Trump Announces 90-Day Pause On Tariffs: PA Leaders React

PENNSYLVANIA — President Donald Trump on Wednesday abruptly backed down on his tariffs on most nations, announcing a 90 day pause for all trading partners except for China, for which he raised the rate to 125 percent.

Global markets surged on the development, but the precise details of Trump's plans to ease tariffs on non-China trade partners were not immediately clear. It was seemingly an attempt to narrow what had been an unprecedented trade war between the U.S. and most of the world to one between the U.S. and China.

Critics of both Trump and the tariffs in Pennsylvania did not welcome the news as any sort of salve to what they saw as the chaos and danger of the original plan.

Chester County's U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan said that President Trump had urged followers on the Truth Social to "buy" just moments before his announcement, and suggested it was part of a larger — and illegal — moneymaking scheme.

"Your wallet is being cleaned out by expert pickpockets," she wrote. "This is criminal. Literally criminal. I call for an IMMEDIATE Congressional investigation into who knew what, when, and what they did with the information. You can bet the Administration and many here in Washington are considerably richer tonight than they were this morning. Everyday Americans are being fleeced by an enormous and deliberate transfer of wealth--from us to the billionaires. We've been played. Call your Senators and members of Congress and demand an investigation."

U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, from Delaware County, criticized House Republicans for working to take away the power of Congress to control tariffs.

"Trump's chaotic tariffs are wreaking havoc on the economy and forcing hardworking Pennsylvanians to pay even more for less," she said. "Instead of stopping them, House Republicans are voting today to take away Congress's power to put an end to the madness."

Other Pennsylvania leaders reacted with humor. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta shared an gif of a clown painting its own face, under a retweet of a White House statement about the tariffs.

"Chaos doesn’t make America great," Kenyatta added in a follow up post on X. "Corruption doesn’t make America great. But that’s all we get from the Trump admin."

Gov. Josh Shapiro did not immediately respond to the move, but he’s been among the many vocal critics of the tariffs.

“President Trump's tariffs are chaotic and reckless, and they're having a real impact on our small business owners,” Shapiro said this week. “I don’t know why President Trump is doing this — but here in PA, I'm focused on lowering costs, cutting taxes, and creating jobs.”

Trump announced the sweeping new tariffs last week, including a 10 percent tax on imports from all countries and higher tariff rates on dozens more.

The announcement prompted financial turmoil, with business executives warning of a potential recession and big declines in the stock market.

The stock market spiked immediately after Trump sent the social media posting that investors have been waiting for.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2,476 points, or 6.6 percent, as of 1:35 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 9 percent higher.

Investors have been desperate for Trump to ease up on his tariffs, which economists say could cause a global recession and increase inflation.

“Many of you in the media clearly missed the ‘Art of the Deal,’” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, in a nod to the Trump’s 1987 memoir and advice book.

“You clearly failed to see what President Trump is doing here. You tried to say that the rest of the world would be moved closer to China, when in fact, we’ve seen the opposite effect — the entire world is calling the United States of America, not China, because they need our markets,” she added.

The Associated Press contributed reporting. This is a developing story and will be updated.