Washington DC [US] – In a move that surprised global markets and drew laughter online, President Donald Trump announced a 90-day tariff pause for all countries except China, claiming that people were “getting yippy and afraid” — a phrase that quickly went viral for all the wrong reasons.
The Surprise U-Turn
The 78-year-old President, who just raised tariffs on China to 125%, said that the tariff pause was needed because of growing concerns among other nations.
Reporter: “Can you walk us through your thinking about why you decided to put a 90-day pause?”
Trump: “I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid.” pic.twitter.com/7A0PEmeJ9z
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) April 9, 2025
“Well, I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy, you know, they were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid,” Trump said, while addressing reporters at the White House.
He continued by defending his tough trade stance:
“No other president would have done what I did. And it had to be done.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clarified that the pause wasn’t because of a stock market dip, but because many countries reached out for negotiations.
Internet Roasts ‘Yippy’ Comment
While the trade move made headlines, it was Trump’s use of the word “yippy” that lit up social media.
One user posted on X (formerly Twitter):
Trump explaining his decision to pause tariffs: “Well, I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy, you know, they were getting a little bit yippy”
What that the hell does that mean?
— Old Man Lefty (@OldManLefty1) April 9, 2025
“Trump explaining his decision to pause tariffs: ‘They were getting yippy…’ What the hell does that mean?”
Another joked:
“Yippy? Trump really has become a bumbling old man.”
Stocks Skyrocket Amid Policy Shift
Despite the confusion, the market reacted positively. The tariff pause triggered the biggest stock rally since 2008:
- S&P 500 jumped 9.5%
- Nasdaq 100 surged 12%
- Goldman Sachs withdrew its recession forecast
This marked a sharp turnaround from the White House’s earlier rejection of any negotiation pause, underscoring the unpredictability of Trump’s trade tactics.
“You Have to Have Flexibility”
Trump later added that having a flexible approach is necessary in global trade:
“You have to have flexibility,” he said. “You can’t just go full throttle all the time.”
While markets celebrated and global leaders recalibrated, the internet remained busy cracking jokes about Trump’s new word-of-the-day — yippy.
Source link: https://thedailyguardian.com/united-states/people-were-getting-yippy-trump-explains-surprise-tariff-pause-gets-mocked-online-watch/ by at thedailyguardian.com