Join Joey Hudson as he hosts the latest edition of The Mike Gallagher Show, discussing President Trump’s unexpected tariff pause announcement. With major global trading partners in negotiation mode, markets surged, igniting debates about economic strategy and political foresight. As Joey breaks down these complex issues, he also touches on the criticisms from Democrats and insights from high-profile interviews with government officials, shedding light on the nuances of international trade and diplomacy.
00:00:10 Introduction to the show with Joey Hudson
00:00:27 Trump’s Tariff Pause Announcement and Immediate Market Reaction
00:25:28 Discussion on Government Efficiency and Unemployment Benefits Fraud
00:27:23 Listener Calls on Trump’s Trade Decisions
SPEAKER 05 :
He’s the happy conservative warrior, Mike Gallagher, from your trusted conservative TV network, Salem News Channel, and broadcasting across hundreds of radio stations nationwide. Sitting in for Mike today, here’s Joey Hudson.
SPEAKER 10 :
What a difference a day can make. Wow. This has been just truly a rollercoaster experience. for the financial markets this week. Actually, for the last week since last Wednesday’s Liberation Day, if you will. Investors got what they had hoped for. President Trump announced yesterday that he was pausing the effective date of the tariffs on most countries except China. He made it very clear he would not be pausing those tariffs for China. In fact, he raised them again. to send a message to China that we’re serious about this. Stocks surged, of course, reached one of their highest gains since World War II. Investors were happy, hoping for another repeat today. The S&P soared 9.5% yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained nearly 3,000 points, and the NASDAQ jumped 12.2%. It put a big dent in the paper losses that we have seen this past week. Trump was able to accomplish this by posting this sentence. I have authorized a 90-day pause. That’s all he said on Truth Social. and the markets just turned around almost instantly. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett, in cut number four, later told reporters that Trump was pausing the reciprocal tariffs on most of the country’s largest trading partners but maintaining his 10% tariff on nearly all of the global imports. Here’s the Secretary of Treasury explaining what Trump had done.
SPEAKER 16 :
This was driven by the president’s strategy. He and I had a long talk on Sunday, and this was his strategy all along. And you might even say that he goaded China into a bad position. They responded. They have shown themselves to the world to be the bad actors. And we are willing to cooperate with our allies and with our trading partners who did not retaliate. It wasn’t a hard message. Don’t retaliate. Things will turn out well.
SPEAKER 10 :
Don’t retaliate. And those who did not got a reprieve, a slight reprieve, to give them more time to negotiate. China, of course, the big exception. China now stands at 125%. tariffs against its products. So how did this all happen? Because let’s just kind of look back over this past week. Since Wednesday of last week, when the President announced his plan, Trump officials have been steadfast in saying that they would not back down, that the President was dedicated, that he was committed to imposing these tariffs. They were asked multiple times this last weekend on all the Sunday news talk shows, is there room for negotiation? At that time, it didn’t appear there was. It looked like that these tariffs were going to take place. Because, you know, as you looked at this, people were just upset as you really dug in and you realized just how badly the American people have been ripped off all these years. But typical Trump, classic Trump, he’s always ready for a deal. Things changed. As his advisors talked with him, as he saw the effect that it was having on the stock market, he reconsidered. And it looks like he’s going to accomplish everything that he set out to. He still has China in a bad place. It’s going to be interesting to see how they respond over the next few days. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was very adamant on Sunday that there wasn’t going to be a pause. Even though a lot of people were calling for Trump to pause the implementation of the tariffs, Lutnick was one of the key administration officials who said, not going to happen. Yesterday, speaking with Brett Baier, He explained what the president’s thought process was at arriving at this decision and how they decided that, yes, it was a good thing and it was appropriate to take a pause. Here’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
SPEAKER 13 :
So two days ago, the president truth out that he was willing to negotiate with all these different countries that were interested. And then yesterday, he said he would do it in a bespoke fashion, you know, one by one individually. And the calls were unbelievable. And the key was it wasn’t just calls from all these countries because over 75 called. But they started calling and making real offers. Finally. Finally, really digging in and understanding how they treat the U.S. unfairly and really offering us a clear path to where we could do really good deals with these countries. And so finally, you know, Scott and I went in and we talked to the president, say, how would you like to deal with this? We have so many countries and they all want to do it now, like now. And then we came up with the view that, look, China is going in the other direction. Let’s take on China because they’re going in another direction. But with all these other countries, let’s give them a chance to negotiate these deals. And that’s what happened today.
