At Last, MrBeast Weighs In on the Global Economic Crisis Du Jour
Greenville, NC – April 8, 2025
Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, the YouTube titan with over 380 million subscribers and a burgeoning business empire, has finally broken his silence on the escalating global economic crisis triggered by President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. In a characteristically quippy X post at 11:30 a.m. EDT today, the 26-year-old philanthropist and chocolatier took a swipe at the chaos rippling through markets, writing, “Ironically because of all the new tariffs it is now way cheaper to make our chocolate bars we sell globally NOT in America because other countries don’t have a 20%+ tariff on our cog.” The offbeat remark, paired with a follow-up lament—“A random price hike was pretty brutal ngl”—has thrust the internet’s favorite stuntmaster into an unlikely spotlight as Wall Street reels from a $2.5 trillion sell-off.
MrBeast’s commentary arrives as Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs—announced April 2 with levies ranging from 10% to 50% on imports—have plunged global markets into turmoil. The Dow Jones shed over 2,200 points in a single day last week, and economists now peg recession odds at 65% by year’s end, per Forbes. For Donaldson, whose Feastables chocolate brand operates in both Peru and the U.S., the tariffs hit a personal nerve. “Btw we pay our farmers a living income, use fair trade certified beans, etc. so I was already spending a lot on cocoa,” he added on X. “We’ll figure it out. I feel for small businesses though. Could really be a nail in the coffin for them.” Posts on X lit up with reactions, from “MrBeast gets it—tariffs are killing us” to “He’s joking while my 401k cries.”
The YouTuber’s offhand economic take isn’t just a flex of his 115 million TikTok followers’ attention—it’s a rare glimpse into how Trump’s policies are rattling even the most unconventional corners of commerce. Feastables, launched in 2022, sources cocoa internationally, a necessity MrBeast nods to with a history-lesson jab: “Crops don’t grow everywhere.” With U.S. tariffs jacking up costs, he’s hinting at a pivot away from domestic production—a move that mirrors broader corporate fears outlined in Reuters and The Guardian. Yet, true to form, he wraps it in levity, prompting TechCrunch to muse, “Not even the penguins on McDonald Island… have been spared” this economic mess.
Donaldson’s no stranger to big swings—his $5 million Beast Games prize on Prime Video set records—but this crisis tests his knack for turning chaos into opportunity. As CNN Business warns of a U.S.-led global downturn, his fans on X cheer the candor: “MrBeast should run the economy!” Others scoff, “He’s a YouTuber, not an expert.” Still, with small businesses buckling under tariff pressures, as he notes, his empathy strikes a chord. Whether he’s serious or just riffing, MrBeast’s weigh-in is a cultural pulse check—proof that even the king of extravagant giveaways can’t escape the gravity of a world turned upside down.
By Staff Writer, Digital Dispatch