Mr. Beast Criticizes Trump’s Tariffs: “Nail in the Coffin for Small Businesses”

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Mr. Beast is among the initial prominent personalities voicing concerns over President Trump’s increased tariffs.

A well-known YouTube personality, known for producing and hosting the acclaimed Amazon series Beast Games, publicly voiced disapproval towards the president’s “Liberation Day” policies. These policies, according to experts, are expected to boost inflation, stall economic growth, decelerate employment opportunities, and could potentially trigger a recession. Moreover, these tariffs have reportedly caused substantial losses in the stock market, affecting retirement savings.

Regarding his Feastables chocolate bar company, Mr. Beast shared with his followers on X, “Interestingly enough, due to all the recent tariffs, it has become significantly less expensive for us to manufacture our global chocolate bars – everywhere except in America, where a 20%+ tariff is imposed on our raw materials. [Just to add,] we ensure fair payment to our farmers and use only ethically sourced cocoa beans. Therefore, I was already paying a premium for cocoa. An unexpected price surge was particularly tough. We’ll find a solution. It’s a challenging time for small businesses; this could potentially be their downfall.

Absolutely, it’s important to note that small businesses, which make up nearly half of all private-sector jobs in the U.S. (as per CBS News), are often viewed as particularly susceptible to tariff increases. This is largely due to the fact that they typically don’t possess substantial cash reserves or the ability to easily adapt to sudden changes compared to larger companies.

Beyond his YouTube dominance, Jimmy Donaldson (also known as Mr. Beast) manages a diverse portfolio of ventures. These include the MrBeast Burger chain of restaurants, a packaged food brand Lunchly, an analytical platform for social media called Viewstats, and his philanthropic LLC that actively engages in charitable activities.

A variety of economists, business leaders, and influential figures have voiced their disapproval towards tariffs. This group includes supporters of Trump like Dave Portnoy, billionaire Elon Musk who labeled Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro as “stupid,” and hedge fund mogul Bill Ackerman, who cautioned that the tariffs could lead to a loss of confidence in our country as a trading partner, business destination, and market for investments.

So far, Hollywood hasn’t experienced any immediate backlash from countries affected by the tariffs. However, there’s a looming threat as a hefty 104% tariff against Chinese imports is scheduled to take effect tonight. This could potentially lead China, the world’s second-largest film market, to limit the screening of Hollywood films.

According to an earlier report by The Hollywood Reporter, two significant Chinese public figures – one being an editor for a state-run media outlet, the other being the son of a former party leader – both published similar plans on Tuesday regarding potential actions China may take in response to Trump’s tariffs. These countermeasures could involve limiting or prohibiting the import of American films, as well as increasing tariffs on U.S. agricultural products and services, among other possible responses.

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2025-04-09 01:25