Now that we have a new thread, in order to ensure that this thread continues to meet TL standards and follows the proper guidelines, we will be enforcing the rules in the OP more strictly. Be sure to give them a complete and thorough read before posting!
NOTE: When providing a source, please provide a very brief summary on what it's about and what purpose it adds to the discussion. The supporting statement should clearly explain why the subject is relevant and needs to be discussed. Please follow this rule especially for tweets.
Your supporting statement should always come BEFORE you provide the source.
On April 04 2025 05:33 KT_Elwood wrote: 50% of the consumer spending in the US is done by the 10% of wealthiest households.
Your future is to make something they need, and not something your fellow poorer 90% peers need.
High quality luxury yacht interiors, private nuclear propulsion... this kind of stuff.
Edit:
"The right" at the core always assumes that you will do to them, what they would do to you given the chance. They don't trust in "mutual beneficial" because they need to see somebody else lose in order to make their Brain accept that they won.
I think you are painting 'the right' with far too broad a brush. Check out Ben Shapiro's comments today. International trade is not viewed as a 'zero sum game' by a huge proportion of 'the right' tall foreheads.
Shapiro is a Republican voter and a substantial portion of Republicans share his views expressed in the video above.
Guys from 'the right' like Henry Hazlitt, Friedrich Hayek, etc etc view international trade and all trade thru the lens Shapiro presented today on his show.
~20% of the USA is libertarian and in the last election a lot of them voted Republican. They adhere to the theories espoused by guys like Hazlitt, Hayek etc.
Trump will not be able to carry through fully with his grand years long tariff plan because Republicans will stop supporting him in this area.
EDIT : I am wearing my Friedrich Hayek t-shirt today. Sexy women flock to me when I am wearing it.
Trump’s been able to follow through on a hell of a lot of things that such types ostensibly oppose, maybe this is the bridge too far, but remains to be seen.
The "emergency condition of fentanyl" that legally permits Trump to tariff Canada is being attacked by many American Republican politicians on many levels.
Except on the only level that matters, overturning the state of emergency.
On April 04 2025 05:53 JimmyJRaynor wrote: Check out Ben Shapiro's comments today.
@4:22 Shapiro: factory work sucks. Trump wants to bring back factory jobs? huh? I worked in a factory assembling swimming pool parts. Highly paid... and absolutely brutal. IMO, factory work is very rough. I can do it short term.. I can't do it long term. Anyone who can do it long term has abilities i do not possess.
@5:33 ... the reason the % of middle class decreased slightly since 1980 is that 16% of the middle class graduated to upper middle class status.
I like to think I'm upper middle class because I'm a super genius. I went from nothing .. with no help from any one... against all odds... yada yada yada...
Welp, that's obviously BS... a big factor in people like me moving from lower middle class to upper middle class is that we've lived in nations that make that improvement absolutely possible.
I believe the reason for all this has almost nothing to do with economy or trade. Trump did it/is doing it because it makes him the most important man in the world. He is being talked about by everyone all the time and on news stations across the globe. He also loves that it is something he can do without worrying about congress or the senate. And on top of that important people from everywhere need to call and talk to him about exceptions or whatever.
It is fantasy come true. That it is fucking the US does not matter to him one bit.
I also agree with the analysis that this won't last long and he will backtrack on it over non changes. Which is why it didn't crash the market further. However, I think he will continue to hold it over everyone's head, so that he can be the top story when ever he wants. This of course will be bad for the US because people will continue to be worried. But since all he cares about is him and the attention, he will continue to act this way.
If you try to make sense of this from a economic or what is best for America then it makes no sense., but if you look at this through the what gives Big Donald the most attention it makes perfect sense.
On April 04 2025 05:28 Biff The Understudy wrote: The way i understand maga is that they are the world like a zero sum game. You win when others lose, you lose when others win. The idea of cooperation and mutual benefits seem totally absent from the thought of those people.
They seem especially true with trump himself. It really feels like when other countries are hurting from what he does, it has to be a win for America.
It’s such a miserable vision of the world i find it just so sad.
I have thought this for awhile. Trump and his MAGA adherents are not capitalists; they are mercantilists. He believe there is a fixed amount of wealth in the world (or rather his actions suggest an implicit belief even if he doesn't actually have a well thought out view), and therefore if the other side has gained, it must mean he has lost. Mercantilists were deeply concerned with hording their gold reserves. A trade between France and Spain would still be a net loss to Britain because gold was going to a rival and not Britain. Well, it's not gold per se any more, but it's the trade deficit that is the obsession and functions in the exact same way. Is there less gold/ more trade deficit at the end of the year. Then your side lost. Is there more gold/ a trade surplus at the end of the year. Then your side won.
