Rotary phones with a chart showing the stock market dip

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Callers to conservative radio shows voice their displeasure with Trump’s tariffs

Caller: “To me, this is just reckless, and I'm so angry. I'll be darned if I'll vote for another Republican again.”

Written by Gideon Taaffe

Published

Conservative radio listeners have been vocal about their displeasure as President Donald Trump’s tariffs created economic uncertainty and sent stock markets plunging. 

Though many right-wing media figures have dismissed the stock market volatility and praised Trump’s tariff policy, some listeners of right-wing radio shows were displeased, calling in to pronounce it “reckless,” “sloppy,” and “the single biggest, dumbest move in political history.” 

Callers have previously complained about Trump’s gutting of federal programs and jobs, comments about Ukraine, approach to birthright citizenship, attacks on Canada, and comments about Gaza, among other topics.

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  • Right-wing media have fervently supported Trump’s tariffs despite financial turmoil

    • Ahead of the tariff announcement, Fox News promoted Trump’s so-called  “Liberation Day,” when his April 2 tariffs would be rolled out. Meanwhile, economists warned that the Trump tariffs would be “the largest peacetime tax increase” in American history “outside of World War II” and could devastate the economy. [Media Matters, 4/1/25]
    • Right-wing media hosts claimed Trump’s tariffs would bring a “golden age” as the stock market plunged after “Liberation Day.” Right-wing media figures claimed that Americans should embrace “short-term pain” for long-term gains, that tariffs will bolster the U.S. economy and raise revenue, or that the tariffs are just a “negotiation weapon.” [Media Matters, 4/4/25]
    • Right-wing media celebrated Trump's supposed “3D chess move” after he announced a 90-day “pause” of some tariffs. They called his shifts the “Art of the Deal” and mocked the “stupid people” who deny that “this was the [Trump’s] plan all along.” [Media Matters, 4/10/25]

  • Callers to conservative radio shows have expressed anger and confusion about the Trump tariffs

    • A caller to The Erick Erickson Show called Trump’s tariff plan “reckless,” saying they are “just furious” and adding, “Now I have to work until I’m 80 years old. My retirement plans are all screwed up by this guy.” They also said, “For a guy who supposedly went to Wharton for business school, he must have been absent on the day that they discussed trade deficits and surpluses. … To me, this is just reckless, and I'm so angry. I'll be darned if I'll vote for another Republican again.” They added, “It can take years to recover from something like that. These guys have a lot of money, so it's not that big of a hit for them. But for a lot of the little people like me, … I’m worried whether my job will stay. I am just furious that they are basically toying around with the economy.” [Westwood One, The Erick Erickson Show, 4/7/25]
    • Another caller to Erickson’s show said the tariffs will cause “a lot of collateral damage.” The caller added, “There’s a lot of collateral damage out there now, in terms of just, can other countries trust us — you know, trust what we say is we're going to follow through on it. I mean, I just -- that really bothers me, that there's — there just seems to be no stability there.” [Westwood One, The Erick Erickson Show, 4/11/25]
    • Another listener also called into Erickson’s show asking “what’s the point of the tariff” on goods we do not and cannot produce in America. They said: “This is on tariffs. If you have something that's actually needed here, not some junky trinketty thing that probably could be done here but not as cheaply, and we don't make -- can't make it or can't grow it, what's the point of the tariffs?” [Westwood One, The Erick Erickson Show, 4/11/25]
    • An Infowars caller complained, “The tariffs can only hurt the American people, because we’re not holding any cards and we don’t produce anything.” They added, “We bring in everything into our country. So, I don’t see how tariffs can help us. I see it as more of a way for them to even scam more money, because now through all their work orders and stuff, the government, they can be – they can say that they’re paying so much more money. So, it’s just another way for them to steal more money from us.” [Infowars, The Alex Jones Show, 4/4/25]
    • A caller to The Sean Hannity Show called the way Trump implemented tariffs “sloppy” and said it’s going to impact their lifestyle. The caller said, “I have invested in the stock market pretty heavily. I live off the proceeds. That's how I've been able to afford the lifestyle that I have, which I don't go on a lot of vacations. And I have, as I mentioned, lived below my means for many, many years so that I could do this.” The caller also claimed she’s “not happy not because of the what, but the how,” later adding, “Trump has been unfortunately disingenuous.” Hannity responded by questioning the caller’s “stomach” for investing, saying, “If you don't have the stomach to be in the stock market, I would recommend when it goes back up, and it will, you probably should pull your money out.” The caller also noted that they were a Trump supporter. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Sean Hannity Show, 4/7/25]
    • A caller to The Glenn Beck Program called the tariffs “the single biggest, dumbest move in political history.” The caller added that the increase in goods will hurt people: “Young people right now can’t buy a house. My son’s got a -- he’s been — he’s an engineer. He’s been working for five years. He can’t find a house in Livonia. A 1,600-square-foot house is $340 grand. Everything that he's going to buy now is gonna go even higher, and he won’t be able to find a house. This is so dumb. And I think -- he might be as dumb as the left says; 10 bankrupt companies, all that kind of stuff. Maybe he is that dumb.” [The Blaze, The Glenn Beck Program, 4/4/25]
    • A self-identified “big Trump supporter” who “voted for him three times” called in to The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show to say, “I wasn't expecting this. It seems like he’s going to financial war with the entire world.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, 4/4/25]
    • A caller to The Larry Elder Show quipped, “It's Liberation Day. Liberation from some of our wealth, from all the taxes Trump is going to charge us with tariffs.” The caller also said, “Larry, I am just very disappointed that you are defending Trump so much. I mean, this is madness. … This is big government, central planning. That’s all protectionism. I mean, this is just insane.” He added, “Trump does not understand real-world economics like you do. … So I don’t know why you’re defending Trump so much.” [The Salem Podcast Network, The Larry Elder Show, 4/3/25]

  • Upset listeners have been calling into conservative radio show about other Trump issues in recent months

    • Conservative listeners have been calling in to right-wing radio shows complaining about the administration’s rhetoric, government cuts, and foreign policy. Prior to the tariffs taking effect, one caller to The Mark Levin Show said that every time he hears Trump mention tariffs, “I cringe.” [Media Matters, 2/26/25, 3/20/25]