SPEAKER 10 :
Welcome in to this Thursday edition of the Mike Gallagher Show. I’m Joey Hudson in for Mike today. We’d love for you to join the conversation. Was this the right thing to do, to pause the tariffs on most of the countries with the exception of China? It certainly helped your 401k statement. Again, don’t look at it. It came back some yesterday. Or, of course, the Democrats are critical of the president now. They were critical of him last week when he announced the tariffs. Now they’re critical of him that he’s taking them away or that he’s pausing them. Of course, we all know there’s nothing that Donald Trump can do that’s going to satisfy people like Chuck Schumer anyway. 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453 is how you join the conversation. Your phone calls are welcome. Teresa will put you in queue. We’ll talk as time permits. Text me on the MyPillow text line as well. Love your text messages. Email me directly, joey at joeyhudson.com. And I hope you’re joining us on the Salem News Channel as well. It’s going to be a great day on this Thursday edition of the Mike Gallagher Show.
SPEAKER 03 :
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SPEAKER 14 :
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SPEAKER 10 :
Joey Hudson in for Mike today. 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453 is how you join today’s conversation. Portions of today’s show made possible by Job Creators Network. Let me tell you about a great event coming up that I think you’re going to want to be a part of. It’s in the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia, May the 1st and 2nd. Mike Gallagher will be hosting this along with a lot of other great speakers. It’s the Job Creators Network’s annual Freedom Fighters Summit where they’ll spend two days discussing pressing issues that are facing our nation with conservatives like Trish Regan, Sarah Carter, Hugh Hewitt, Bill Bennett. You’ll also hear from policy folks like Grover Norquist, Stephen Moore, Kellyanne Conway, and Governors Youngkin and Kemp, along with members of the president’s cabinet, and a lot of members of Congress as well. All of this in one place, discussing the fights that we’re winning. and what we need to be doing in Washington. This isn’t just any event. If you can only attend one event this year, this is the one that you want to go to. And it’s real easy. Just go to jcn2025summit.com. jcn2025summit.com. Use promo code Salem, and you’re going to get a special discount. When you buy one ticket… You’ll get the second ticket for 50% off. There’s a limited number, so do this today. jcn2025summit.com. Hope to see you in Savannah. So the president yesterday, as he was meeting with a group of NASCAR drivers, it was just after He had announced a pause on tariffs, and, of course, the media was following them around the White House grounds and couldn’t resist. They had to ask him not about NASCAR drivers but about the tariffs, of course. He said that he was open to additionally provide some exemptions for certain U.S. companies. who had been especially hit hard by tariffs. The president and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett spoke to reporters yesterday, and they were asked repeatedly about the effect of the tariffs, the pause, of course, the effect that it’s had on financial markets this past week. And the president said, gave an explanation of his own. His officials, the Treasury Secretary, as I shared with you a minute ago, Commerce Secretary Lutnick, they all had been out previously explaining the position and why the president had changed his mind on the delay. But the president himself had this explanation in cut number one on why he decided to pause the tariffs after the past week saying he would not.
SPEAKER 15 :
Just a few hours later, there was a pause put in on the terrace. Can you walk us through what you’re thinking about why you decided to put a 90-day pause?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy, you know? They were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid, unlike these champions. Because we have a big job to do. No other president would have done what I did. No other president. I know the presidents. They wouldn’t have done it. And it had to be done. What was happening to us on trade, not only with, you know, if you look at it, not only with China, but China was by far the biggest abuser in history and others also. But somebody had to do it. They had to stop because it was not sustainable. Last year, China made $1 trillion off trade with the United States. That’s not right. And now I’ve reversed it. It’s for a short period of time, but we made $2 billion. We’re making now $2 billion a day. And somebody had to do it. Roger actually said it. Charles Schwab was here a little while ago, one of the great financial people, and he said, He’s been waiting for 40 years for somebody to do what I did over the last month. And if you didn’t do it, you wouldn’t have a country. It wouldn’t be sustainable. So I’m honored to have done it. And, you know, look, nothing’s over yet. But we have a tremendous amount of spirit from other countries, including China. China wants to make a deal. They just don’t know how quite to go about it. You know, it’s one of those things that are not quite the proud people. And President Xi is a proud man. I know him very well. And they don’t know quite how to go about it, but they’ll figure it out in the process of figuring it out. But they want to make a deal. And we have many other countries, as you know, many more than 75. And they all want to come, and they want to come here, or they’ll go to Commerce, or they’ll go to Treasury. We have our great senators here and congressmen. They’ll call John. They’ll do somebody. They’ll go through somebody. But they’re all calling. How do we do this? They all want to make a deal. Somebody had to do what we did. And I did a 90 day pause for the people that didn’t retaliate because I told them, if you retaliate, we’re going to double it. And that’s what I did with China because they did retaliate. So we’ll see how it all works out. I think it’s going to work out amazing. I think that our country is going to be at the end of a year or shorter. But I think we’re going to have something that nobody would have dreamt possible.
