President Donald Trump’s pause on new tariffs for US automakers drew ire and mockery on social media.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday announced a one-month exemption for the industry on imports from Mexico and Canada. It came amid fears the 25% tax hike could totally sink US vehicle manufacturers who for years have relied on cross-border cooperation.

A car dealer suggested as such this week on Fox Business, explaining how a truck was now sat indefinitely on his lot after soaring in price from $80,000 to $100,000.

Conservative attorney George Conway, a longtime critic of Trump, responded to his temporary tariff backtrack, saying: “What an incredibly incompetent clown. Maybe he should have thought about the (patently obvious) effect of tariffs on the auto industry *before* imposing them? He’s like a monkey on a keyboard.”

Washington Post op-ed columnist Catherine Rampell talked about the possible longterm implications of Trump’s moves, writing : “I’m sure the auto industry welcomes this temporary reprieve ― but again, how can businesses possibly make investment/hiring decisions in this environment?”

Others agreed:

Business can’t make investment or hiring decision in the chaotic environment, but the members of regime either don’t care about the implications or don’t understand them.And some, I believe, want these impacts for their own gain, particularly the technofascist billionaire oligarchs backing this.

— Joshua Failé (@joshuafaile.bsky.social)2025-03-05T19:26:24.079Z