Scott Galloway had strong words about President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs during his appearance on The View.
The NYU professor and co-host of the “Prof G Markets” podcast said the president’s decisions are damaging not just the U.S. economy, but America’s reputation around the world.
America’s Global Image Is Crumbling
One of Galloway’s sharpest points was about how America is now viewed overseas. He said the country’s brand, once associated with stability, the rule of law, and consistency, is in freefall.
“Brand America, quite frankly, right now is toxic uncertainty,” he said.
He was talking about how the entire world is shifting its supply chains away from Brand America, which, right now, is full of uncertainty.
“We have someone at the wheel of the global economy who’s blackout drunk right now.”
He said the U.S. has picked fights with allies for no clear reason. “When did we decide to go to war against Canada?” he asked, reminding viewers that during the Iranian hostage crisis, the Canadian Embassy risked everything to hide six Americans.
“They are true friends. We can’t even articulate why we’re angry at them.”
Meanwhile, China is taking advantage of the chaos.
“You may not like us, but you can count on us,” Galloway said, describing how China’s consistency is now a global selling point.
Tariffs Could Result in Long-Term Economic Damage
Galloway described Trump’s sweeping tariffs as an incredibly fast way to hurt American prosperity.
“It would be hard to think of a more elegant way to reduce prosperity this fast,” he said.
He explained that outsourcing low-wage manufacturing jobs overseas has allowed the U.S. to focus on higher-paying work like design and engineering. Bringing all that production back home, he argued, would backfire badly.
“If these tariffs hold, your iPhone will go from $1,000 to $2,300. Making one in the U.S. will cost $3,500,” he said.
That shift would crash Apple’s stock and cut shareholder value. “Your parents can’t retire as quickly,” he added.
The professor pointed out that 80% of toys under the Christmas tree come from China.
If tariffs stay in place, he warned, Americans could end up with half as many toys and higher prices across the board.
Manufacturing Isn’t the Fix
Trump has said his goal is to reindustrialize the U.S. and reduce reliance on China.
But Galloway said that idea ignores economic reality. “America is the second-largest manufacturer in the world,” he said.
Yet most Americans don’t want factory jobs.
“We romanticize manufacturing,” he said, citing Cato Institute data that shows 80% of people support more manufacturing jobs, but only 20% would take them.
“There isn’t a line to get in and work at an assembly plant in Lansing, Michigan,” Galloway added.
If Trump really wanted to help working-class Americans, Galloway said, he’d push for a higher minimum wage.
“If minimum wage kept pace with productivity and inflation, it would be between $23 and $27 an hour,” he said.
“We’d go to a minimum wage of $25 an hour.”
Chaos in the Markets
Galloway also questioned the timing of Trump’s announcement to pause the tariffs briefly.
That move caused Apple’s stock to surge and sent the broader market up 2,000 points.
“Yesterday will go down as the greatest day of insider trading and grift in history,” he said.
“Someone knew what was going on and made a lot of money, and it wasn’t us.”
He warned that the damage done to America’s economy and reputation won’t be fixed anytime soon.
“The pause on tariffs took the knife halfway out of the economy’s back, but the injury will take years, if not decades, to heal,” he said.
“The definition of stupid is doing something that hurts yourself while hurting others. This could not be more stupid.”