SPEAKER 10 :
President Trump yesterday at the White House, you could see him, if you’re watching us on the Salem News Channel, you could see all the NASCAR drivers standing behind him. That was the purpose of yesterday. He was congratulating some of the NASCAR champions this year. Of course, the trade war is far from over. I suspect over the next three months that a lot of deals will be made. And some of these countries who have been ripping us off for all these years, they’re going to rethink their policy. I don’t know where China is headed, though. As the president said, China is a proud country. And I think they are especially sensitive to appearing to bow to Donald Trump. So we’ll see. Over on CNN, Scott Jennings made a good point saying that this is a big, big win if we can create fair trade deals with other countries while also isolating China. Here’s Scott Jennings.
SPEAKER 01 :
I think one that a lot of people are making, Scott, and it also, I think, is enforced by what happened today, which was a fear that there was an erosion of trust in the United States as a fair broker in the world, as a market that investors even want to be a part of.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, the administration is pitching it just the opposite, which is that they’re going to deal with the rest of the world and try to isolate China. So I think they see it very much differently than the way Sanders is pitching it. And I think that’s the correct way to see it, because China is the bad guy here. They’re a bad actor. Anybody who does business with China, in and around China, knows you can’t trust them. They steal your IP. And then they resell it back here in the United States. I mean, they do terrible things to everybody that does business with them. And so if the net result of this ends up being that the United States creates fairer trade deals with the rest of the world and we end up isolating China, I think it will have been worth it.
SPEAKER 10 :
And that’s exactly what we’re doing here, folks. I’m Joey Hudson, in for Mike. Hope you’ll join the conversation on this Thursday edition of the Mike Gallagher Show.
SPEAKER 14 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
He’s the happy conservative warrior, Mike Gallagher, from your trusted conservative TV network, Salem News Channel, and broadcasting across hundreds of radio stations nationwide. Sitting in for Mike today, here’s Joey Hudson.
SPEAKER 10 :
What a day we had yesterday. It was a good one for the financial markets. The S&P soared 9.5% yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average nearly 3,000 points higher. And the NASDAQ jumped 12.2%, regaining some of those paper losses that we have seen this past week. We have all the details for you. We’ll jump into that. In just a moment, lots to talk about today, a lot of breaking news. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier in the week that the Trump administration could proceed with deporting illegals using the Wartimes Act, a couple of federal district judges, again, these district judges, have stepped in, one in Texas, one in New York, to try to stop the deportations. We have an update on that as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that would stop these rogue district judges from doing this. Thousands of illegal immigrants have started using a new government app to self-deport. Now, think about this for a minute. One of the first things that President Trump did upon being sworn in on January the 20th was to shut down the Biden-era CBP app that allowed illegals to get into our country. They literally could set an appointment on an app that they were encouraged to download in wherever they were, Mexico, South America, wherever, in order to help facilitate their entry into our country. Trump closed that app down day one. The new app that is up assists them in self-deporting. Trump’s app helps them get out of the country, and he’s encouraging people to do so rather than being arrested and taken out by ICE agents. And we’re told that thousands are using it. According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 5,000 people have voluntarily left the country using this CBP app. This all ties into a major effort within the Trump administration to get undocumented immigrants to leave on their own. It’s easier for everybody. It’s less expensive for us. It’s easier for them. Their family’s not disrupted. I mean, you have to think about it for a minute. It would be horrible, but let’s say that you’re an illegal family here, mom, dad, and a couple of kids. And dad is out doing something he shouldn’t do. He’s picked up by ICE agents and never goes back home. He’s taken to an ICE detention facility and then eventually taken back to Mexico or elsewhere if he’s a criminal. As far as burglary, robbery, murder, some of these, the worst of the worst, as the Homeland Secretary, Kristi Noem, said yesterday, that’s who they’re focusing on. He’s taken to a prison in El Salvador. It’d be a whole lot easier, wouldn’t it, if they just did this on their own. And I get this. I’m 1,000% in favor of this app. I think it’s money well spent. If we can get them to leave on their own. The flyer’s message that they’ve been circulating says that self-deportation is safe. Leave on your own terms by picking your departure flight and when you leave. President Trump has been very supportive, as you know. He released a video recently urging people to do just that, to self-deport. In it, he says that leaving voluntarily is the safest option and might help people eventually return legally. Here’s his video message.
