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Transcript

Chainsaw History is a listener-supported pod. Help keep us going with a free or paid subscription.

It's our first "Short Rant," where we'll relate current events to history! These are videos posted on our YouTube and TikTok accounts and the audio will be available within a day.

President Trump announced "Liberation Day" on April 2, 2025 with broad and sweeping tariffs that are causing stock market panic and layoffs even in the earliest days. His case for high tariffs are good policy are based on his admiration for the 25th President, William McKinley. But Trump is either ignorant of or lying about the truth about American tariff policies in the late 19th century. If history is any predictor of future events, bad things are in store both for the economy and to Republicans' future electoral chances.