Different Era – Same Burden
If you know anything about the Great Depression good for you. If not reading the following will give some insight on how it came about. Along with chilling similarities to the current President of the US. In 1929 Herbert Hoover was president of the US and in 2025 Trump is president of the US.
The two men similarities
Both Hoover and Trump were wealthy businessmen elected to the presidency without having held any prior elective office.
Both men were elected during periods of perceived economic prosperity, though both later presided over severe economic downturns.
Hoover– signed the protectionist Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which many economists believe worsened the Great Depression.
Trump– I am sure you have heard and experienced the Tariffs Trump has enforced. a key part of his “America First” trade policy.
Hoover’s– administration orchestrated “repatriation drives,” deporting up to 1.8 million people of Mexican descent during the early years of the Great Depression.
Trump– Critics have drawn parallels to Trump’s mass deportations in 2018. In his current term he is using the National Guard and intends to militarize the United States deporting illegals and Americans alike. This is an entire story that deserves much more facts and research to get a handle on the lengths he has gone to in order to control the country.
Hoover– The Tariff Act of 1930, commonly known as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, was initially intended to protect American farmers who had struggled throughout the 1920s with falling prices and overproduction.
Trump– in 2018, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on imported steel, aluminum, and other products, including billions of dollars worth of goods from China. The stated goal was to renegotiate trade deals and create a better trading environment for American industries, including farmers.
Hoover -Other countries retaliated with their own tariffs on American products, causing a dramatic decline in international trade. Farm exports dropped by a third between 1929 and 1933.
Trump-The latest news from farmers in 2025 was a third of their soybean crops are a total loss. Trump agreed to help Argentina’s president with a 20 billion dollar bale out while breaking farmers trading with China because of Tariffs. China will now buy the crops left to rot in the US from Argentina.
Hoover– Many economists believe the retaliatory tariffs exacerbated the effects of the Great Depression, particularly in agricultural regions where bank failures increased
Trump– History is repeating itself and it is frightening.