SPEAKER 08 :
People in our country illegally can self-deport the easy way or they can get deported the hard way. And that’s not pleasant. The Biden administration exploited the CBP one app to allow more than one million aliens to illegally enter the United States. Now my administration is launching the CBP Home app to give people in our country illegally an easy way to leave now and self-deport voluntarily. If they do, they could potentially have the opportunity to return legally at some point in the future. But if they do not avail themselves of this opportunity, then they will be found, they will be deported, and they will never be admitted again to the United States ever, ever again. You’re never coming in.
SPEAKER 10 :
In the ReliefFactor.com studios, 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453. Hope you’ll join the conversation on this Thursday edition of the Mike Gallagher Show. We’ve got a lot to cover. as there’s a lot of breaking news. We live in fast times, fast-moving times. What do you think about this, though? I love it that they call it the CBP Home app, I guess meaning we’re going to get you home. We’re going to help you get home. The Trump administration is making it clear that deportation is a top priority. Speaking of the Biden era CBP One app, over a million illegals… who took advantage of that app have been told that they have to return home, they have to leave the country immediately. We’ll get into that, plus your phone calls and your comments on the MyPillow text line, 800-655-6453. I’m Joey Hudson, in for Mike Gallagher today.
SPEAKER 02 :
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SPEAKER 10 :
Joey Hudson in for Mike today. Glad to have you join me as we continue today’s show on the Salem Radio Network and the Salem News Channel. You can watch us on the Salem News Channel, on Pluto TV, Samsung Plus TV, and anywhere that you watch streaming TV. The Department of Government Efficiency, their X account, raised some eyebrows when they posted one of their latest projects, showing that people have been receiving unemployment benefits that, for example, they say that their survey found 24.5 thousand people over 115 years old claimed $59 million in unemployment benefits. Kind of like some of the Social Security stories we heard, right? 28,000 people between 1 and 5 years old claimed $254 million in benefits. So I guess there are some five-year-olds who are unemployed out there. And 9,700 people with birthdates over 15 years in the future. They haven’t even been born yet. They received $69 million in benefits. In one case, someone with a birthdate in 2154 claimed $41,000 in unemployment benefits. This is how our tax dollars have been wasted. And yet the left, they’re upset with Elon Musk. They’re upset with what he’s doing at Doze. They’re upset because he’s not a government employee. 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453. Back to the phones. We’re going to start with Stephen, who is in Hartford, Connecticut. Welcome, Stephen.
SPEAKER 11 :
Hi, Joey. I’m used to Mike, but it’s nice to meet you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Sure thing. What’s on your mind?
SPEAKER 11 :
What’s been on my mind is how the steps taken by the Trump administration, from how I see it, clash with the typical conservative ideal of pre-market and capitalism and that sort of thing. It seems that the justification that many conservatives are using to um you know explain trump’s actions is that it’s okay that he said he was going to do one thing and now he’s doing the opposite as long as it benefits the market and the economy as a whole and from my okay now now what are you talking about specifically steven what are you talking about specifically of him saying he was going to do one thing and did another
SPEAKER 10 :
Are you talking about the tariffs? Yes. Okay, so are you upset that last week he was saying he was going to put the tariffs in place and that he was going to be steadfast, and then yesterday he decided he was going to pause? Are you upset with that?
SPEAKER 11 :
I’m not upset that the tariffs went away. I’m a bit upset with the lack of consistency in communication with the American people.
