Maybe the EU can say sth like, "We will reduce our tariffs on American products by 35%," without, you know, saying how small the raw-value amount would be overall.
Since Dumpy doesn't know anything about anything, he likely will. And then we'll be treated to the following: YOUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT, DONALD J. TRUMP, FORCED THE EU TO REDUCE ITS TARRIFF RATES ON THE EU BY 35%! SO MUCH WINNING! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.
Yes, so EU, retaliate, especially on rich people's stuff like LVH and other designer merchandise, expensive motor vehicles, top-shelf liquor, and wine. Since we know the billionaires are so cheap that they are fine making children starve in the US, even though they can afford the increase, they will squeal like the livestock they are.
Rich people have no problem paying for expensive items. It shows how much more they have than you and me. Many of their purchases are investments of one kind or the other. Rich people economize when they pay the maids, the gardeners, the chauffeur, the handymen, local businesses, etc.
Although I still point out his whims have killed people, 600-800,000 extra deaths based on his policy when compared to Canada…’whims’ is too nice, more ‘diarrhea of the mind’…spewing over the lands we used to call America!
No. Giving in to bullies never pays. Because he will only come back for more "concessions."
If the EU threatens even larger counter-tariffs, the markets will start to to tumble once again, Trump/GOP megadonors will threaten to put away their checkbooks, and we'll get another round of TACO.
This is also the main reason all the made-for-TV ICE raids are hammering the economies of CA & NY--and NOT TX & FL. Because the devastation to Republican-owned farms, builders, meat packers, hotels, etc. by killing their labor supply would royally piss off the GOP donor class.
Exactly. But the economic punishment being intentionally inflicted on them is meant to *motivate* them to hate Dem control in Sacramento even more, and push even harder for Republican rule...I guess.
The big ICE raids in CA & other Blue States are for the national pro-GOP audience watching FOX News. The GOP farmers, etc. devastated by this are expected to suck it up. For the cause.
Possibly true. I don't know CA politics in enough detail to be certain. But, at the same time, the ICE raids on farms and in SF won't endear the GOP to them.
Most of the rural CA counties--where the farms and ranches are located--are all solidly Red. Which reflects the national political map, with cities predominantly Blue, and countryside Red.
But ICE hasn't *yet* started creating the economic devastation being inflicted on CA, in TX & FL, two other states containing perhaps 35-40% of the current illegal population.
Once this Trump-generated economic damage starts causing spikes in consumer inflation--which it will, because CA (and FL) is America's greengrocer, *then* he might back off.
Another explanation is that Trump/GOP by trying to shut down CA's agricultural output, is trying to increase market penetration for Florida's GOP megafarms.
Apparently, he prefers random capitalization, so I'm guessing it would look more like:
"Your Favorite president DONALD J. TRUMP, forced the EU To Reduce its TARIFF rates BY 35%!!1!! so Much Winning! Thank you FOR your Attention to This Matter."
The amusing choreography is from the musical (The Lambeth Walk), in which the song was a show-stopping Cockney-inspired extravaganza, inspiring a popular walking dance, performed in a jaunty strutting style which, in the mocking satire of the doctored newsreel, knocked the Nazi military pomp into hilarious burlesque.
Full employment for Schicklgrubers is part of the BBB.
In the traveling circuses that used to wander around South America, the clown was often the baddest ass on the crew; if you scratch the skin off a comedian, you'll find an undercover cop. So comedians and pundits should do hilariously too, and Art may even be democratized by oppression.
I still like TACO Loco, The Gold Load, Lard, Loaf. And ‘Cheating Incorporated’. So many to choose for a smile. He loves him some Gold Leaf, makes everything look new and shining, like his heinie! Now that’s lawn ornaments he could sell, “straight from the West End/Wing, Donny’s ‘Golden Heinie’, done in plaster-casters and pure gold (leaf.)
Unfortunately I don't think this matters. Trump I think is doing this not to honestly negotiate better trade agreements but to create the illusion of an excuse to tax your average American with tariffs and replace or significantly reduce federal income tax especially on the rich. His goal and strategy was laid out months ago when he said he wants to return to the 1800's (or some imaginary place) when we had no federal income tax and government was funded solely by tariffs and sales tax. It has been an idea floated by Republicans before and it is just to have one purpose for our federal government, an army to attack, intimidate and enforce our global dominance and nothing else.
I personally believe that Dump is trying to negotiate what he considers "better" trade deals, but because he doesn't understand trade, people assume there has to be more nefarious intent.
This is a vibes president who doesn't understand the nuts and bolts of politics or governance. Everything is performative to him - a show that always has to be over-the-top. It would be boring as hell to him to get world leaders together and try to arrange a new style of international trade that took logistics into account. So instead, he just goes off half-cocked and does whatever he thinks will make things the most interesting to him.
I don't know which of these theories is correct, and perhaps they all have some plausibility. But it's just obvious that in the absence of anything like consistency coming from the "Let's Make a Deal" White House, not only Americans but every foreign government has to assess our government as behaving capriciously and unpredictably. They have to treat the U.S. the way we used to treat the Soviet Union, with specialists engaging in "Kremlinology" to try to keep current.
