'It's all fake': White House insider admits Trump's trade war is just for show

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Raw Story

July 5, 2025 8:42AM ET


According to a White House insider who is deeply involved in talks with U.S. trading partners, Donald Trump's tariff threats are not to be taken seriously because they are just a "theatrical show" being put on by the attention-obsessed president. According to a report from Politico, as Trump's 90-day window on getting trade deals done before onerous tariffs are put in place looms, there is no real urgency at the White House which has negotiators and even some White House staff taking a dim view of the proceedings.

Politico's Daniel Desrochers and Megan Messerly are reporting, "Foreign officials, trade experts, lawmakers and even some White House allies have expressed a nihilistic view of the July deadline, questioning whether a deal with the Trump administration means anything at all given the president’s penchant for using tariffs as leverage to get his way."

After noting Trump himself was wavering this past week when he told reporters, "We could extend it, we could make it shorter. I’d like to make it shorter,” one insider offered a candid assessment about what is really going on.

“Trump knows the most interesting part of his presidency is the tariff conversation,” they admitted. “I find it hard to believe he’s going to surrender it that easily. It’s all fake. There’s no deadline. It’s a self-imposed landmark in this theatrical show, and that’s where we are.”

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-tariffs-2672734163/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. It's all about self-puffery

Power and dominance and control exerted in the public space to make himself the most important.

[RockRaven]

2. Not ALL fake. Higher prices? Real. Shorter supplies? Real. Retaliatory tariffs? Real.

Lower sales from retaliatory tariffs or nationalistic boycotts? Real.

[Bengus81]

10. For Market manipulation. Buy low,sell high.

[BOSSHOG]

18. Yes Indeed My friend my Wife does the heavy grocery shopping

But I have my own regular list of stuff to get. The prices are creeping upward. Trump is a monster and the gop is a crime syndicate.

[surfered]

3. Most everything he does is for show.

[Irish_Dem]

4. Trump is damaging the US and global economy for attention and to show off.

And he hoped lots of bribes would come his way.

[wolfie001]

5. With all of the $10s of millions (and more?) from his and Melanoma's bit coin scams.....

.....I'd say he succeeded. Thanks to his scummy and putrid cult.

[Irish_Dem]

7. He will take a wrecking ball to the US if it helps his bottom line.

[llmart]

13. He's so narcissistic and delusional...

he thinks he's going to be the first human ever to not die. Ha! He's in for a huge shock. All the billions in the world and he'll still be six feet under just like all the rest of us, and Melanie will be laughing all the way to the bank. Or maybe she'll have to fight tooth and nail his evil, money grubbing spawn.

Either way, my goal in life is to outlive that hatefilled blob.

[BurnDoubt]

20. It would be cool if his dis-embodied head would be...

kept alive so he could watch his "vision" be turned to shit before his eyes when he dies.
Not Bitter.

[llmart]

21. People can suffer a stroke...

which is sometimes referred to as ocked in syndrome where the person can't move or speak or eat or breathe without a machine. I want that to be his demise where Malaria has to make the decision to pull the plug. Let's see how quickly she does it.

[BurnDoubt]

23. Right after reviewing the Pre-Nup...

But the smart money would be on selling tickets.

[BidenRocks]

22. Put him next to Nixon!

It's Futurama

[Attilatheblond]

39. Nixon is buried in California

The ground in California would throw Trump's corpse out.

[Martin Eden]

28. Melania will bury him at Maralago, and grift off his grave

By selling tickets to visitors with full bladders.

[Attilatheblond]

38. Do FL laws give breaks on property taxes for cemetaries?

Melania will check the laws in every state/county where he owns property, compare the savings, then dump is dead ass in property in the place with the best 'deal'.

[Martin Eden]

40. As long as we know where

To empty our bladders.

[MadameButterfly]

32. It's so ironic that he's destroying the country, democracy, the world,

the planet so he can eek out a few more years staying out of jail and feeding his need for attention.
I predict he won't live out his term. But what will be left?

[wolfie001]

33. A half million overweight white guys in tactical gear running rampant

Day in day out, night in night out. WTF!!!

[MadameButterfly]

34. quite a picture

[wolfie001]

36. All racist, proud boy-types

I can't wear khaki pants anymore.

[msongs]

6. un named sources lol. made up sh*t. opinions opinions opinions nt

[republianmushroom]

8. Yup, me, me, me, me, me.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. R.I.P 90 Deals in 90 Days

[ananda]

11. No it isn't. It's transactional, mafia-style.

It may not be working to plan, but it's definitely
not just a show.

[Septua]

25. Yeah it's more than theater.

It's narcissism and ignorance and authoritarianism and it's revenue for the tax cuts.

[ananda]

30. It's also a tool to drive fear into people, and drive the news cycle.

You know -- hey, look at this and don't look at that.

[reACTIONary]

12. Link to original reporting on Politico....

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/04/he-likes-the-game-too-much-why-trump-isnt-sweating-his-lack-of-trade-deals-00439700

[Figarosmom]

14. It's how he's forcing these countries to give him

Their most beautiful places to build a trump resort, golf club, hotel or casino. That's the "deals" he's making.

[chowmama]

15. Well, they can keep telling themselves that.

The problem is that nobody knows what Trump will do from minute to minute. He's completely unstable and any stimulus at any time could send him right into Crazytown. And the 'insiders' can't control him. Only the most deluded of them think that's even a possibility.

Tariffs is one of his go-to's. How far he goes with it at any time is anybody's guess. He might Taco out this time and a few more times, but he has no grand scheme, and the theatrical show is reality TV - mostly scripted by the writers, but a participant could go off the rails and blow the whole show sky-high. And that's easy to do, when all you want is attention and you have no actual beliefs. Or knowledge, or intelligence. Or sanity. For a reality show, it's ironic that none of it is actually real to him.

His other go-to's to threaten countries are invasion and bombing. He hasn't tried invasion yet, but he's already done some bombing. I don't know what the insiders think they'll be able to do when he decides that will get him more attention.

Nice statement, but it's meant to reassure the populace. I remain unreassured.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

16. The hair, the make-up, the shoe lifts, also, all for show!

[multigraincracker]

17. He lies. We know that.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. The effect on jobs is not fake, it's negative. . . . . nt

[Gimpyknee]

24. Has there ever been a White House administration that has had more leakers than Trump's?

[Deminpenn]

26. Lawrence O'Donnell said this way back when

the first tariffs were announced and shortly thereafter put on pause.

And look no further than the stock market that after an initial tank is now back to close to where it was at the end of Biden s term.

[thought crime]

27. The Performative Presidency

All about boosting his image and brand. It still does lots of damage.

[twodogsbarking]

29. All hat and no brains.

[ancianita]

31. THAT is the standard line all insiders are instructed to use when a policy grift turns out to be stupidly unprofitable.

But if it's profitable all insiders are instructed to give the felon all the presidential credit, and write promotion messaging to be used by the party faithful in media and congress.

[GoodRaisin]

35. Since day 1 this fraud has been so easy to see through.

[Attilatheblond]

37. Tariffs/trade policy are just Lincoln Logs the real rulers gave TACO to play with & stay outta their hair

The 'Builder/Deal maker' can amuse himself pretending to build then destroy, be a bully, and just stay out from under foot of the fascists actually running things. 'Give him some toys, a pat on the head. Tell him he's a big boy doing great things. Just get the brat outta our way'.