It is a view that causes interfering governments to create bad trade policy and limit the Wealth of the Nation.
The ortho formula works We are living in the stupidest timeline where trade deficits are being called tariffs and used to justify 'counter' tariffs.
Moar tariffs! Moar tariffs! Make American T-shirt manufacturing and coffee and cocoa bean farming great again!
I think it is interesting to compare how Mexico has dealt with tariffs compared Canada. I think Mexico/Sheinbaum is doing a better job by staying quiet and letting things play out. Let Trump pontificate... gesticulate... then carve out exemptions deep in negotiations. then, don't talk about it. This is how Canada dealt with various powerful loud-mouth american politicians for decades. Mexico stole Canada's playbook.
On April 04 2025 07:44 WombaT wrote: I just don’t see if coming from Republicans pressuring Trump en masse as Jimmy seems to expect.
it is impossible to know what is going on in Trump's head that will make Trump change course on tariffs. Republicans oppose it and they ain't going away. Personally, I prefer a national sales tax to replace the revenue from eliminating income tax. That sales tax would act as a tariff for foreign producers. Local producers can always strike cash deals. I love cash deals.
Apparently, the day one effects of Trump's global tariffs were so economically catastrophic, that the stock market had the largest drop since *Trump's first term as president*.
"Dow nosedives 1,600 points, S&P 500 and Nasdaq drop the most since 2020 after Trump's tariff onslaught ... Stocks plummeted Thursday, sending the S&P 500 back into correction territory for its biggest one-day loss since 2020, after President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs, raising the risk of a global trade war that plunges the economy into a recession." https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/04/02/stock-market-today-live-updates-trump-tariffs.html
A not so wise man once said, if the DOW ever drops over a 1000 points in one day, the president should immediately resign.
Edit: Apologies, this was me falling for fake news. It can't be proven he ever tweeted that. It was just so fitting and a long lasting memory, never checked it.
Still a sad day. 1679 points. Condolences to the people who will loose their job.
On April 04 2025 08:17 Billyboy wrote: I believe the reason for all this has almost nothing to do with economy or trade. Trump did it/is doing it because it makes him the most important man in the world. He is being talked about by everyone all the time and on news stations across the globe. He also loves that it is something he can do without worrying about congress or the senate. And on top of that important people from everywhere need to call and talk to him about exceptions or whatever.
It is fantasy come true. That it is fucking the US does not matter to him one bit.
I also agree with the analysis that this won't last long and he will backtrack on it over non changes. Which is why it didn't crash the market further. However, I think he will continue to hold it over everyone's head, so that he can be the top story when ever he wants. This of course will be bad for the US because people will continue to be worried. But since all he cares about is him and the attention, he will continue to act this way.
If you try to make sense of this from a economic or what is best for America then it makes no sense., but if you look at this through the what gives Big Donald the most attention it makes perfect sense.
Thats definitely his main drive, but politically it aligns with what the oligarchs want. they can swoop and and buy businesses for penny on the dollar soon. I do disagree however, I think he will do this long term until there is enough backlash, and then claim he did the hard thing that america needed. call the crash a win and move on.
On April 04 2025 12:28 r00ty wrote: A not so wise man once said, if the DOW ever drops over a 1000 points in one day, the president should immediately resign.
People who make and circulate images of fake tweets are indeed of suspect wisdom.
On April 04 2025 05:33 KT_Elwood wrote: 50% of the consumer spending in the US is done by the 10% of wealthiest households.
Your future is to make something they need, and not something your fellow poorer 90% peers need.
High quality luxury yacht interiors, private nuclear propulsion... this kind of stuff.
Edit:
"The right" at the core always assumes that you will do to them, what they would do to you given the chance. They don't trust in "mutual beneficial" because they need to see somebody else lose in order to make their Brain accept that they won.
I think you are painting 'the right' with far too broad a brush. Check out Ben Shapiro's comments today. International trade is not viewed as a 'zero sum game' by a huge proportion of 'the right' tall foreheads.
Shapiro is a Republican voter and a substantial portion of Republicans share his views expressed in the video above.
Guys from 'the right' like Henry Hazlitt, Friedrich Hayek, etc etc view international trade and all trade thru the lens Shapiro presented today on his show.
~20% of the USA is libertarian and in the last election a lot of them voted Republican. They adhere to the theories espoused by guys like Hazlitt, Hayek etc.
Trump will not be able to carry through fully with his grand years long tariff plan because Republicans will stop supporting him in this area.
EDIT : I am wearing my Friedrich Hayek t-shirt today. Sexy women flock to me when I am wearing it.
