1. Not really. We make plenty of our own pharmaceuticals, as others have mentioned, and Europe makes them as well. What do I care if China wants to make products that affect our everyday lives? Do you think those products have cooties? Are you afraid that you'll start to look more Chinese if you use those products? Are you afraid you are going to start greeting people with "ni hao ma?" 2. Not all surpluses and deficits are created equal. Trump continues to add to the national debt, so obviously, DOGE is not working (do YOU like surpluses or deficits?). Trade deficits are not a big deal, if other countries are providing lesser-value-added products and you are exporting greater-value-added products. As the world's largest economy, it is to be expected that we have trade deficits with most of the world's countries. U.S. companies do not want to make T-shirts, plastic silverware, and plastic buckets. As long as the products are not poisonous, I don't care who makes them for us. 3. I noticed you were quick to blame Clinton, Bush, and Obama. But there was a fourth president that you did not blame. He was in office from 2017 - 2020. Are you too weak-kneed in your Slavish love for Trump to accept that he has been part of the problem? And again, if tariffs are so good for the U.S., why didn't Trump enact a 125% tariff on China in his first term?
Not surprising. The tariffs on the ROW was rolled backed because China and China alone retaliated, making it necessary for Trump to refocus on China. To them, China is now their shield. It then makes sense for them to continue to embolden China to take on Trump, which takes pressure off of them and gives them leverage in negotiations. Some Trump supporters seem to have this asinine belief that his move to cut tariffs to a still high 10% on the ROW while leaving China at 125% somehow isolates China. No, it makes China stand out to the ROW as their hero. They're still being tariffed, and the reprieve is only for 90 days. If they abandon China and China folds then what's gonna happen to them in 90 days?
The IMF goes after Donald Trump, warns he is triggering global recession The International Monetary Fund is warning countries about an impending global recession, citing US President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy and geopolitical indifferences as factors that could destabilize global financial markets. In a report released Monday, the IMF cautioned that escalations in geopolitical risk, especially related to trade conflicts, could lead to major and lasting corrections in global asset prices. The global lender noted recent developments, particularly the White House’s tariff agenda, have introduced a “heightened uncertainty” that could disrupt macro-financial stability across economies. ................................................ Per the IMF, price movements were more profound on April 2, the US president dubbed “liberation day,” when a fresh round of tariffs was announced against imports from several countries. The Fund said institutions such as banks, hedge funds, private equity firms, and pension funds face elevated risks from large, unpredictable market moves. According to the report, margin calls, an event that occurs when banks require borrowers to post additional collateral, have seen an uptick that has given hedge funds a run for their money.
There’s a reason one of Trump’s business school professors called him “the dumbest goddamn student [he] ever had.” He’s also relying on an “economist” with ideas so kooky he resorts to creating a fictitious person to cite as support for the ideas. But the issue you cite is about negotiation strategy which he’s shown to be quite poor, whether here or his attempts at ending the war in Ukraine. Through all this I wonder if there exists a proverbial straw that broke the camels back for Trump Republicans. Is there literally anything he could do to lose their support? At this point I don’t have a clue what it would take. People are literally excusing him for losing their businesses due to his tariffs. Husbands are excusing him for deporting their wives. Etc.
Not while he is in power. If he leaves office in disgrace and general loathing like GWB, they may get to a point where they pretend it never happened and just sort of disassociate themselves from any of it. They wont admit any mistakes and will proclaim their powerlessness if pressed on it, which I would say would be true of most people, its sort of a human failing.
maybe you posting this will give it more attention than I did. This is potentially a really big deal that could lead to covid like supply disruptions. All China had to do, which they just did, was turn a little screw that could shut down certain manufacturing, with very little impact on them - the revenue they get from selling rare earths.
