‘Did you even watch Madagascar?’: Economists scratching heads after Trump announces tariff on penguins

Donald Trump has just rolled the dice on the United States economy with “Liberation Day”, which enforces tariffs on pretty much every country imaginable. From the second he confirmed he was going ahead with his plan, the dollar’s value started to plummet, brokerages began quietly locking their upper-floor windows, and white-faced economists began muttering things like he’s “full-on crazy“.

But look, let’s get some perspective. I’m sure even Donald Trump wouldn’t gamble with the lives of every American without carefully thinking through all the ramifications. I mean, even this administration wouldn’t be reckless enough to simply print out the Wikipedia list of countries and randomly assign tariffs. What’s that? He’s put tariffs on an island inhabited only by penguins? Oh.

Yup, in a development that’s basically on par with JD Vance clambering atop the White House to install a giant neon sign that blinks “WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE DOING”, the Trump administration has come down hard on Heard Island and McDonald Island, slapping them with a 10% tariff on all goods exported to the United States.

As these islands are only inhabited by penguins, that’s not expected to amount to much. Their sole industry is fishing but, in a foolishly short-sighted economic move, the penguins haven’t set up a flash-freezing and fish export facility to boost GDP and reinvest profits into their infrastructure. They just… eat the fish.

With all Americans facing a grim economic outlook, many have seized on this for some chuckles in the darkness:

I never thought the US President would start a trade war with penguins, but here we are. What crazy times to be alive. #TrumpTariffs

Last laugh of the night. Night all 😂😴 pic.twitter.com/jydlfgq6Cj

— Crystal 🇨🇦 (@BluenoserGalNS) April 3, 2025

Thanks trump!!!
He just tariffed a bunch of penguins! 🐧
Those damn penguins are not going to get away with not paying taxes!!
Why..we oughta..
TO THE MOON!!..you thieving tax free birds!!! pic.twitter.com/lwtaTfCbuv

— 🌊😺Just Me 🇺🇲🪷⚖️ 🗽 🇺🇦 (@SueZieCue) April 3, 2025

The penguins are going to pay for what they did to our country. Believe me. 🥴 pic.twitter.com/8142XsMGN8

— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@NotHoodlum) April 3, 2025

I know everyone is laughing about the tariffs on the uninhabited island where the penguins are but I wouldn’t mess with them guys, did you even watch “Madagascar”???? They’ll destroy us pic.twitter.com/v3ktrxiRs3

— Brunette Bohemian (@Jane_Doe82) April 3, 2025

But while the penguins of these obscure islands might emerge from Trump’s trade wars relatively unscathed, the rest of us won’t be so lucky. The price of every imaginable consumer good is set to skyrocket, exacerbated by a rock-bottom dollar and no signs of sanity over the White House. Huh, perhaps those weirdos who’ve been yelling that we should convert our savings into gold bars were right after all.