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Kevin O'Leary Slams Tariff Strategy: What Was Supposed to Be Simple Turned Into 'Chaos Overnight'

MarketDash Editorial Team
15 hours ago
Investor Kevin O'Leary is calling out the current tariff approach as messy and poorly executed. He argues tariffs should be reciprocal and targeted, not blanket policies that hurt American consumers and tax goods the U.S. doesn't even produce.

Kevin O'Leary has thoughts about tariffs, and he's not keeping them to himself. The investor and media personality has been vocal across interviews and social media, arguing that the current tariff strategy has veered wildly off course and is ultimately hitting American consumers where it hurts.

When Simple Plans Get Complicated

The original concept made sense, O'Leary explained in a recent MS NOW interview. Tariffs were supposed to be reciprocal—a direct response to value-added taxes other countries impose on American goods. "If Switzerland has an 8.3% value added tax in Switzerland on American goods sold there, which they do, why not just put on them a reciprocal 8.3% tax in U.S. domestic on goods like watches and gold bars?" he said.

Logical enough. But that's not how things unfolded. "Instead, we slapped on a 39% tariff and created chaos overnight. That is not strategy, that's friction," he wrote on X while sharing a clip from the segment.

O'Leary's point is that while the principle of reciprocal tariffs makes sense, the execution has been erratic and poorly aimed. "Eventually this all has to come back to reciprocity," he said. "Trade only works when it feels fair on both sides."

For what it's worth, that 39% Swiss tariff was eventually dialed back to 15% following a trade agreement in mid-November. Progress, maybe, but O'Leary's broader concern remains.

Taxing Things We Can't Even Make

One of O'Leary's sharpest criticisms targets tariffs on goods the United States doesn't produce domestically. Take aluminum. "You need bauxite to make aluminum. You also need 10 years to build a plant," he explained on MS NOW. "You also need almost a gigawatt of power, which the grid in the U.S. right now doesn't have."

"So no, tariffs are not magically creating jobs tomorrow," he added. His solution? Drop tariffs on imports like bauxite, potash, pineapples and bananas. "Why tax yourself?"

It's a fair question. Putting tariffs on materials we can't produce and products we don't grow doesn't protect domestic industry—it just makes things more expensive for Americans.

A Watch Enthusiast With Something to Lose

O'Leary's frustration isn't purely theoretical. After Switzerland faced tariffs in April, he appeared on Fox Business warning that the policy could disrupt a $5 billion luxury trade relationship between the two countries.

"Don't take my watch away from me," he said. "I speak on behalf of millions of collectors."

And he's not exaggerating his interest. O'Leary is known for an impressive collection of high-end timepieces from brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. Some of his watches—including the diamond-covered Rolex Daytona "Eye of the Tiger" and the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1—carry price tags ranging from $200,000 to $900,000.

So yes, he has skin in the game. But his broader argument stands regardless: tariffs should be strategic tools, not blunt instruments that create unnecessary friction and cost.

Back to News

Kevin O'Leary Slams Tariff Strategy: What Was Supposed to Be Simple Turned Into 'Chaos Overnight'

MarketDash Editorial Team
15 hours ago
Investor Kevin O'Leary is calling out the current tariff approach as messy and poorly executed. He argues tariffs should be reciprocal and targeted, not blanket policies that hurt American consumers and tax goods the U.S. doesn't even produce.

Kevin O'Leary has thoughts about tariffs, and he's not keeping them to himself. The investor and media personality has been vocal across interviews and social media, arguing that the current tariff strategy has veered wildly off course and is ultimately hitting American consumers where it hurts.

When Simple Plans Get Complicated

The original concept made sense, O'Leary explained in a recent MS NOW interview. Tariffs were supposed to be reciprocal—a direct response to value-added taxes other countries impose on American goods. "If Switzerland has an 8.3% value added tax in Switzerland on American goods sold there, which they do, why not just put on them a reciprocal 8.3% tax in U.S. domestic on goods like watches and gold bars?" he said.

Logical enough. But that's not how things unfolded. "Instead, we slapped on a 39% tariff and created chaos overnight. That is not strategy, that's friction," he wrote on X while sharing a clip from the segment.

O'Leary's point is that while the principle of reciprocal tariffs makes sense, the execution has been erratic and poorly aimed. "Eventually this all has to come back to reciprocity," he said. "Trade only works when it feels fair on both sides."

For what it's worth, that 39% Swiss tariff was eventually dialed back to 15% following a trade agreement in mid-November. Progress, maybe, but O'Leary's broader concern remains.

Taxing Things We Can't Even Make

One of O'Leary's sharpest criticisms targets tariffs on goods the United States doesn't produce domestically. Take aluminum. "You need bauxite to make aluminum. You also need 10 years to build a plant," he explained on MS NOW. "You also need almost a gigawatt of power, which the grid in the U.S. right now doesn't have."

"So no, tariffs are not magically creating jobs tomorrow," he added. His solution? Drop tariffs on imports like bauxite, potash, pineapples and bananas. "Why tax yourself?"

It's a fair question. Putting tariffs on materials we can't produce and products we don't grow doesn't protect domestic industry—it just makes things more expensive for Americans.

A Watch Enthusiast With Something to Lose

O'Leary's frustration isn't purely theoretical. After Switzerland faced tariffs in April, he appeared on Fox Business warning that the policy could disrupt a $5 billion luxury trade relationship between the two countries.

"Don't take my watch away from me," he said. "I speak on behalf of millions of collectors."

And he's not exaggerating his interest. O'Leary is known for an impressive collection of high-end timepieces from brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. Some of his watches—including the diamond-covered Rolex Daytona "Eye of the Tiger" and the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1—carry price tags ranging from $200,000 to $900,000.

So yes, he has skin in the game. But his broader argument stands regardless: tariffs should be strategic tools, not blunt instruments that create unnecessary friction and cost.

    Kevin O'Leary Slams Tariff Strategy: What Was Supposed to Be Simple Turned Into 'Chaos Overnight' - MarketDash News