‘It Stinks’: Anthony Scaramucci and More on Twitter Mock Trump Trade Bill Called the ‘FART Act’

Tierney McAfee
Updated

President Donald Trump‘s administration has drafted legislation that would allow him to flout World Trade Organization rules and raise tariffs without congressional approval, Axios reported Sunday.

Although the reported bill could have significant implications for the global economy, social media users have been more focused on its unfortunate name: the United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act — or “FART Act.”

Trump’s short-lived former communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, was among the first to comment on the proposed bill, saying it “stinks.”

“WTO has its flaws, but the ‘United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act,’ aka the U.S. FART Act, stinks,” he tweeted. “American consumers pay for tariffs. Time to switch tactics.”

Axios says it received a leaked early draft of the act that was reportedly ordered by the president. The bill’s existence has not yet been confirmed.

But that didn’t stop Twitter users from cracking jokes about the bill’s odd name.

One Twitter user quipped, ” ‘The world is laughing at us’ says Trump, before proposing the FART Act (Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act).”

“The FART Act will be followed by the Path Out Of Prosperity Act (POOP),” joked another tweeter.

Once they got past the name, others were critical of the proposed bill, including two commenters who called it “terrifying.”

“They call it the ‘Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act’. Or, the ‘FART Act’. This is a real thing that is happening. Once you get past that, read the text of the bill. It’s terrifying,” one critic said.

Another tweeter wrote, “My head hurts so much…Trump is pushing a bill that’s literally called the US FART Act. It’s a terrifying over-reach of presidential power that would disintegrate decades of trade relationships with our allies and it’s also called the US FART Act.”