Joe Rogan and Dave Portnoy are among the Trump backers now questioning his tariff policies
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump's tariffs roil global markets, some of the thought leaders and influential podcasters who backed the Republican's campaign are voicing doubts.
Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and even Elon Musk are adding their voices to a number of congressional Republicans who have weighed in against the tariffs set to take effect on Wednesday.
Here's a look at some of what they've said:
Dave Portnoy
'Welcome to Orange Monday,' Portnoy said on his 'Davey Day Trader' financial livestream, just before markets opened this week, saying there's 'no political agenda' to his commentary, other than to make money.
After last week's market plunge, Portnoy said he had lost $7 million 'in stocks and crypto,' a figure he estimated on Monday was likely closer to $20 million, or up to 15% of his net worth.
But, Portnoy has said, he plans to stick with Trump, whom he has called 'a smart guy.'
'I think they're smarter than me when it comes to these tariffs. I also think he's playing a high-stakes game here,' Portnoy said last week on his livestream. 'I'm gonna roll with him for a couple days, a couple weeks, see how this pans out.'
Founded by Portnoy in 2003 as a free sports and gambling newspaper, Barstool has grown into a digital platform covering sports, lifestyle, and entertainment, with hundreds of millions of followers. Portnoy has been a loyal Trump supporter since first endorsing him in 2016, interviewing the president at the White House in 2020.
Joe Rogan
Rogan, one of the nation's most influential podcasters who endorsed Trump on the eve of last year's election, said in March that Trump's feud with Canada was 'stupid' and bemoaned the fact that Canadians 'booed us over tariffs" during professional sporting events featuring teams from both countries.
Rogan has recently broken with Trump in other areas, including over wide-ranging deportations, referring to a recent operation to detain immigrants as 'horrific.'
Just weeks before Election Day, Rogan taped a nearly three-hour podcast interview with Trump, an opportunity for the Republican nominee to highlight the hypermasculine tone that defined much of his 2024 White House bid.
Bill Ackman
The pro-Trump hedge fund manager warned Sunday on X that 'we are heading for a self-induced, economic nuclear winter' unless Trump took a more deliberate approach, likening the full tariff activation 'economic nuclear war.'
In another post later Sunday, Ackman assailed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as 'indifferent to the stock market and the economy crashing.' The next day, Ackman apologized for his criticism claiming that Lutnick — previously the head of the financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald — could benefit from the tariffs because of its bond investments.
But the hedge fund manager also reiterated his concerns about Trump's tariffs.
'I am just frustrated watching what I believe to be a major policy error occur after our country and the president have been making huge economic progress that is now at risk due to the tariffs,' he wrote on X.
Elon Musk
Even the billionaire top adviser to Trump on overhauling the federal government is expressing skepticism about tariffs, which he has said would drive up costs for Tesla, his electric automaker.
'I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally in my view to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,' Musk said in a video conference with Italian politicians.
On Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures,' White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said that Musk 'doesn't understand' the situation.
Musk fired back on Tuesday, calling Navarro 'truly a moron' and 'dumber than a sack of bricks.'
___
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
14 minutes ago
- New York Post
Nearly 1 million illegal immigrants have ‘self deported' under Trump, which has led to higher wages
While ICE arrests and deportations have grabbed headlines, President Trump is also running a separate but complementary 'mass deportation' program — one that encourages aliens here unlawfully to go home voluntarily. And if reports are correct, that plan is more successful than anyone could have imagined. Based on government data, my organization, the Center for Immigration Studies, has conservatively estimated there are about 15.4 million illegal aliens in the United States, an 50% increase over the four tumultuous years of the Biden administration. 3 Members of the Texas National Guard turn away migrants after they crawled through the concertina wire after crossing the U.S.-Mexico Border at the Rio Grande river on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 in El Paso, Texas. NYPJ That's no surprise, given how Biden and his Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ignored congressional detention mandates and ushered millions of illegal migrants into the United States. Trump rode a wave of concerns about the costs those migrants are imposing on schools, hospitals, housing, and essential government services in cities and towns across the United States to a second term. Now that he's back in the Oval Office, it's up to him, 'border czar' Tom Homan, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to drive the unauthorized population down and restore credibility to our immigration system. They've implemented a two-track plan to tackle this onerous task. One of those tracks relies on arrests and deportations of aliens unlawfully here, which at the outset has focused mainly on criminals (the 'worst first' strategy). 