Former NBC News star Chuck Todd compares Trump’s tariffs to major Biden failure

By ALEXA CIMINO FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: 20:38 BST, 12 April 2025 | Updated: 20:40 BST, 12 April 2025

Former NBC News host Chuck Todd has drawn a striking parallel between Donald Trump’s tariffs and what he calls the defining failure of the Biden presidency.

Speaking on the Press Club podcast, Todd cautioned that Trump’s aggressive tariff strategy — which includes a proposed 60 percent tax on all Chinese imports and a 100 percent levy on electric vehicles — could prove ‘politically catastrophic’ if it triggers a market backlash.

‘I think tariffs are the only thing that can break Trump’s base,’ Todd said. ‘That’s the only issue. Because it’s a competency thing. It’s like what happened to Biden with Afghanistan. 

‘Afghanistan became a competency question. And I think this tariff business for Trump becomes a competency question.’

The comparison to Biden’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan — an episode that saw his approval ratings nosedive — wasn’t just rhetorical. 

Todd warned that voters may be more unforgiving when a candidate’s competence, rather than ideology, is in question.

‘Competency can be more lethal than ideology,’ Todd said. ‘I don’t think Trump ever gets above 45 percent approval again — unless there’s some rally-around-the-president moment we can’t foresee.’

His comments come as Trump’s latest tariff push has already shown signs of economic whiplash. 

Speaking on the Press Club podcast, Todd cautioned that Trump’s aggressive new tariff strategy could prove ‘politically catastrophic’ if it triggers a market backlash or economic instability

In a move that stunned markets, Trump imposed massive taxes on key Chinese imports, while sparing certain high-tech items like iPhones, laptops, memory chips and processors

In a move that stunned markets, Trump imposed massive taxes on key Chinese imports, while sparing certain high-tech items like iPhones, laptops, memory chips and processors. 

The carve-out shields companies like Apple and Samsung from price hikes — and American consumers from paying significantly more at checkout.

But the exemptions also raise questions about inconsistency — and whether Trump’s economic messaging, long rooted in ‘America First’ manufacturing rhetoric, is starting to falter under scrutiny.

‘I’m over 50 — I’m looking at my portfolio every hour,’ Todd joked. ‘People say voters don’t pay attention to the stock market. But the voters most likely to show up in a midterm election? They absolutely do.’

As Todd explained, Trump risks turning off fiscally conservative voters, especially retirees and investors, who may view steep tariffs as market disruptors. ‘These are constituencies Trump is now rattling,’ he added.

In a separate appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Todd didn’t hold back in his criticism of the media — including his own network — for sidestepping Biden’s cognitive struggles in 2020.

‘That was the fundamental mistake,’ Todd said. ‘Some in the media thought if we diminish Biden, we’re boosting Trump. That was held back. It was held back a lot.’

Todd acknowledged that voters weren’t fooled, even if reporters were hesitant. 

Chuck Todd warned that Trump’s tariff strategy—much like Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal—could potentially alienating his own base

‘The public isn’t stupid. They saw the signs,’ he said. ‘Biden using the back staircase, skipping interviews. But there was a collective reluctance in the media to say it out loud.’ 

He also criticized the press for embracing Trump’s de-platforming after January 6, arguing that it played a role in further eroding trust. ‘What did Trump do? He built his own information ecosystem,’ Todd said. 

‘Now legacy media is playing catch-up on YouTube. They don’t have the influence they used to because they went along with the de-platforming exercise.’

Though long critical of Trump, Todd made it clear that defending free speech applies across the board: ‘I’m going to defend the First Amendment when Trump tries to kick the press out—but we have to defend his rights too.’

Todd’s remarks reflect a broader concern that both Trump’s tariff gambit and Biden’s policy fumbles stem from a similar root problem — political miscalculation paired with shaky follow-through.

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Former NBC News star Chuck Todd compares Trump’s tariffs to major Biden failure

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