Trump’s been able to follow through on a hell of a lot of things that such types ostensibly oppose, maybe this is the bridge too far, but remains to be seen.
The "emergency condition of fentanyl" that legally permits Trump to tariff Canada is being attacked by many American Republican politicians on many levels.
Except on the only level that matters, overturning the state of emergency.
Thank you. As far as i understand, those republicans could just turn that state of emergency off in congress. You wouldn't even need a lot of them, as democrats would surely vote against this state of emergency, too. You don't need to work against it on many levels, there is exactly one level that matters.
On April 04 2025 05:33 KT_Elwood wrote: 50% of the consumer spending in the US is done by the 10% of wealthiest households.
Your future is to make something they need, and not something your fellow poorer 90% peers need.
High quality luxury yacht interiors, private nuclear propulsion... this kind of stuff.
Edit:
"The right" at the core always assumes that you will do to them, what they would do to you given the chance. They don't trust in "mutual beneficial" because they need to see somebody else lose in order to make their Brain accept that they won.
I think you are painting 'the right' with far too broad a brush. Check out Ben Shapiro's comments today. International trade is not viewed as a 'zero sum game' by a huge proportion of 'the right' tall foreheads.
Shapiro is a Republican voter and a substantial portion of Republicans share his views expressed in the video above.
Guys from 'the right' like Henry Hazlitt, Friedrich Hayek, etc etc view international trade and all trade thru the lens Shapiro presented today on his show.
~20% of the USA is libertarian and in the last election a lot of them voted Republican. They adhere to the theories espoused by guys like Hazlitt, Hayek etc.
Trump will not be able to carry through fully with his grand years long tariff plan because Republicans will stop supporting him in this area.
EDIT : I am wearing my Friedrich Hayek t-shirt today. Sexy women flock to me when I am wearing it.
Trump’s been able to follow through on a hell of a lot of things that such types ostensibly oppose, maybe this is the bridge too far, but remains to be seen.
The "emergency condition of fentanyl" that legally permits Trump to tariff Canada is being attacked by many American Republican politicians on many levels.
Except on the only level that matters, overturning the state of emergency.
Thank you. As far as i understand, those republicans could just turn that state of emergency off in congress. You wouldn't even need a lot of them, as democrats would surely vote against this state of emergency, too. You don't need to work against it on many levels, there is exactly one level that matters.
Literally just 4 of them.
At least they voted against the Canada ones which is like pulling one bale of hay out of the barn on fire.
In before some Republicans find their non-existant spines and stop the madness (not that the damage isn't allready done)...
Just so the american people in all their wisdom vote for even worse people because they got betrayed. You are so lost.
What would you guess will the next Republican presidential candidate be? Assuming a primary? I would bet on some comedian that "tells how it is" and "isn't afraid to break some eggs".
I wonder what the US is going to do. I wonder how they're going to align themselves in the upcoming weeks/months. I'm wondering how they will deal with this uncertainty and volatility and hope markets settle on a not too harsh note.
I really wonder why stirring the pot when things are going fine is needed. Maybe US is anticipating WW3? Maybe they're worried about domestic manufacturing not being able to keep up with China... literal arms race again? We all know where that ends up. Prepare yourselves accordingly I'd say.
On April 04 2025 17:55 Uldridge wrote: I wonder what the US is going to do. I wonder how they're going to align themselves in the upcoming weeks/months. I'm wondering how they will deal with this uncertainty and volatility and hope markets settle on a not too harsh note.
I really wonder why stirring the pot when things are going fine is needed. Maybe US is anticipating WW3? Maybe they're worried about domestic manufacturing not being able to keep up with China... literal arms race again? We all know where that ends up. Prepare yourselves accordingly I'd say.
It is a good question, but afaik, tariffs on foreign goods has always been a cornerstone of Trump's political platform. He said it would bring lost jobs back to rural US, and people wanted to believed him. I still think he believes in this himself, macro economics in the long term has never been something he excels at. He looks at trade deficits like the real-estate guy he is, if we buy more from you than you buy from us, you are screwing us over.
Now when the tariffs are here, the consequences are obvious, even before the retaliations have been announced. High costs of living was a key topic before this election, and voters are more impatient than ever. My hope is that even being evil against people you don't like is less important than affording stuff you want to buy.
I admit my predictions related to US internal politics keep getting more and more wrong but I'm still convinced the populist right will collapse after Trump's final term and we'll go back to the standard Republican candidates after Trump's magic runs out.
I've seem an interesting analysis yesterday. However, it all hinges on one thing: people playing alond and wanting access to that consumer market instead of looking elsewhere. The entire plan falls apart when countries just say: "no thanks, I won't grovel and beg on my knees for you to play nice with me again."