Trump's Tariff Quake: Shaking the Global Economy at a Magnitude 10.0

If you thought 2025 had already seen enough earthquakes, think again! Yesterday, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs that will shake global trade for a long time. And because I love a good data comparison, I’ve put together an infographic that highlights two types of seismic activity:

- One that shakes the ground—the most significant earthquakes of 2025 so far, including the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, which tragically resulted in over 4,000 deaths.

- One that shakes economies—Trump’s new tariffs, hitting countries across Asia, Europe, and beyond.

While earthquakes and tariffs aren’t the same, they both expose vulnerabilities. The Myanmar earthquake reminds us that these disasters aren’t just about natural forces; they reveal how prepared societies are. The same 7.7 magnitude earthquake in another country with stronger building codes might not have caused such catastrophic losses.

Ironically, Myanmar is now also facing a 44% U.S. tariff, alongside many Asian nations that have spent decades building prosperous economies through trade, technology, and their labor force—often labeled as "cheap labor." Looks like 2025 is the year of shaking things up—both geologically and geopolitically.

Check out the infographic for the full comparison—because sometimes, economic policy feels just as shaky as the ground beneath us!