[ARandumGuy]

It's possible. The wealthy are a lot better positioned to make a lot of money during a bear market then the average person, as they can afford to buy a lot of stocks when they're cheap. Just look how much money billionaires like Bezos or Musk made during COVID.

But even if that's their plan, that doesn't mean they're executing it competently. The specific tariff amounts do not seem well thought through, and fighting a trade war against literally every other country in the world seems like a bad idea.

There's an idea called Hanlon's Razor which states "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity". It's a good rule of thumb, but it implies that malice/stupidity is an either/or choice. I think that the Trump tariffs are a malicious plan executed stupidly, and if nothing changes the effects will be catastrophic.