Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“When Donald Trump reacted to China’s export restrictions on rare earth minerals (a group of 17 chemical elements used in almost all electronics) by threatening a new 100 percent tariff on Chinese goods, Wall Street investors who had yawned at most of his erratic announcements for six months finally took notice. It was the same stock-tanking pressure that led Trump to climb down from his Liberation Day tariffs; sure enough, by Sunday, the TACO (Trump always chickens out) vibes started kicking in. ‘I have a great relationship with President Xi … he’s a great leader for their country, and I think we’ll get it set,’ Trump told reporters on Air Force One on the way to Israel. ‘Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine!’ he exclaimed on Truth Social. Next thing you know he’ll be apologizing in Mandarin like John Cena.” (10/14/25)
https://prospect.org/world/2025-10-14-china-trump-tariffs-rare-earth-minerals/