Trump remark about 1890s rebuked online: “Such ignorant thinking”

Former President Donald Trump‘s recent comments praising President William McKinley’s economic policies of the 1890s have sparked criticism on social media.

During a town hall event at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, on Friday, Trump lauded the tariff-heavy economic approach of the late 19th century, particularly under McKinley, a Republican. The visit was part of Trump’s 10th trip to the battleground state, highlighting the Great Lakes State’s importance in his electoral strategy.

“In the 1890s, our country was probably the wealthiest it ever was because it was a system of tariffs,” Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, said. “We had a president, you know McKinley? Remember Mount McKinley? He was a very good businessman, and he took in billions of dollars at the time. We were a very wealthy country at the time.” Mount McKinley, now officially known as Denali, was named after the 25th president.

Trump’s remarks came as part of a broader discussion on manufacturing and job creation in the United States. The former president who has long been an advocate for protectionist trade policies has said that implementing tariffs would help bring manufacturing jobs back to America and boost the economy.

“We need a smart series of tariffs and taxes,” Trump told the audience, many of whom were autoworkers concerned about job security in the face of industry changes and economic pressures.

However, Trump’s praise for 19th-century economic policies quickly drew sharp rebuke from various corners of the internet, including historians and economic experts who challenged his characterization of McKinley’s economy.

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Steele took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his dismay at Trump’s comments and wrote: “I’m sitting here in an airport watching clips from Trump’s recent rally. And I am wondering why do we continue to subject ourselves to such ignorant thinking?”

Steele, a Trump critic, also questioned why Americans “persist in devolving to Trump’s retrogressive view of America and its citizens” and “make excuses about and for the lies and the liar.”

Newsweek has contacted Trump’s spokesperson and Steele’s office via email on Saturday for comment.

While tariffs can provide short-term protection for specific industries, they can also lead to increased costs for consumers and potential retaliation from trading partners. The Peterson Institute for International Economics has estimated that a 20 percent tariff could raise annual costs for the average American family by $2,600 due to higher prices.

T.J. Stiles, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian, disputed Trump’s claims on X, writing on Friday, “Trump is no better as a historian of the 1890s than he is of the Civil War. No, it wasn’t America’s wealthiest time. No, McKinley wasn’t a businessman.”

Stiles pointed out that McKinley’s first major tariff bill, which he authored while in Congress, “in part cost Republicans the House & White House.” The historian referenced the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890, which raised duties on imported goods by about 50 percent and contributed to significant political losses for the Republican Party in subsequent elections.

Contrary to Trump’s portrayal of the 1890s as an era of unprecedented wealth, the United States experienced a severe economic depression from 1893 to 1897. Journalist Paul Farhi noted on X on Friday that during this period, “Banks failed; the unemployment rate was more than 10 percent for five years.”

The Depression of 1893 was one of the most severe economic downturns in American history. According to the Economic History Association, unemployment rates exceeded 10 percent for half a decade, a level of sustained high unemployment only seen again during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The economic contraction began in January 1893 and lasted until June 1894, followed by a brief period of growth. However, a second recession hit from December 1895 to June 1897. Real gross national product (GNP) fell approximately 4 percent from 1892 to 1893 and another 6 percent from 1893 to 1894. Despite a recovery in 1895, the economy contracted again by about 2.5 percent from 1895 to 1896.

The impact on the average American was significant. Due to population growth of about 2 percent per year, real GNP per person didn’t surpass its 1892 level until 1899. Immigration, which had averaged over 500,000 people per year in the 1880s, dropped to an average of only 270,000 from 1894 to 1898.

This period was marked by violent strikes, political upheavals, and far-reaching social and intellectual developments, making the Depression of 1893 a watershed event in American history.