The recent swathe of tariffs announced by President Donald Trump on April 2, dubbed Liberation Day, has meant that trillions of dollars have been wiped from the global markets.
The S&P 500, which tracks the share price of the largest companies in the US, briefly entered a bear market, marking a 20 per cent drop from the recent highs it saw just two months prior.
Trump is urging the American people to remain calm, even as losses continue to be felt in the States and around the world.
Meanwhile, in a series of posts on Truth Social, the president’s own social media platform, Trump has created a new word and seemingly an unofficial new party... the “Panican Party”.
Here’s a breakdown of what he said and what the new term means.
What is a Panican?
“The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added: “Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!). Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!”
The word appears to be a portmanteau of ‘panic’ and ‘American’, or perhaps ‘panic’ and ‘Republican’ – although the latter would be an odd choice to ridicule, as that’s the president’s own political party. It refers to the people who Trump claims are panicking needlessly about the crashing stock market.
It’s worth noting that the “Panican Party” is a fictional political party, and not one that has actually sprung up in response to Trump’s second term or the new tariffs.
PANICANS are losers and failures!
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 7, 2025
Don’t be a PANICAN!! pic.twitter.com/nV0jl7OSKL
On social media, people have begun using the term on both sides of the political spectrum, mocking either Trump for his use of it or using it to ridicule any anti-Trump groups.
Trump supporter and representative for Georgia's 14th congressional district Marjorie Taylor Greene used the term on X in support of the president, saying: “PANICANS are losers and failures! Don’t be a PANICAN!”
Others have used the term to poke fun at the president, with faux congressman and author Jack Kimble writing on X: “Oh phew. When I heard Trump created a new word PANICAN, I thought that meant we were invading Panama and Canada today.”
