“Donald Trump” and “chaos.”
It’s not the sort of internet searches a new president would relish.
But for Trump, it’s increasingly what people are typing into their keyboards on and on their phones, according to CNN data guru Harry Enten:
Enten: Look at this number — up 320%! This term’s average week versus the first term, this 46-day stretch that the Trump presidency has gone on has the most number of searches for ‘Trump’ and ‘chaos’ on record. The American people are seeing this. If they think that Donald Trump is like Butters in ‘South Park.’ He is Professor Chaos, that is what is going on. The American people, at this particular point, are going, ‘What is happening here?’ They are seeing Trump and they are associating him with the word ‘chaos.’
Host: In the markets, if there’s one thing that stock markets, investors don’t like, what is that?
Enten: They do not like uncertainty. They don’t like chaos. How about trade policy uncertainty index? This dates back all the way since 1960. We’re dealing with a record high. Get this. Up 651% versus a year ago.
One day, Trump seems to be for tariffs. The next day, he doesn’t. One day he seems like he’s backing off tariffs, then he’s threatening to do it a month from now. What we’re seeing is chaos play out in this trade uncertainty, that is playing out in the stock market as well. Traders, investors, Americans, are … saying, ‘What the hell is going on out there?’
Host: They may or may not like the tariff policy. What they like less, though, no matter what, is the wild reversal
Enten: They just need to know what’s going on so that they can plan.
Host: Now we know that Wall Street is not happy with it, but what about Main Street?
Enten: Yeah, what about Main Street? Do they think that all this chaos is good? Is Trump making changes too quickly? Is he rushing changes without considering their impact? You got it here, folks, 56% — the majority — say that Trump is making changes too quickly. They don’t like what’s going on … compared to just 43% who say no.
…
We said, ‘Hey, maybe this Trump presidency … will be more on the tracks.’ It seems to have gotten off the tracks as far as the American people are concerned. And they, simply put, do not like it.
Thursday postponed 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some imports from Canada for a month amid widespread fears of the economic fallout from a broader trade war.
Major U.S. stock markets briefly bounced off lows after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick previewed the monthlong pauses on CNBC on Thursday. Significant declines already seen this week resumed within an hour. The S&P 500 stock index has fallen below where it was before Trump was elected.
A senior Canadian government official said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s call on Wednesday with Trump became heated. The U.S. president used profanity while complaining about protections in Canada’s dairy industry. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the call, said Trudeau did not use profanity.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province, said that starting Monday the province will charge 25% more for electricity shipped to 1.5 million Americans in response to Trump’s tariff plan. Ontario provides electricity to Minnesota, New York and Michigan.
“This whole thing with President Trump is a mess,” Ford said Thursday. “This reprieve, we’ve went down this road before. He still threatens the tariffs on April 2.”
Ford’s office said the tariff would remain in place even if there’s a one-month reprieve from the Americans. Ford has said that so long as the threat of tariffs continue, Ontario’s position will not change.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