This bit reminds me of the ending of Killers of the Flower Moon, where the husband just cant confront what he participated in and his being complicit
Emergency? More like smergency. Small business suing the GOP leader? Up is down, down is up. U.S. businesses sue to block Trump tariffs, say trade deficits are not an emergency A group of businesses on Monday sued President Donald Trump, seeking to block new tariffs that he has imposed on foreign imports in recent weeks. The lawsuit alleges that Trump has illegally usurped Congress’ power to levy tariffs by claiming that trade deficits with other countries constitute an emergency. “His claimed emergency is a figment of his own imagination: trade deficits, which have persisted for decades without causing economic harm, are not an emergency,” the suit says. “Nor do these trade deficits constitute an ’unusual and extraordinary threat.”
Our suppliers have containers sitting at the ports not being loading on ships. Mostly metal based items not rare earth. I'd say the supply chain is 10 days from months needed to recover. Very much like a national strike situation.
From 1986 Warning Shot: The House gets tough on trade The measure, which aims to reduce the record U.S. trade deficit ($148.5 billion in 1985), is loaded with provisions designed by Congressmen to help industries in their districts. Said House Speaker Tip O’Neill: “We’re getting trampled and stomped upon by the nations of the world. All we want is fairness.” Ted Kennedy on Free Trade Rated 25% by CATO, indicating a pro-fair trade voting record. Donald Trump is to the left of Ted Kennedy on trade issues.
They say it takes 3-5 days to recover per day of delay for things like port strikes. This will linger once it’s actually resolved.
A researcher in a British think tank argues that Trump is doing the exact wrong thing to contain China. Slapping massive tariffs on China across the board is more likely to cause China to develop new innovations that improve its economy. She notes that technology leaps often occur during times of conflict. She says it would be far wiser for Trump to eliminate tariffs on low-priced Chinese goods, and encourage them to make their income from producing those items, instead of massive, across-the-board tariffs. To slow China’s tech advances, Trump should keep its factories addicted to cheap exports via low tariffs, economist says [quoite] In an op-ed in the Financial Times on Thursday, she noted that technological leaps often emerge during times of conflict and that Trump's trade war could ignite a surge of innovation. "Tariffs don’t just alter trade flows—they redirect resources and reshape industrial structures," Jin wrote. "If Trump’s goal was to curb China’s technological progress, he would keep tariffs low on the bulk of Chinese exports to the US, locking the country into low-margin basic manufacturing. He would encourage high-tech exports to China, making sure that progress in its advanced components stalls." But instead of US exports finding an easier way into China's markets, they will hit a wall. Trump's tariffs have been met with similar retaliation as China has imposed duties of 125% on the US. "Beijing has drawn its conclusion: innovation and core technology control is the only sustainable defense against tariffs," she explained. "Companies with proprietary technology—like Huawei and BYD—are more insulated from tariffs and supply-chain shocks. China envisions a new tech supply-chain model: regional production, tech sovereignty and global supply-chain redundancy." [/quote]
China chooses not to import LNG from the U.S. They have now gone 40 days with no LNG purchased from the U.S., and are looking to find some country to buy the contracted amounts. U.S. LNG tankers are stuck at port in the U.S. until a buyer is found. Trump is doing a great job of grinding the U.S. economy to a halt. China Resells U.S. LNG Amid Tariff Row | OilPrice.com
worldwide to dry up supplies so US cant just buy stockpiles from others.. australia is building processing as fast as they can...
As I understand it the pinch point is processing as the US even ships rare earths it mines to China for processing. I don’t know what Australia’s capabilities are but this would give them extra leverage with the US too.
Yes, he will. There are some who won't change their opinion no matter what, but many will turn on him within the next 6 months IMO. Just the Mexico, Canada, and China tariff shenanigans in the 1st quarter was enough to shake up the economy. As of now the Atlanta GDP Now tracker shows a predicted -2.4% GDP growth for the first 1st quarter. How do you think the 2nd quarter which started with the "Liberation Day" is gonna turn out? How many businesses do you think is gonna be investing, expanding, or hiring when they have no idea how much things are gonna cost for at least the next few months if not the next few years? A recession is certainly coming, and everyone will feel pain.
