To the Editor:
Disappointing national employment numbers were released last week. Estimates were much lower than expected, and may be precursors of a shrinking economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that 19,000 jobs were filled in May, 14,000 in June, and 73,000 in July (bls.gov/economic news release 8/1/2025).
Previously BLS-reported jobs numbers were 144,000 for May and 147,000 for June, a discrepency of 258,000 jobs. For more detail see “Dark Clouds Emerge for Trump on Economy,” 8/2/2025, The Hill (a right-leaning newsletter covering politics). For perspective, in early 2025, prior to the tariff uncertainties, the economy added an average of 162,000 jobs per month. The Biden administration’s average of jobs added per month was 385,000.
President Trump did not like the numbers — they contradict his rhetoric that the U.S. economy is thriving under his leadership. His solution to poor employment data? Fire the messenger, the statistician responsible for the BLS! Such thin skin and massive ego are not the characteristics of a mature, responsible adult. His petulant nature puts our economy in great danger. And his knee-jerk response to bad news likely has lost him the little credibility he had with voters.
Add to this bad news the world-wide economic uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariff waffling. As we all understand now, tariffs are taxes on imported goods that are included in the retail cost of the product.
Last week Trump again changed his mind on tariffs. Now he is proposing a 50% import tax on Brazil, which, if you drink Brazilian coffee, it will retail for considerably more (not all of the tariff amount passes to the consumer), which in turn, raises the sales tax. Double whammy to consumers.
I bring up Brazil because Trump increased the tariff because he is angry that Brazil has indicted its former president (and a friend of Trump), who is accused of plotting a coup after he lost the last election (NY Times, July 31, 2025). That’s right, Trump is pretending to use leverage he does not have, manipulating our economy in an attempt to sway the outcome of a criminal trial in a foreign country.
Trump last week also raised Canadian tariffs again, from 25% which was imposed ostensibly because Canada was not doing enough to stop fentanyl at its U.S. border (all of 42 pounds were confiscated in 2024) to 35% after Canada announced it would recognize the state of Palestine (Reuters, July 31, 2025). Again illegally using the U.S. economy to get another country to obey him.
Trump has no authority, nor any business trying, to interfere with the internal governance of other nations. This in not diplomacy, it is extortion. He wants to punish Canada and Brazil but he is only punishing his own citizens. Never mind that legally only Congress can impose tariffs.
Please pay attention to our president. He is a disaster.
Karen Patterson
Highlands