It's a difficult situation. Ford's video is accurate (despite what Trump says about it being fake), and it makes some sense that he was running it in MAGA territory...basically showing them that the tariffs were going to eventually hurt America (well, they already are), maybe as catastrophically as the Great Depression (most economists say that Hoover imposing tariffs made the stock market crash go from a recession that would have been painful for a a year or two, to the Great Depression, which was devastating for a decade or so...). The idea was basically cause the citizens to call their local congressman and bitch about the tariffs, and stop them. We should also remember that these tariffs are illegal, since Trump is using the "emergency" powers very loosely, and congress is the ones who actually pass tariff bills...Something they've been cut out from, and the GOP has no interest in upseting dear leader by rebuking his poorly thought out trade program.
But, at the same time, we know Trump is incredibly thin skinned, and thinks that anything that is against him (truthful or not) is garbage and should be punished.
I suspect that this will be a TACO move, and talks will resume in a week or two. Maybe Carney has to do some damage control, or Ford apologizes. Remember, we're not dealing with a rational leader. He is vain and responds VERY favourably to ass-kissing and flattery.
Now, could this money have been better spent? Probably. Almost for sure. But, at the same time, I sort of like the bold action Ford took. Did it backfire? In the short term, yeah. In the long term, hard to say. Remember, many MAGA folks don't believe they'll be the ones who eventually pay the tariffs, or that it will hurt the US economy. But, eventually, they might.
