SINGAPORE: Former presidential candidate and businessman Tan Kin Lian took to Facebook on May 31 to sharply criticise U.S. President Donald Trump, describing his tariff policies as economically damaging and politically reckless.
In a post titled “Wrecking Ball Trump,” Tan warned that the tariffs imposed during Trump’s administration were backfiring on American businesses, making them less competitive both at home and abroad.
Tariffs backfiring on U.S. businesses
Tan argued that by taxing imported components, American manufacturers were forced to pay more for the parts they needed to assemble their final products. These higher input costs, he said, had a knock-on effect: companies either raised prices for U.S. consumers, contributing to inflation, or struggled to sell competitively on the export market.
“This made U.S. manufacturers uncompetitive when they export… [and] more expensive to U.S. buyers,” Tan wrote.
He cited online videos, claiming that many U.S. factories had shut down and some major companies had relocated operations overseas to escape the rising costs caused by tariffs.
Job losses and delayed promises
The knock-on effect, according to Tan, is widespread job loss across affected states, contradicting Trump’s promise that tariffs would bring jobs back to America.
“The new jobs that were supposed to be created in the U.S., due to the tariffs, may take several years to realize,” he noted.
Tan echoed critics who liken Trump’s approach to a “wrecking ball”—a blunt-force strategy that damages everything in its path without building anything lasting in its wake.
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Strong language, sharper criticism
Tan did not mince words when addressing Trump’s decision-making, stating bluntly that many people consider Trump to be “insane and incredibly stupid”—an assessment he openly said he shared.
Tourism slump paints bleak picture of U.S. soft power
In a separate post, Tan commented on the sharp decline in international tourism to the U.S. since Trump returned to office in January 2025. He noted that international arrivals fell year-on-year in March, with even steeper declines from key regions like Western Europe and Central America.
He attributed the drop to a mix of political and policy-driven deterrents—among them, aggressive immigration enforcement, border detentions, and controversial rhetoric, including Trump’s threat to annex Canada. Countries such as Germany and Canada experienced booking cancellations of over 30%.
Cities like New York and Los Angeles have felt the brunt of this shift, with ticket sales to tourist attractions and hotel occupancy rates falling significantly. Canadian flight bookings to the U.S. have reportedly plunged by over 70%.
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Tan remarked that these developments signal a larger erosion of the U.S.’s global appeal, not just economically but diplomatically.
A pattern of self-inflicted harm
From shrinking global market share to waning tourism dollars, Tan Kin Lian’s posts paint a picture of an America under Trump that is isolating itself—economically, diplomatically, and culturally.
“The U.S. position risks being perceived as unreasonable because it simultaneously escalates tech restrictions while demanding concessions on unrelated issues,” he wrote.
Tan concluded that unless the U.S. adopts a more balanced and reciprocal approach, particularly in its dealings with China and the global economy, it risks long-term strategic losses that no short-term posturing can undo.
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