The Last Time a President Used Tariffs to “Save America,” It Triggered the Great Depression

The Last Time a President Used Tariffs to “Save America,” It Triggered the Great Depression

Economists Shocked to Discover That Repeating 1930s Policy Still Leads to 1930s Results

Gather ‘round, kids, for a little tale called: “How to Crash an Economy in Three Easy Steps.”

Spoiler: It already happened once. And now, some folks seem determined to do it again.

In June 1930, President Herbert Hoover (a man now most remembered for having shantytowns named after him—Hoovervilles, anyone?) thought he had the perfect solution to America's economic woes: slam massive tariffs on the rest of the world. Thus, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act was born. The goal? Protect American jobs and keep money in the U.S.

The result? Global trade collapsed, other countries hit back with their own tariffs, and America spiraled straight into the Great Depression like a kid going down a slide into a pit of broken glass.

And Hoover didn’t stop there. Once prices went up, unemployment exploded, and people couldn’t afford basic necessities, he pivoted to step two:

Blame immigrants.

Enter the Mexican Repatriation Program, where the U.S. government decided the best way to “protect” American jobs was to deport people—including tens of thousands of actual U.S. citizens. Because nothing says economic recovery like kicking out your workforce during a labor crisis.

Still, the economic ship kept sinking. So what did Hoover do next?

Gave all the lifeboats to his banker friends.

He handed bailout money to big corporations and railroad tycoons—his literal golf buddies—while turning away starving Americans with the excuse that government aid would “weaken the country.” Because apparently, feeding people during a depression is just too socialist.

And now, nearly a century later, we’re speedrunning the Hoover playbook again:

Tariffs to “boost” the economy? Check.

Rising prices and economic uncertainty? Check.

Rising hostility toward immigrants? Double check.

Corporate bailouts while average folks drown? You already know.

The only thing missing is a president handing out breadlines with one hand and tax breaks for billionaires with the other.

So why is this happening again? Why does history keep repeating like a bad sequel no one asked for?

Simple: the people in charge either didn’t read the history books… or they did, and thought Hoover was the hero.

Coming this fall: Hoovervilles 2 – The Tentpocalypse.

Because nothing screams “economic superpower” like a nation building luxury condos for billionaires and slums for everyone else.