John Oliver hilariously tears into Trump’s terrible math while explaining how the White House’s ‘tariff equation’ works

We already knew that the math behind Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs was complete and utter nonsense, but for those who don’t understand why, John Oliver is here to break it down for us.

Speaking on his show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the comedian tore into the president’s tariffs which have already had negative effects on the American economy. He took a close look at the equation used to figure out the tariffs other countries supposedly had on the U.S. and revealed something shocking.

The equation does not relate to tariffs at all

Last week a financial journalist cracked the equation and shared the worrying truth behind how the numbers were worked out. Oliver explains it pretty succinctly on his show. You take the exports of a country and subtract how much the U.S. imports from them (also known as the trade deficit). Then all you do is divide it by the imports once more.

This is absolutely insane. WTAF.

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— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) April 7, 2025

Sounds simple right? That’s because it is, although as one individual on X pointed out, “MAGA brains won’t comprehend this.” In actuality it’s very basic math being disguised as something more complex. Another equation was released by the White House, but it was pretty much the same thing with extra steps. 

The problem with this equation

The thing that’s worrying about this equation is, as John Oliver points out, “those things have nothing to do with tariffs.” The studio audience laughs at that statement when he says it, but it’s not a joke, it’s literally the truth. Oliver goes on to make some wild comparisons to get across just how idiotic this White House equation really is. 

“It would be like trying to figure out the square footage of your home by dividing your phone number by your dog’s age.”

This would be hilarious if we were watching a satirical comedy about politics. However, this is literally what the Trump administration is doing in real life, Oliver isn’t even really exaggerating.

Donald Trump’s tariffs are unfair

Many have labeled the president’s reciprocal tariffs unfair and they’re not wrong. To call them “reciprocal” is just a straight up lie. Despite this, Trump and his loyalists such as Marjorie Taylore Greene insist on maintaining that this is the U.S. finally standing up for itself with these additional taxes. 

The reality is the White House pretty much made up a bunch of numbers to excuse higher taxes on its own citizens. At the end of the day, that’s who it’s going to affect the most: the American consumer. It’s clear as day to almost everyone, and yet Trump is either too bullheaded or ignorant to see it.