Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, is openly criticizing President Donald Trump's trade policies. As markets react to Trump's latest round of tariffs, Gerber says the damage to the U.S. economy is already underway—and could get worse.
“The stock market doesn't lie. Simplest way to get back to ATH is reverse everything that Trump has done. It's that simple,” Gerber wrote on X. “Even a rumor sent the market way higher.”
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Tariffs Could Hurt, Not Help
In a series of posts on April 7, Gerber argued that Trump's aggressive tariff strategy is pushing the economy in the wrong direction.
“There is no way these tariffs can go into effect without serious damage to the US economy,” he wrote. “This is basically a crappy way to negotiate. We moved from a position of strength to weakness. Whatever ‘deals’ we make would be worse than if this was handled by a professional.”
Gerber also predicted that the administration will eventually be forced to soften its approach. “Just a matter of time till we see all the ‘exceptions’ and ‘deals’ being made to lessen this disaster in 3rd grade Econ,” he added.
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A Heated Exchange With Bill Ackman
Gerber’s criticism didn't stop with Trump. On April 3, he responded directly to hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who had defended Trump’s negotiation tactics by suggesting that appearing “crazy” could be strategic.
“Bill please. Enough excuses. You’re a smart man. This is garbage policy,” Gerber replied.
Chess grandmaster and a prominent critic of authoritarianism, Gary Kasparov, also weighed in, saying, “That only works if you're not actually crazy, I'm afraid,” in a clear jab at Trump's leadership style.
Global Market Fallout
Their comments came after Trump announced sweeping tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners. The move triggered a $2 trillion drop in global market value and reignited debate about how effective these trade tactics really are. At the time of writing, April 9, the global markets are down more than $10 trillion.
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Ackman later suggested that foreign leaders should reach out to Trump directly, calling him a dealmaker who sees the world as transactional. But Gerber wasn't buying it. Responding to Fox Business senior correspondent Charles Gasparino, who said that the goal of the new tariff policy is to negotiate reciprocal agreements to reduce tariffs with trading partners, Gerber said, “This is a bad way to do business.”
At the core of Gerber's argument is a belief that Trump's approach to trade is creating more instability than strength. For Gerber, the fastest way to calm markets and restore confidence is to undo what's been done.
“Even a rumor” of change, he said, was enough to send markets higher. That alone, he believes, says everything.
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