China Claps Back At Trump With Ronald Reagan's 1987 Anti-Tariff Speech: 'Finds New Relevance In 2025'

As the Sino-U.S. trade war intensifies, social media is aflutter with reactions to a post by the Chinese embassy in America appearing to take a potshot at President Donald Trump.

The embassy's official X handle dug up an old video clip of former President Ronald Reagan's 1987 speech on tariffs, saying it “finds new relevance in 2025.”

In the video, Reagan says, "At first, when someone says 'Let's impose tariffs on foreign imports,' it looks like they are doing a patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs."

Reagan, a Republican, had said such measures might work for some time but warned that they often lead to retaliation, increased trade barriers, and economic harm.

However, according to Reagan, homegrown industries would eventually start relying on government protection in the form of high tariffs.

In the video, he also says they would stop competing and making the innovative management and technological changes needed to succeed in world markets. He also flags the possibility of retaliatory tariffs by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.

"The result is more and more tariffs, and higher and higher trade barriers, and less and less competition," he says, adding that it would eventually dent consumption.

"Then the worst happens," Reagan says, pointing to the market collapsing, businesses and industries shutting down, and millions of people losing jobs.

Reagan's speech assumes significance as 1987 marked Wall Street's worst single-day loss on 'Black Monday.' Recent fears of a similar crash resurfaced after Trump's sweeping tariff announcements, stirring market anxiety.

As of 2:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the post had attracted 8.8 million views, 1,500 comments, 7,800 reposts, and 23,000 likes.

Social media users shared mixed views.

One of them said MAGAs (Trump followers) are not Republicans and they were far-left Democrats "cosplaying as Republicans."  

However, another user said it was different this time. "Trade should be equal, not lopsided towards one side. China should balance the deficit and make trade equal."

The Chinese Embassy's post comes amid heightened trade disputes. Trump threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports unless China retracts its 34% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods.

The Communist Party-controlled Chinese government has firmly opposed these measures, saying it will "fight to the end" to protect its legitimate rights and interests.

Several big names from Wall Street, including Trump supporter and billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, have called on the president to pause or roll back his stance.

Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser, has hinted he is opposed to tariffs in very subtle ways.

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