"Wall Street Iron Fans" have also turned against it! Ackman: Firmly believes that imposing tariffs on the whole world starting April 9 is a mistake, and whoever suggested it should be fired immediately

Hedge fund mogul Bill Ackman publicly criticized Trump's global tariff plan, calling it "wrong" and "excessive." He urged a 90-day pause on tariffs to give the new administration time to formulate a more strategic trade policy.

On April 7, Ackman posted several messages on social media, clearly stating that implementing large-scale retaliatory tariffs on April 9 against countries worldwide—"far beyond the tariff levels we can bear"—is a mistake. In Ackman's view, the correct approach is to pause for 90 days.

Ackman stated that trying to reach an agreement during a market collapse is unhelpful for negotiations, and whoever recommended this plan to Trump should be fired immediately.

In another tweet, Ackman pointed out that business activity is essentially a confidence game, and building confidence relies on trust. By imposing large and disproportionate tariffs, the U.S. is effectively waging an economic war against the world. This approach is undermining confidence in the U.S. as a trading partner, a place for business activities, and an investment market.

Ackman emphasized that Trump has the opportunity to announce a 90-day pause to negotiate a tariff agreement and attract trillions of dollars in new investment into the U.S. Conversely, if a so-called "economic nuclear war" is launched against all countries on April 9, business investment will stagnate, consumers will tighten their spending, and the U.S.'s global reputation will suffer severe damage, with recovery potentially taking years or even decades:

During an economic nuclear war, which CEO and which board would be willing to make large long-term economic commitments in our country?

I don't know of any.

When the market crashes, new investments will stop, consumers will stop spending, and businesses will have no choice but to cut investments and lay off employees.

This is not just a loss for large companies. Small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs will suffer even more. Few businesses can significantly pass on increased costs to customers overnight. Even if they have no debt, the situation is the same; unfortunately, there is a lot of leverage in the system.

Business is a confidence game. The president is losing the confidence of global business leaders. The consequences for our country and the millions of citizens who support the president—especially those low-income consumers who are already under significant economic pressure—will be extremely negative. This is not the outcome we voted for.

Ackman stated that Trump has the opportunity to pause on Monday to buy time to correct the tariff system. "Otherwise, we will face a self-inflicted economic nuclear winter, and we better start preparing for it. Hopefully, wiser minds will prevail," Ackman wrote Ackman responded to those who attempted to question his views. These individuals tried to prove that he had conflicts of interest or was susceptible to tariffs, market crashes, or adjustments, and even suggested that he deliberately arranged his portfolio to benefit from the 90-day suspension of the proposed reciprocal tariffs.

Ackman clarified:

1. Neither he nor his firm, Pershing Square Capital Management, has used any margin leverage or any other tools or arrangements that would create liquidity issues for the company or the funds he manages in the event of a market crash. They have never used margin and will not use it in the future.

2. They have a substantial amount of cash on hand, ready to deploy from the sale of a recent large investment.

3. They have only one investment—Nike 3-year call options—that would be directly affected by tariffs, and this position accounts for only 1.5% of their portfolio.

4. Unlike many other asset managers, over 90% of their capital base is permanent, so they do not face the risk of investor redemptions.

5. They own some of the greatest companies in the world, which have enduring growth models and highly dominant franchises.

6. Their company is well-capitalized, and even if there is debt, it has a long-term, staggered maturity structure.

Ackman also stated that they do not short stocks and have not set up any hedging measures to protect themselves from market crashes, as they are long-term investors.

If the market crashes, they will incur losses measured by market value, but they will not sell stocks in a declining market. Instead, they will buy great companies at significant discounts, which will benefit them and their investors in the long run.

Additionally, Ackman mentioned that their company may repurchase its own shares, which would increase their intrinsic value per share and enhance the company's value over the long term.

In the long run, they are closely tied to the health of the country and its economy. If one must say this is a form of investment "conflict," then that is the only "conflict."

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