Donald Trump posted a string of complaints aimed at Democrats and opponents of his controversial tariffs Sunday night, ending an already chaotic week by moving his conflict online.
Trump aired his grievances on his social media platform, Truth Social, surrounding the nomination process for his administration picks. He then defended his tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China while threatening to pull funding for yet another ally and strategic partner altogether.
Of 114 Trump nominees, eight have been confirmed by the Senate. Another 68 are being considered while 38 are awaiting confirmation, according to figures published by The Washington Post.
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Those confirmed include Marco Rubio (secretary of state), John Ratcliffe (CIA director) and Pete Hegseth (secretary of defense). Those awaiting votes include Pam Bondi (attorney general), Elise Stefanik (U.N. ambassador) and Doug Collins (veterans affairs secretary).
Linking to a Fox News clip of host Mark Levin titled, “Democrats are ‘shredding the Constitution,’” Trump backed Levin’s complaints.
“Democrats are purposefully delaying virtually all of my Nominees. No matter how good and well qualified someone is, they are taking maximum time for approval — and laughing about it. They’re having a good time at the Country’s expense and safety," Trump wrote.
“If George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were nominated for a position, the Democrats would take it out to the last moment before having to approve. It is disgraceful! They can’t get over the landslide loss suffered in the Presidential Election. But the Democrats don’t understand, with what they’re doing, that their losses will only get greater. Republicans must GET TOUGH — AND MUST GET TOUGH VERY FAST. We need our Nominees NOW, for the Safety and Good of our Country!"
Minutes later, he turned his attention to South Africa, claiming “certain classes of people” were being treated “very badly.”
South Africa is notably the birthplace of Trump’s “first buddy,” Elon Musk. According to Reuters, the U.S. committed approximately $440 million in assistance to South Africa in 2023. According to the State Department, the U.S. government has also provided more than $7.25 billion to the country through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); another program halted under Trump 2.0.
“South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention,” Trump wrote, likely referring to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to sign a law allowing the state to seize land, much of which is owned by whites, without compensation.
Trump continued the move was “a massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”
Last month, Ramaphosa told reporters he “was not worried” about his relationship with Trump and said he was a “great dealmaker.”
In other posts, Trump continued to brag about water flow in California despite reports the 78-year-old almost flooded farms in the northern part of the state when he ordered several reservoirs to increase their outflow of water—plans that were later ratcheted down to avoid damaging local communities.
Trump also posted a slew of “re-truths” from MAGA identities including Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Yet it was his controversial move to impose tariffs against Canada, China and Mexico that took up many of Trump’s late-night posts.
“Anybody that’s against Tariffs, including the Fake News Wall Street Journal, and Hedge Funds, is only against them because these people or entities are controlled by China, or other foreign or domestic companies," Trump claimed. “Anybody that loves and believes in the United States of America is in favor of Tariffs. They should have never ended, in favor of the Income Tax System, in 1913.”
He finished: “The response to Tariffs has been FANTASTIC!”
The post came hours after the president admitted that the move could affect ordinary Americans and cause “some pain”.
“THIS WILL BE THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA!” he wrote in a post while taking aim at critics. “WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!).”
Trump repeated many of his complaints while taking questions from reporters Sunday night.
He referenced “a little pain” the U.S. could experience under Trump’s tariffs, adding, “We may have short term, some, a little pain. And people understand that.”
He raged at South Africa once again, along with Canada for being “very abusive to the United States for many years,” warning “we can play the game all they want.”
He confirmed he would speak with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Monday morning. “I don’t expect anything very dramatic,” he said.
He added the U.K. “is way out of line” but added he was confident “that one can be worked out.”
