It is apparent that not everybody agrees with or understands President Donald Trump's economic and trade policies, particularly in the media and especially regarding tariffs against trade partners, which he pointedly uses as tools to achieve other policy goals and to encourage or incentivize desired actions and behaviors from other countries.

On Thursday, perhaps as a reminder to his critics, Trump declared that the U.S. "doesn't have Free Trade" and instead has suffered under "stupid" trade policies that have resulted in the rest of the world "ripping us off," Breitbart reported.

That declaration followed a veritable smackdown by Trump of The Wall Street Journal and its editorial board, who are among the staunchest critics in the media of his tariff and trade policies.

WSJ chief among media critics of Trump's trade policies

Thursday morning, Breitbart noted, featured The Wall Street Journal's editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, making an appearance on Fox Business with host Maria Bartiromo, where she sharply criticized President Trump's economic policies.

She asserted that the previously positive "mood has shifted" among business leaders regarding Trump because of the "haphazard" way he was imposing tariffs that had sparked "instability" and unease in the domestic and international markets.

This is probably the interview that set Trump off on Truth Social this morning -- Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker criticizing Trump's economic policies on Maria Bartiromo's show, saying executives are "floundering" because of them, and adding that prices will go… pic.twitter.com/ESYqz4QGro

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 13, 2025

Tucker's critical appearance on Bartiromo's generally pro-Trump show followed a series of highly critical op-eds from the Journal's editorial board about the president's tariff and trade policies, including one that denigrated his impending tariffs against Canada and Mexico as being arguably "the dumbest trade war in history."

Trump calls out WSJ, says U.S. "doesn't have free trade"

Perhaps sparked by Tucker's interview, which may have been the final straw following the aforementioned op-eds from her newspaper, President Trump lashed out at the Journal on Thursday morning with a hard-hitting Truth Social post.

"The Globalist Wall Street Journal has no idea what they are doing or saying," Trump wrote. "They are owned by the polluted thinking of the European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of 'screwing' the United States of America. Their (WSJ!) thinking is antiquated and weak, and very bad for the USA."

"But have no fear, we will WIN on everything!!! Egg prices are down, oil is down, interest rates are down, and TARIFF RELATED MONEY IS POURING INTO THE UNITED STATES," he added, along with a paraphrased quote from former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, "'The only thing you have to fear, is fear itself!'"

Just moments later, Trump posted separately what appeared to be the underlying reason for his active and impending imposition of steep tariffs on imported goods from allied and rival nations alike -- the vast majority of which have long imposed costly tariffs and trade barriers against goods exported from the U.S.

The president said, "The U.S. doesn’t have Free Trade. We have 'Stupid Trade.' The Entire World is RIPPING US OFF!!!"

Markets will continue to be rattled as the status quo is disrupted

To be sure, the domestic and international markets have been rattled by President Trump's threatened and realized tough tariffs against top trading partners like China, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, as those imposed duties have substantially disrupted the prior status quo of those nations taking economic advantage of the U.S.

The market upheaval may even get worse before it gets better, especially if and when Trump follows through on his vow to impose reciprocal tariffs against all other nations next month, matching any and all tariffs they've imposed against the U.S., which will help correct persistent trade imbalances and could conceivably result in actual "free" trade without tariffs once all sides agree to drop them.