«2 dolls and 5 pencils»: Trump wants kids to do their part

Under pressure from the American public’s negative reactions to his tariff war with most countries, with the notable exception of Russia, Donald Trump, whose fortune surpassed 7 billion dollars in January according to Bloomberg, maintains a position of defiance in the face of growing American criticism of his economic policy, particularly with regard to…. the number of dolls and pencils American children should have.

In an interview with NBC News, the president reaffirmed the comments made the previous week at a cabinet meeting marking his first 100 days in office, that little girls should be content with two dolls rather than 30, even though they will cost more. This time, he added, it would also be enough for American children to own just… five pencils.

At a time when the President has launched a major tariff war against China, a move that is likely to cause major disruptions to store supplies in the USA in the coming weeks, critics are growing ever more vociferous about the billionaire president who has made a fortune for himself and his children since the start of his political adventures, especially with the launch of his “meme coin” crypto-currency, which alone, according to the Financial Times, would have generated at least $350 million in revenues in just three weeks after its launch in January 2025.

Attempting to downplay the scale of the coming disruption to the homes of American families, Trump said, in response to a question about the effects of his tariffs on consumers, «I don’t think that a beautiful baby girl needs (…) to have 30 dolls».

He also said: «They don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.» The president went on to say, in reference to dolls and pencils, that he didn’t think it was worth wasting money on useless stuff you don’t need.

He added that, in his eyes, it doesn’t matter if strollers and dolls become more expensive: the main thing being… the price of gas. «Thousand of times more important than a stroller or something,» he concluded.

Asked about the anticipated duration of this tariff transition, Trump admitted he didn’t know the outcome, while assuring: «We’re making a lot of money, we’re doing great.».