US-China trade war: AI memes on 'Tariffman' Trump, Americans doing factory jobs are viral

'Tariffman' Trump and Americans in factory floors feature in most of the viral memes on social media.

As US President Donald Trump introduced new reciprocal tariffs and added fuel to the trade war with China, social media blew up with hilarious Chinese memes taking potshots at the American manufacturing sector. While imposing the punishing tariffs, Trump had said that his policies would revive America's lost manufacturing base by forcing companies to relocate to the US. But many business experts and economists question how quickly -- if ever -- this can take place, warning of higher inflation as the tariffs raise prices.

Moreover, viral AI-generated memes mock the idea that the US can seamlessly rebuild its manufacturing base and convince its workforce to return to factory floors, especially for low-wage, high-effort jobs -- a segment China has long dominated in the global supply chain.

One of the viral memes shows obese Americans slowly working their way on the factory floor -- a dig at both the US's fight against obesity (nearly three-quarters of US citizens are overweight or obese, found a 2024 study) and the workers' inability to pace up, speed being crucial in such manufacturing units.

Chinese memes on American re-industrialization rolling in. lol the music. pic.twitter.com/GZE2jHDgWZ
Gabor Gurbacs (@gaborgurbacs) April 7, 2025

Some other memes depict Trump as "Tariffman" whose weapon of choice is tariffs.

Tariff Man x $GHIBLI pic.twitter.com/f1q8RZ0nfNTariff Man (@TickerBillions) April 7, 2025

TARIFFMAN the coin thats slapping tariffs on the entire planet. Inspired by chaos. Minted for profit.Hes not here to trade. Hes here to TAX.Buy now or get tariffed!link to buy $tariffman coin#tariffs #crypto #altseason #memecoin #TariffWar #TrumpTariffs #Trump pic.twitter.com/ImoC3NMens
Andr Di Mauro (@andredimauro) April 4, 2025

TariffMan strikes again: slapping fees on imports like a caped crusader. Hero or villain of the economy? You tell me. #TariffMan #billions pic.twitter.com/OgELVsfTWZfor cult (@cultmemebullish) April 7, 2025

Tariff Man coded Send it to billions2jQLVgU6JjoyBLNarnRvaTNTvNhQWhmQwwzp3DwPpump pic.twitter.com/Ez1NjaHrd1
Chancelot (@itakexhances) April 7, 2025

Meanwhile, investors have also taken to social media after Trump's tariffs resulted in wiping trillions of dollars off the stock markets. Some retaliated with memes.

#stockmarketcrash #Nifty #Sensex pic.twitter.com/zJdZFrkgcy Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) April 7, 2025

USA and China applying reciprocal tariffs on one another.Europe is crying in the corner. pic.twitter.com/KtRm04bq7q
Bitcoin Gladiator (@LivingInGratit2) April 4, 2025

Trump said Tuesday his government was working on "tailored deals" with trading partners, with the White House saying it would prioritise allies like Japan and South Korea.

His top trade official Jamieson Greer also told the Senate that Argentina, Vietnam and Israel were among those who had offered to reduce their tariffs.

Trump told a dinner with fellow Republicans on Tuesday night that countries were "dying" to make a deal.

"I'm telling you, these countries are calling us up kissing my ass," he said.

But Beijing has shown no signs of standing down, vowing to fight a trade war "to the end" and promising countermeasures to defend its interests.