Palast discusses Trump, tariffs, FEMA and that birthday parade with WVON Midday Show host Cleopatra Draper.

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[Verse 1] He stood in a mill with his red tie tight Told the boys in hard hats, “I’ll stand and fight” But behind that grin and the photo flash Was a deal with the devil and a payday stash

Steel was strong, but the truth is cold He sold out the workers for a bar of gold Laid off in Gary, gone in Duluth While the billionaires laughed in their tailored suits

[Chorus] 🎶 It’s the Great American Tariff Scam A fist full of promises, a smoke screen sham Jobs fall down while the prices climb And the ones who get rich are the friends of the crime He said “I’m here to help,” then he took what he can— That’s the Great American Tariff Scam 🎶

[Verse 2] Steel rolls rustin’ by the railroad track While Wall Street wolves keep slappin’ our backs They killed the deal that could save the plant Now the furnaces cool and the wages slant

Imports rise with a tariff tax Domestic jobs? Ain’t comin’ back From cars to cables, we all pay more While they cheer from behind their private doors

[Chorus] 🎶 It’s the Great American Tariff Scam Wrapped in a flag with a glory cam He blocks the fix and blames the flame Says “I’m the hero!”—but he lit the game He’s the arsonist in a fireman’s van— That’s the Great American Tariff Scam 🎶

[Bridge] He said, “I’m here for the working man” But he hands the loot to the richest hands From Nippon Steel to the union hall It’s always the worker that takes the fall

[Verse 3] Now the ladle’s dry and the silence loud As the union boys stand heads unbowed They know the truth from the spin and smoke From every empty promise that the huckster spoke

[Final Chorus] 🎶 It’s the Great American Tariff Scam With a hard hat lie and a photo glam The jobs went south, the truth went cold But he sold you pride like it’s solid gold Steel don’t bend, but a worker can— In the Great American Tariff Scam 🎶

[Outro – spoken over a slow fade] “Praise me,” he said, “I stopped the fire.” But he was the one with the gasoline and the lighter.

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