Samir Arora mocks 'foreign economists' for reading too much into Trump's tariff hints

Samir Arora, Founder and Fund Manager of Helios Capital

Market watchers were on tenterhooks, eagerly waiting for the inaugural speech of the newly sworn-in 47th US President, Donald Trump, hoping he would drop some spicy hints about tariffs on Chinese imports or other countries. But to their surprise, Trump kept them in suspense, choosing to postpone any tariff talk on Day 1 and even extended legal ban on popular social media platform TikTok.

Samir Arora, a market veteran and founder of Helios Capital, took to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) with a cheeky remark, poking fun at all the foreign economists and commentators on TV who took Trump’s tariff promises too literally. He called them "completely vele" – a fun way to say they were “just hanging around with nothing better to do.”

“It was ridiculous to see over the past few months—especially after Trump invited President Xi to his inauguration and was openly trying to save TikTok—that foreign economists and commentators were seriously calculating inflation, crises, and trade drops based on Trump’s Day 1 tariff talk. Complete ‘vele,’” Arora quipped.

ALSO READ: Trump's Day 1 in office: From executive orders to reiterating his tariff threats, all you need to know

Instead of unveiling specific tariffs on China, Trump opted to have his administration focus on addressing global trade unfairness and investigating whether Beijing had honoured its previous agreements. This decision sets the stage for potential trade duties down the line but offers some relief to companies that feared an immediate tariff storm.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised a 10–20 percent tariff on all imported goods, with a massive 60 percent on Chinese products. He also vowed a 25 percent tariff on products from Canada and Mexico, plus an additional 10 percent on Chinese goods.

In addition, Trump signed an executive order granting TikTok a 75-day extension to comply with a law mandating the platform’s sale or ban on his first day. He floated the idea of a 50-50 joint venture with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, though he didn’t provide any further details on how that might work.

A flurry of comments followed Arora's post on 'X' wherein users mocked "commentators" and said that they thrive on twisting news to sensationalise it. For instance, a user pointed out that while Trump roars with promises of tariffs and trade wars, his actions—like inviting President Xi or trying to save TikTok—suggest a more strategic, measured approach.