What do ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ and Liberation Day have in common?
Apr 2, 2025, 7:00 PM | Updated: Apr 3, 2025, 5:30 pm
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order imposing tariffs on imported goods during a "Make America Wealthy Again" trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Touting the event as "Liberation Day", Trump announced sweeping new tariffs targeting goods imported to the U.S. on countries including China, Japan and India. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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SALT LAKE CITY — Remember the classic ’80s film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”? Well, that day actually has a lot to do with another day, one that has been deemed by the president as ‘Liberation Day’.
Related: Trump announces sweeping new tariffs to promote US manufacturing
Over the last few months, a clip from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” has gone viral.
@nowthisimpact ‘Bueller? Bueller?’ — This iconic scene with Ben Stein might be 37 years old but feels like essential viewing as we all argue about tariffs #taxes #trump #economy #films ♬ original sound – NowThis Impact
The scene is in stark contrast to the fun day off Ferris Bueller is having. Students are bored out of their minds as they “listen” to a teacher droning on about… tariffs. Specifically, the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.
What stands out to me as I watch this now (because, let’s be honest, I had no idea what was being said the first time I watched this) is a specific line from the teacher.
“(The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act) … raised tariffs in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone? … Anyone know the effects? … It did not work, and the United States sank deeper into the Great Depression.”
And while the movie is fiction, the facts are true. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act followed the 1929 stock market crash, and while the Republicans that backed the law intended it to help the U.S. recover, it is regularly blamed for pushing the country into the Great Depression.
The connection to Liberation Day
So, why am I talking about an almost 40-year-old movie? Well, a whole bunch of tariffs just dropped… again.
President Trump dubbed April 2, 2025, as Liberation Day and declared on Wednesday a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and higher tariff rates on dozens of other nations.
Now, according to this Ferris Bueller scene, and many economic professors, we should be worried. History has a funny way of repeating itself, and it didn’t work out so well last time.
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act has cast a dark shadow over the idea of tariffs for decades. So why are people still arguing for tariffs today? Because there’s still a chance they could help American jobs.
The Trump administration says tariffs are necessary to counter unfair trade practices by other countries and protect American jobs.
There are previous historical instances prior to the 1920s where domestic jobs did see an increase. But more than just tariffs can affect job growth.
So, I guess we’ll have to see where these tariffs take us this time because, according to the president, “it’s already started.” And I don’t think he is going to take a day off.
In the meantime, you can brush up on your tariff history and watch “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
