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More or Less: Behind the Stats

The mistake in Trump?s tariff formula

More or Less: Behind the Stats

BBC

Business, Mathematics, Science, News Commentary, News

4.63.5K Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What is the error in the calculation Donald Trump used to work out his new tariffs?

What happened when the government ordered a recount of bobbies on the beat?

When is a tax freeze not a tax freeze?

And do redheads really have a 25% higher tolerance to pain?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.

This episode was originally broadcast on the 9th April.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Charlotte McDonald Producers: Nathan Gower and Lizzy McNeill Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

Transcript

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0:00.0

Before this BBC podcast kicks off, I'd like to tell you about some others you might enjoy.

0:05.1

My name's Will Wilkin and I Commission Music Podcast for the BBC.

0:08.7

It's a really cool job, but every day we get to tell the incredible stories behind songs,

0:13.5

moments and movements, stories of struggle and success, rises and falls, the funny, the ridiculous.

0:19.1

And the BBC's position, at the heart of British music

0:21.7

means we can tell those stories like no one else.

0:24.5

We were, are and always will be right there

0:27.2

at the centre of the narrative.

0:28.6

So whether you want an insightful take on music right now

0:31.3

or a nostalgic deep dive into some of the most famous

0:34.1

and infamous moments in music,

0:36.1

check out the music podcasts on BBC Sounds.

0:40.3

BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.

0:44.4

Hello and welcome to the last in this series of more or less. We're making a list,

0:49.4

we're checking it twice, just to make sure we haven't accidentally tariffed some penguins,

0:54.0

and I'm Tim Harford.

0:55.8

This week, when is a tax freeze, not a tax freeze? Hello, hello, hello, hello. Strange

1:01.4

goings on in the world of counting police officers? Charlotte McDonald tells me why redheads are

1:07.1

tougher than I am. But first, let's start with Liberation Day. The day, U.S.

1:13.7

trade policy liberated itself from the shackles of rationality. In a few moments, I will sign a

1:19.7

historic executive order instituting reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world. Reciprocal, That means they do it to us and we do it to them.

1:31.4

Very simple. Can't get any simpler than that.

...

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