What did Donald Trump do today?

He posted through an economic collapse and knocked off for the week.

The day after announcing massive import taxes on the goods that Americans buy, had what by his standards is a fairly typical Thursday.

He posted to his boutique website…

…and then he left the office in the early afternoon for a three-and-a-half-day weekend at his Florida golf resort. (Unusually, Trump will actually be working this weekend, but as a private citizen: his resort is hosting a professional tournament.)

As for "booming" markets, major US stock markets were down 4-6%, losing in a single day what would typically take most of a year to gain. It was the worst single day for stocks since the start of the COVID pandemic. Stock markets are not the full picture of the economy—but sudden collapses like this never bode well for everyday Americans, whether or not they have money invested.

Trump did pause on his way out of town to reiterate to reporters that, as far as he knew, there was nothing to worry about: "I think it's going very well." 

American companies and investors lost more than three trillion dollars in value today, with economists now almost unanimously predicting a worldwide recession if Trump's ultra-protectionist taxes stay in place.

Why does this matter?

• The President of the United States has more important things to do than be a celebrity attraction at a golf tournament.

• Things are not "going very well."