He woke up on Friday morning at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, and headed to his nearby golf course a few miles away after writing on social media that “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET RICH.”

Several supporters stood on the sidewalk as Trump, wearing his signature red “Make America Great Again” hat and white polo shirt, glided down a street lined with palm trees.

 Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the Trump International Golf Club, Friday, April 4, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Florida (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

They waved to him and he waved back, part of a ritual that plays out every weekend that he’s in town.

The Republican president was not expected to appear publicly, although he’s scheduled to attend a candlelit dinner for MAGA Inc., an allied political organisation, on Friday evening.

He spent Thursday in Miami at a different one of his golf courses, where he attended a Saudi-funded tournament. He landed in Marine One and was picked up in a golf cart driven by his son Eric.

Trump has often proved impervious to the kind of scandals or gaffes that would damage another politician, but his decision to spend the weekend at his gilded properties could test Americans’ patience at a time when their retirement savings are evaporating along with the stock market.

 Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump arrives at the Trump International Golf Club, Friday, April 4, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Florida (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The tariffs are expected to increase prices by thousands of dollars per year and slow economic growth, and there are fears about a potential recession.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Friday that the tariffs were “significantly larger than expected” and are “highly likely” to cause more inflation — at least in the short term but possibly in the long term as well.

However, Trump has described his policies as a painful yet necessary step to encourage companies to relocate their operations to the United States, and he spent the morning defending himself on Truth Social, his social media platform, vowing he is sticking with his policies.

Although experts have harshly criticised Trump’s tariffs, he’s found some support on TikTok. He shared a video that said “Trump is crashing the stock market” and “he’s doing it on purpose” as part of a “secret game he’s playing, and it could make you rich.”

US President Donald Trump today announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs for dozens of nations in a "Liberation Day" speech at the White House.

The full list of Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

The goal, the video said, is to push the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, something that Trump explicitly called for later in the morning.

“This would be a PERFECT time” for Powell to cut interest rates, he wrote. “CUT INTEREST RATES, JEROME, AND STOP PLAYING POLITICS!”

With foreign leaders scrambling in response to Trump’s announcement this week, the president lashed out and looked to cut deals.

He said he spoke with Vietnamese leader To Lam and claimed Vietnam wants to eliminate its tariffs on US goods if it can make a deal with the US.

He also criticised China for announcing its own tariffs on US imports.

“CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!” he wrote.

Republicans suggested that Trump’s policies would be the start of a parley with foreign countries.

Anthony Matesic
Specialist Anthony Matesic works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

“The president is a dealmaker if nothing else, and he’s going to continue to deal country by country with each of them,” said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming.

He added that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had told Senate Republicans this week that the tariffs would be a “high level mark with the ultimate goal of getting them reduced” unless other countries retaliate.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York called Trump’s tariffs “a brutal pincer move with American families trapped in the middle.”

Meanwhile, Trump also celebrated a new report showing the US added 228,000 jobs in March, beating expectations.

Although the numbers were a snapshot of the economy before the tariff announcement, Trump claimed vindication, saying they already show his moves are working.

“HANG TOUGH,” he wrote. “WE CAN’T LOSE!!!”

You May Also Like

The Morning Briefing: Make the Illegal Alien Criminals Stay at Judge Boasberg's House

Top O’ the Briefing Happy Monday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends.…

$300 million lifeline from US casino giant keeps Star alive

Star Entertainment has avoided falling into administration after securing a $300 million…

Married At First Sight’s most shocking ‘couple swap’ yet REVEALED as Jamie Marinos shares a bed with her rival Eliot Donovan at Daily Mail Australia’s exclusive Reunion Party in Sydney

Married At First Sight has been plagued with couple swap scandals this…

Study: Liberals Claim to Value Empathy, But Have None For Conservatives

About a decade ago. social psychologist Jonathan Haidt did a series…