Overview

• The U.S. economy experienced its first contraction since 2022, shrinking by 0.3% in Q1 2025, attributed to President Trump’s aggressive tariffs and trade policies.
• White House trade adviser Peter Navarro celebrated the economic downturn, framing it as a necessary step toward national sovereignty and manufacturing revival.
• Republican leadership has reframed economic sacrifice as a patriotic and masculine virtue, with commentators praising reduced consumption and manufacturing over service-sector growth.
• International student enrollment dropped 11%, and tourism declined 12%, raising concerns about the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. economy.
• Senator Rand Paul remains one of the few Republican lawmakers openly opposing Trump’s trade war, as most of the GOP aligns with the administration’s anti-growth policies.