 "'Watermelon head': Trump mocks Adam Schiff as criticism over tariffs mounts")
President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, mocking his appearance. “Adam Schiff has the smallest neck I have ever seen and the biggest head — we call them watermelon head,” Trump said, gesturing with his index finger as he questioned how Schiff’s ‘big fat face’ could sit atop such a slender neck. “It’s a mystery, no one can understand,” he added.
The comments came as Schiff continues to emerge as one of Trump’s most persistent and vocal critics, particularly on the administration’s economic policies. “But he is the most dishonest person I have ever seen, and how we can allow people like that to run an office is a shame,” Trump said.
Schiff fires back
Responding to President Trump’s comments, Schiff shared a clip of the speech on X, along with a caption: “The President of the United States seems oddly focused on me. Shouldn't he be focused on the economy he’s crashing?”
Schiff has warned of the potential fallout from Trump’s aggressive trade agenda, especially the administration’s escalating tariff measures. The California senator has repeatedly cautioned that such moves could send the US economy into a severe downturn — one he’s dubbed the ‘Trump recession’.
Sharp economic rebuke
“This is uncoordinated, capricious and simply destructive. He’s going to tank our economy, and he could tank much of the economy around the world,” Schiff said in a scathing critique. He accused Trump of isolating the US on the world stage and drawing closer to authoritarian regimes.
“The only nations that seem to be immune from his caprice are the dictatorships like Russia, Iran, and North Korea. He’s treating countries like he’s treating corporations, like he’s treating law firms, like he’s treating members of the press. It’s part of the same caprice that you will often find with a dictator.”
‘Trump recession’ warning
In a recent appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, Schiff rejected Trump’s claims that tariffs would spark an ‘economic revolution’.
“I don’t agree with any part of that,” he said. “And unfortunately, he’s wrecking our economy.”
Schiff warned that if the nation slips into recession, it would be directly attributable to Trump's policies. “I hope and pray we stay out of recession," he said. "But if we head into a recession, it will be the Trump recession.”
The senator further said, “I’m hearing from farmers who still haven’t recovered market share from the tariffs during the first Trump administration. I’m hearing from people in the tourist industry. You have people from other countries now who don’t want to come here, most particularly Canadians.”
As markets continued to plunge, Schiff took to social media again, this time questioning Trump’s sense of urgency and priorities.
“$5 trillion in retirement accounts and investments erased, and Donald Trump is... golfing. But those billionaire tax cuts? The Senate is working nights and weekends to make that happen for him. Gotta have priorities,” he posted on X.
Market turmoil follows tariff hikes
Trump recently implemented sweeping tariff hikes: a 104 per cent tariff on Chinese imports, 20 per cent on goods from the European Union and other major trading partners, and 26 per cent on Indian products. Though the EU had proposed a ‘zero-for-zero’ tariff deal on industrial goods and automobiles, Trump dismissed the offer, demanding Brussels commit to purchasing $350 billion in American energy before considering any relief.
The market reaction was swift and severe. The S&P 500 has plunged 20 per cent since its February high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen over 17 per cent.
Global markets were similarly rattled. China’s Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 27 per cent in a single month, while India’s stock markets experienced a dramatic crash on Monday.