Stock market plunge dubbed ‘Orange Monday’ as Trump tariffs spark panic

U.S. stocks sank again as the market opened on Monday, as economic uncertainty brought by President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plans continues to shake markets.

The S&P 500 briefly entered bear market territory as it fell 20% from its most recent high. The NASDAQ and the Dow Jones Industrial Average opened down 4.5% and 3.78% respectively.

The markets saw a massive, but short-lived upswing shortly after opening amid an unsubstantiated report that Trump would implement a 90-day pause in tariffs. The White House called the rumor “fake news.”

While the markets have slightly recovered from their early Monday plunge, the S&P 500 is down 12% from one month ago, while the NASDAQ is down 14% and the DJIA down 11%.

Now, “Orange Monday” memes are proliferating on social media as Trump’s critics pin the market drops squarely on him and his tariff policies.

One X user played on the trend of inflating Vice President JD Vance’s face, while also making Trump extra orange.

“At least we now have a name for this market crash #OrangeMonday,” quipped one user.

“It can’t be a Black Monday because Trump banned DEI. So it must be Orange Monday instead,” said another.

“This Monday, orange is the new black,” joked someone else.

“When Donald Trump intentionally crashes the stock market, you don’t call it Black Monday. It’s Orange Monday,” echoed another poster.

Another critic similarly argued against dubbing the drop “Black Monday,” writing: “Markets are crashing globally—not from natural cycles, but from Trump’s reckless economic decisions. This is manufactured chaos, not normal volatility.”

Concluded another account: “It shall be called Orange Monday.”

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