs. Not only did they avoid mentioning the so-called "reciprocal tariffs," but there was not a single word about the outcomes of tariff negotiations.
The report noted that these documents focused their attention elsewhere, emphasizing broader economic indicators such as employment growth, attracting investment, inflation control, and regulatory cuts.
The White House official website released a 100-day economic memorandum.
According to CNN reports, standing in front of a backdrop with the slogan "Golden Age," Trump spent 90 minutes mostly talking about his supposed "achievements" in immigration and tariff policies, once claiming that he had ended inflation. He also went all out to viciously criticize former President Biden and Federal Reserve Chairman Powell, among others.
On the issue of tariffs, Trump again ignored the facts, making up rumors by claiming, "Countries including China are scrambling to seek trade agreements with the US to avoid tariffs." The Chinese side has repeatedly clarified and denied contact for negotiations between China and the US.
CBS quoted Trump shamelessly boasting, "Now we are respected all over the world, and they (countries) come from all over the world to see your president. They come from India, France, Spain. Yes, they also come from China. They come from all directions to see your president. They want to make deals."
According to Reuters, Trump also beautified the tariffs on China as a "historic move," while slandering the absurd claim that China "stole American jobs." US-China trade is mutually beneficial and win-win, but he still persists in smearing and recklessly shouting that no country has taken more American jobs than China.
Trump added that he believed a trade agreement with China was imminent. "But it will be a fair agreement," he affected a tone, saying that the tensions surrounding tariffs "do not mean that China and the US cannot get along well," and "our relationship with China is good."
On April 29th, at the regular press conference of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, spokesperson Guo Jiakun once again expressed that China has repeatedly stated that there is no winner in a tariff war or a trade war. This tariff war was initiated by the US side. If the US side wants to solve problems through dialogue, it should stop threats and pressure and conduct dialogue with China on the basis of equality, respect, and mutual benefit.
Local time on April 29th, Trump delivered a speech in Michigan for the 100-day commemoration. Video screenshot.
Trump mentioned "tariffs" three times in his speech, but the White House and US government departments seem to find the word "tariff" too sensitive, avoiding mentioning it in their 100-day achievements presentation.
According to the South China Morning Post, the White House official website published a "100-day economic memorandum" written by the White House Council of Economic Advisers on the 29th. The word "reciprocal tariff" was not mentioned throughout the document, and even the word "tariff" itself was absent. The memorandum focused on job and inflation data statistics, comparing and criticizing relevant data from the Biden administration's last two years in office.
This memorandum claimed that since Trump took office in January this year, the US has added a total of 345,000 new jobs, with 9,000 jobs in manufacturing, and more than 54% of the new jobs coming from the private sector. The document emphasized that compared to the last two years of the Biden administration, this was undoubtedly a "significant improvement," as three-quarters of the new jobs during that period were concentrated in government or related departments.
However, the data in this memorandum has been questioned by many parties. The article claimed to have cut 15,000 federal government positions, but an earlier analysis report from CNN stated that Trump's administration's actions to reduce the scale of federal departments actually affected nearly 121,000 staff members.
Similarly, on the same day, the Treasury Department released a press release outlining the achievements of Trump's administration over its first 100 days. The mention of "tariffs" was minimal, appearing only three times in a quote from Treasury Secretary Beston's statement and once in reference to Beston's speech on the role of tariffs in March.
Just like the White House memorandum, this press release also avoided mentioning the situation of "reciprocal tariffs" and described content such as relaxing regulations, creating jobs, and reducing federal positions more briefly when emphasizing these aspects.
While these official documents downplayed tariffs, earlier in the morning, Treasury Secretary Beston and White House Press Secretary Laivett, when attending a news briefing together, both tried hard to promote the supposed influence and effectiveness of Trump's tariff policy internationally.
Laivett praised that Trump's "strong tariff policy" successfully put an end to America's "economic surrender era." She also claimed that "more than 100 countries have actively sought dialogue with the US, hoping to provide better conditions for the US and its people."
However, when asked why Trump's statements on trade negotiations conflicted with those of China, Beston chose to evade the question.
As Laivett lavishly praised the government's achievements, Trump's approval rating hit a historical low. A recent poll by CNN on the 27th showed that his approval rating was only 41%, the lowest among all US presidents within 70 years since Eisenhower's term. It was even lower than Trump's approval rating at the same time during his first term.
A joint poll by Reuters and Ipsos also showed that Americans do not approve of Trump's economic ideas, with 53% of respondents holding negative views.
In terms of economic management ability, Trump's approval rating fell into a trough, with only 36% support, setting the worst performance of his two terms.
This article is an exclusive contribution from the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7499007123443958310/
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