'We're about to face massive...': Viral post warns Trump’s tariff war will leave American workers in 'Great Depression'

When President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs during his first term in 2018, his aim was clear: protect American industries and curb trade imbalances. During his second term, a universal 10% import tariff and steeper rates for select countries, Trump's tariff policy had spiraled into a full-blown trade war. Now, as economic pressure intensifies, Americans from factory floors to online forums are sounding the alarm on what they fear could be an unprecedented financial fallout.

A US citizen took to Reddit to issue a stark warning: "We are about to face the massive hyperinflation that the world would ever witness from a developed country since Weimar Republic. Thanks to Trump that he puts tariffs on everything." They argued the tariffs not only failed to curb white-collar job outsourcing but have left American workers bracing for a crisis reminiscent of the Great Depression. “Good luck everyone and God Bless America,” the post concluded.

The sentiment resonated widely. Many users echoed the fears, sharing stories of layoffs, shrinking wages, and eroding job security.

“I work 2 mechanic jobs,” one user wrote, detailing job cuts at Tire Choice Automotive Services. “They laid off 3 people and just kept 2 full-time and me the part timer. One of the guys who got laid off came back begging... they were willing to hire him back but at a $2.00 per hour pay cut.” The user said they’ve already accepted the possibility of losing their job too.

Another commenter criticised the misunderstanding around tariffs: “They believed that the tariffs would be paid by other countries... they still keep saying that.”

Some vented political frustration. “Trump hates white collar workers, sad to say,” one wrote, accusing the former president of alienating a swath of voters who once supported rivals like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. “His economy is based on an American success story being a bro working on base... Everyone else is his enemy.”

Others pointed to the futility of tariff strategy. “We put tariffs on all Chinese products since 2017 and not a single of them moves their production into US,” a commenter said. “We are screaming to the face of our enemy that we are scared, we are hopeless and we are running out of money.”

The reciprocal tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump on April 3 shocked many. A base line tariff of 10 percent would be charged on all US imports from April 5, while the reciprocal tariffs would be applicable from April 9, the Trump administration announced. But a couple of experts have called out the allegedly poor math behind the calculations of 'derived' tariffs for each country.