3 US President Donald Trump stands and salutes during the Army 250th Anniversary Parade from the Ellipse in Washington, DC on June 14, 2025. AFP via Getty Images The other track is more subtle but also cheaper for taxpayers and arguably much more effective —encouraging illegal migrants here to self-deport. It began with an Inauguration Day Trump directive requiring DHS to ensure all aliens present in the United States — legal and otherwise — have registered with the federal government, and to prosecute those who don't comply. By late February, Noem had implemented that registration program. DHS next launched a multi-million-dollar ad campaign warning migrants not to enter illegally or, alternatively, to leave voluntarily now and possibly 'have an opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American Dream.' Noem also rebranded the notorious CBP One app — which the Biden administration used to funnel hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants into our country — as 'CBP Home,' which aliens can use to 'notify the U.S. Government of their intent to depart'. That rebranding coincided with an offer of financial incentives for aliens who leave voluntarily, a stipend of $1,000. That's in lieu of costly physical deportation, which can cost taxpayers $17,100 per person on average. How effective has self-deportation been? 3 Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is sworn-in before the House Committee on Homeland Security during a hearing on 'A Review of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security' on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. AP One way to track the program is by checking employment numbers. One financial wiz cited by the Wall Street Journal calculated a decline in the immigrant population of 773,000 in the first four months of Trump II. The Washington Post claims 'a million foreign-born workers have exited the workforce since March.' The Post frames this as 'a sign of the weakening labor supply.' Yet the paper also notes, 'Average hourly wages accelerated, rising by 0.4 percent over the month, to $36.24 in May, as earnings continue to beat inflation in a boost to workers' spending power.' In other words, with fewer illegal immigrants, businesses had to raise wages to attract workers. But aliens will only leave if they believe Trump and Homan are serious about arrests, and employers know the feds are targeting shady businesses. This voluntary exodus shouldn't be surprising. When President Eisenhower launched his deportation round-up in 1954, nearly 10 aliens left voluntarily for each one arrested. A post-9/11 registration program also drove self-deportations. DHS can't arrest and deport 15.4 million illegal aliens, but if it simply enforces the law, many aliens will get the message and leave on their own — as hundreds of thousands apparently already have. Andrew Arthur is the fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies.
Newsweek
17 minutes ago
- Newsweek
John Fetterman's Name Booed at Pennsylvania 'No Kings' Rally
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Senator John Fetterman was booed when his name was mentioned during a rally in his home state of Pennsylvania on Saturday. Newsweek reached out to Fetterman's office for comment via email on Sunday. Why It Matters Mediaite reported that the rally was part of the "No Kings" protest movement, one of many held nationwide on June 14. Demonstrations took place in hundreds of U.S. cities, according to Reuters, with large-scale gatherings reported in major hubs such as Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and New York. The demonstrations aligned with both the president's 79th birthday and the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary celebration in Washington D.C. What To Know In a clip from C-SPAN, Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the progressive nonprofit Indivisible, told the crowd in Philadelphia: "Now, this is not a rally for one party. We've got Democrats here today. We've got Republicans and independents here today. "We are looking to the leaders who will fight for us because even today, there are folks among the Democratic Party who think we should roll over and play dead. Anyone seen John Fetterman here today?" This remark was met with audible boos from the attendees. U.S. Senator John Fetterman on June 2, 2025, in Boston. U.S. Senator John Fetterman on June 2, 2025, in a Democrat, has voiced support for the military parade—which according to White House director of communications Steven Cheung was attended by some 250,000—in a Saturday post on X, formerly Twitter, writing that it was "appropriate to celebrate the 250 years of sacrifice, dedication and service." The senator was criticized earlier this month in an opinion piece published by the editorial board of The Philadelphia Inquirer—Fetterman's home state newspaper—which accused him of neglecting his political duties. Fetterman has often broken with his party on key issues such as the Israel-Hamas war and border security. His views prompted speculation that he was leaving the Democratic Party to join the Republicans—rumors he dismissed earlier this year. During a January appearance on ABC's The View, he said he has "been on record" saying that "I am not going to become a Republican." He added: "I would make a pretty terrible Republican because, you know, pro-choice, pro really strong immigration, pro-LGBTQ… I don't think I'd be a good fit. So, I'm not going to change my party and if I am… I'll give you the exclusive." What People Are Saying Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman on X: "This parade is comprised of our sons, daughters, mothers and fathers—the very best of us. Regardless of your politics, it's appropriate to celebrate the 250 years of sacrifice, dedication and service." What Happens Next Fetterman is up for reelection in 2028.
Buzz Feed
18 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
31 More Hilarious Signs From The No Kings Protests
Yesterday, in cities across the country, over 5 million demonstrators joined the "No Kings" protests to speak out against the policies and actions of the Trump administration. Their protest signs have filled my timeline, and even though we've already posted some of the best ones, I found a lot more that deserve the spotlight. So, let's get into it: Do you have a "No Kings" protest sign to share? Leave an image of your sign in the comments below, and you could be featured in an upcoming post.