SPEAKER 10 :
So you don’t give President Trump any credit for seeing the market situation where it was, seeing that 70-plus countries had immediately come to us saying, we want to talk, we want to negotiate, and you don’t see any benefit in the president pausing that while those negotiations can take place?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, the question is, is the juice worth the squeeze?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I think investors…
SPEAKER 11 :
If you disenfranchise people with an administration, this is the way to do it, by telling them you’re going to do one thing and leaving them with no way to conclude anything other than either he was lying before or lying now.
SPEAKER 10 :
Stephen, did you vote for Kamala Harris? Yes, I did. I thought you probably did. I appreciate your phone call. Hey, look, we are an equal opportunity radio show. Yes, yes, Stephen trying to get us there. There’s nothing that Trump could do that’s going to make Stephen happy. You agree? 800-655-6453. Mike is in Livingston, Tennessee. What part of Tennessee is Livingston in?
SPEAKER 06 :
It is northern middle Tennessee. Okay. Joey, let me tell you what. I’m a disabled Iraqi vet, retired criminal investigator. I mean, I knew. I was in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 when they were dipping their fingers in blue to vote, worried about getting turned into a pink mist. But now us vets in Tennessee are proud to be Americans again under Trump. I knew where $8 billion went. The Iraqis, the colonels was awarding contracts to the Iraqis. to spend $8 million on a helipad like at your hospital. And another staff sergeant told me, he said, Mike, you open your mouth. Ain’t none of us going to make it out of here alive. It was true. Because, I mean, I was a criminal investigator. I hate corruption from the White House to the outhouse where I live.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, hey, Mike, I appreciate your service to our country.
SPEAKER 06 :
Man, you’re on the right track, I’ll tell you that.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, thank you, sir. I appreciate you listening today, too. 800-655-6453. Hey, let me take a minute to talk with you about a friend of the Mike Gallagher Show. Let me introduce you to a true leader in tax and financial strategy, Dean Owen. He’s a combat veteran. He has an incredible team at MDN Owen CPA. Accounting Today has ranked Dean among the nation’s top 150 CPA financial advisors for the last three consecutive years. There’s no surprise that his work ethic reflects his integrity, his faith in God, and his conservative values that we all hold dear. Dean and his team specialize in helping families and businesses reduce their tax burden and to build financial and tax plans that are aligned with your goals and your values. They’re trusted experts who understand the importance of protecting what you’ve earned. I’ve had a chance to work closely with Dean, myself, with Mike, and he’s a stand-up guy. So don’t wait. Take control of your financial future. Call Dean Owens’ office, 270-554-0720. That’s 270-554-0720. You can also visit his website, owencpa.com. Let someone who shares your faith, shares your values, help you secure the future that you deserve. Tell Dean that Mike and Joey sent you. ONCPA.com, 270-554-0720. Back to the phones. Cole is in the United States. Where are you, Cole?
SPEAKER 12 :
I’m in Ohio.
SPEAKER 10 :
Ohio. Welcome.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, thank you.
SPEAKER 10 :
What’s on your mind?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I’m calling to talk about these tariffs you’re speaking of. I mean, it’s obviously stock market manipulation. I don’t know how you can perceive it as anything else.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, so you obviously are opposed to the tariffs.
SPEAKER 12 :
In what sense do you mean that I’m opposed to a tariff? I mean, explain to me what your idea of a tariff actually is, and then I can answer that question for you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, a tariff is pretty simple. A tariff is a fee, a tax, whatever you want to call it, on goods that are coming into our country and our goods that are going into another country. Cole, do you think it’s fair, Cole, that other countries have been charging us 50%, 60%? 70%? 80%? Cole, where are these people coming from today? 800-655-6453. Let’s try Eric in San Antonio. Hi, Eric. How are you?
SPEAKER 03 :
I’m all right. I’m a Trump supporter through and through, and I’d vote for him a fourth time if he decided to run. I’m sick and tired of all these people, all these Republicans saying, oh, we need to find out who was running the government when Biden was in office. You know what? He’s out. He’s yesterday’s trash. He’s yesterday’s newspaper. We’ve got the best damn president in our lifetime. We’ve got both houses of Congress. We don’t need Jim Jordan or Comer dragging people into Congress just to hold all-day hearings and nothing comes of it. Nobody’s going to get arrested. They’re probably just going to get a strongly worded letter. You know what? Get off your butt. Quit using that as a distraction and put forth the make-amiss.
