Trump TACO memes: Internet mocks tariff U-turns but President insists, 'I don’t chicken out’

A press briefing at the White House took an unexpectedly humorous turn on Wednesday after CNBC correspondent Megan Cassella confronted President Donald Trump with a cheeky new Wall Street acronym: TACO, short for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” The phrase, a nod to the president’s frequent reversals on tariff threats, has been making waves online and among traders.

Cassella asked, “Mr. President, Wall Street analysts have coined a new term called the ‘Taco trade.’ They’re saying ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’ on your tariff threats. And that’s why markets are higher this week. What’s your response to that?”

The question appeared to annoy the president, who quickly dismissed the suggestion that he had backed down.

“I chicken out? Oh, I’ve never heard that,” Trump replied. “You mean because I reduced China from 145% that I set down to 100 and then to another number?”

The president was referring to his tariff policy on Chinese imports, which had peaked at 145% before he lowered the rate—first to 100%, then again to 30%.
 

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Only last week, Trump had announced that a 50% tariff on European Union goods would take effect from 1 June. However, within two days, the deadline was pushed to 9 July, as Trump cited progress in trade talks. The sudden shift added fuel to the “TACO” nickname.

TACO Memes Flood Social Media

The acronym quickly went viral, triggering a flurry of memes across social media. Images of tacos featuring Trump’s face, chickens perched on his head, and animated gifs mocking his trade policies were shared widely.

One user posted: “THERE ARE NO TRADE DEALS. Because Trump Always Chickens Out.”

Another joked in rhyme: “The truth, in case there was doubt—Donald Trump may be losing his clout. His tariffs will reveal… he loses every deal. That’s because Trump Always Chickens Out.”

A third simply wrote: “TACOTrump stands for ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’! It’s funny ‘cause it’s true.”

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Trump Responds: 'That's a Nasty Question'

Later in the day, when asked again about the viral term during a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump appeared visibly irritated.

“Oh, I chicken out? Isn't that nice? I've never heard that,” he said sarcastically.

The president defended his decision to temporarily lower tariffs on Chinese imports and delay the EU tariff hike.

"You call that chickening out?" he asked reporters. “I think we really helped China tremendously because, you know, they were having great difficulty because we were basically going cold turkey with China. We were doing no business because of the tariff, because it was so high. But I knew that.”

As the exchange ended, Trump snapped back at the journalist.

“Don't ever say what you said,” he warned. “That's a nasty question.”

Despite the president's frustration, the “TACO” term continues to trend online, becoming the latest example of how internet culture intersects with political discourse.