'He Goes Ballistic on Truth Social': Economist Peter Schiff Calls Out Donald Trump for His Inability to Handle Criticism

Economist and Euro Pacific Asset Management chief economist Peter Schiff — who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s economic policies, particularly regarding tariffs, trade deficits and claims about the strength of the U.S. economy — recently excoriated the president for his inability to handle criticism.

Schiff, who has described himself as a supporter of Trump during the 2024 election, has warned that "Trumponomics" is fueling inflation, debt and a potential financial crisis.

While on "The Iced Coffee Hour" podcast, which focuses primarily on business and finance, he said the POTUS is particularly fragile of late.

Describing a December 2025 interview he did from Dubai with Fox News in which he picked apart the president’s failing economy, Schiff said, “Trump can’t handle any criticism . . . the president was awake, watching Fox & Friends at five in the morning. Who the h--- else is watching it?”

Schiff infuriated Trump with that Fox & Friends Weekend appearance in which he argued that "Trumponomics" was causing accelerating inflation, worsening affordability pressures and unsustainable deficits.

Schiff challenged the administration’s narrative that prices were falling, stating that the "real economy is going bust" and that "it's not going to get better for a long time.”

That set the 79-year-old POTUS off as he took to Truth Social to blast the network and Schiff, calling the economist a "Trump-hating loser,” questioning why Fox & Friends Weekend would feature him in the first place.

Trump then instructed the network to "check out the 'booker' who put ‘this jerk’ on."

Schiff fired back on X, publicly challenging the commander-in-chief to a debate on the economy.

“Since Pres. Trump called me a jerk and a loser for claiming that prices are still rising when he insists they're coming way down. I challenge him, or his designee, to a debate on the U.S. economy and the efficacy of his policies. If I'm as wrong as he says I am, let him prove it,” he posted on X in December.

That debate never happened.

"He goes ballistic on Truth Social. They ought to rename it because there's nothing truthful on Truth Social… It's 'Lie Social,'" Schiff said on the podcast in March before blasting the president's desire to maintain Fox News as state-run media.

“He hears me on Fox, and he goes ballistic. ‘How dare Fox News have somebody on that criticizes me? Isn't it supposed to be Fox News? Is it just a propaganda arm of the Trump administration? That’s what he wants," Schiff noted.

"He doesn’t want Fox News having objective economists on to render an opinion," he added.

Schiff has consistently countered Trump’s claims of a "booming" economy, stating that while the stock market might be high, the "real economy is going bust," noting that inflation continues to rise and layoffs are widespread.

He has also said that while he's defended Trump against what he saw as unfair criticism during the Biden administration, he believes that in his second term, Trump is making the affordability crisis worse.

Regarding Trump’s frequent policy shifts on social media, Schiff asked on X, "Is this Trump being a master negotiator, market manipulation, or just an indication that the President has no idea what he is doing?"