Donald Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs: Did Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace really predict the trade wars?

On April 2, 2025, Donald Trump announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on over 60 countries, triggering a wave of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace memes that turned satire into prophecy. Internet users invoked Trade Federation blockades, Queen Amidala’s warnings, and Palpatine’s power grabs to make sense of Trump’s tariff regime, which bypasses Congress via executive authority. The film,