I agree. While I don’t expect logic from the White House, these letters aren’t asking for negotiations nor for changes in policies. I think they are pretty clearly just adding an illegal tax on foreign goods thinking this will reduce the deficits (not a crazy thought) and raise money.
I wonder whether The Trump thinks that revenue from tariffs will be completely under his control? That this is his pot of gold separate from ordinary tax revenues because He negotiated the deals for this new stream of money. Or, I just might be going nuts.
Speaking of percent, does anyone remember a month or so ago when Trump told how much he had reduced the price of eggs? The percentages he gave would mean that you'd get paid a few bucks for taking a dozen eggs instead of *paying* for them. No, I don't think he has the concept at all.
It could be a part of the Trump paradox that the less he uses his brain, the longer he will live; but it may have a reciprocal relationship to the size of his movement eventually. Americans are still prone to hope, which somewhat explains his political existence, but we'll see how soon our cultural health develops an immune resistance to spin. Weird how this kind of spin still seems to work in Russia, where they abandoned hope way back in Soviet times. It's astounding what people will do to each other to hang on to a little power.
But on the other hand, the current consensus seems to be that actively using one's brain (perhaps even just ny reading, especially aloud) lengthens its usefulness. And a new study says that the "age" of the brain, as measured by the proteins generated by the brain and various organs, is strongly correlated with NOT geting dementia and being less likely to die soon. We'll see, though I may not live to see it all resolved, being even older than Trump by a litte bit,
Might work. But if Trump takes the bait, what happens to all of that massive new tariff revenue he said was going to make us all so rich? No revenue, only an exploding deficit because of a huge tax cut for the already rich. Is this a great country or what!
It’s worth noting that Trump himself once wanted to impose a digital services tax on Amazon. I believe Bezos’s political shift toward Trump—such as placing restrictions on The Washington Post—is not unrelated to this.
Thank you for that link. Husband wants to keep our subscription for now; I'm more reluctant all the time and reaching out elsewhere for things the Post won't say.
That is a spot on approach that should be immediately adopted by the numerous “American trade adversaries”. It makes as much sense as the calculated tariff numbers.
When it was formed in the early 2000s, the EU significantly reduced tariffs between its member countries. Subsequently, it proceeded to reduce tariffs to other trading partners, including the USA. In short, the EU led the way towards increasing the free trade of goods between countries. trump is, as always, full of crap.
The EU was founded in 1993, building on the European Coal and Steel Community (1952). that initially involved 6 nations and grew and expanded its footprint until the Maastricht treaty 1993. The EU proper has no tariffs or barrier to migration between its member nations (a few carve-outs but very minor), uniform standards, etc.. As the article mentions, the EU generally shies away from tariffs with non-EU trading partners except to correct for exporters who dump or over-subsidize products in a way that would be detrimental to EU competition. The US had a similar stance until Trump came into the picture with his hallucinations about some mystical "good old days" for which nobody can find the references. 25th amendement urgently needed before our whole country faces ruin and ridicule.
Correct; my American cousins, allow him to demonstrate his mental incoherence over the next year, so his support base can see what they have, then ask to re-join the Big Beautiful British Empire and Commonwealth!!!
Practically, he's still relatively popular and the worst hasn't kicked in and likely won't before Nov 2026. However, Trump would not last long if there were ⅔ Dem majorities in House and Senate, and Vance would have to be careful not to be impeached as well. That would is what might be called a Golden Swan event, an unlikely reprieve probably preceded by its Black cousin. Doing evil deeds is doubly difficult, so it is not beyond the pale for this cupidinous administration to put a foot wrong and get stomped in turn. The question is always when, not what.
No doubt EU will bebefriends by BRICs and disUSA the ex-polity near the Gulf of Mexico can slowly but surely disappear up it own orifaces. So Empires rise and fall like Nero's horse at the 5th fence.
Actually, more than a commercial club, our EU is fundamentally a project of peace. A way to end the perpetual wars on European soil.
French president De Gaulle and German chancelor Adenauer signed in 1959 the Treaty of Rome, with Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. That's the political birth of the EU, even if it changed name and rules since.
It was mainly a French creation. Germany had become an international pariah after WWII. De Gaulle, a wise politician, offered it a way out.
And that way out was to link their économies.
Ancient Romans said 'If you want peace, prepare for war".
Sorry, the common market ie no tariffs between members was established in 1957 as EU predecessor organization called European Economic Community (EEC). This morphed into EU and its single market in 1992. The EEC already had external tariffs (ie tariffs on the US) and Commission had power to set these. This far longer in place the 2000s and EU single market with its 450 Mio consumers and its 18 trillion GDP is 30 year success story similar to its forerunner the common market.
Again some historical perspectives. Yes it is a peace project but its main creators are Robert Schuman (french foreign minister), Jean Monnet and German chancellor Adenauer. The two french men had ideas and Adenauer wanted to anchor West Germany to the Westner block and took up the idea of steal and coal community. De Gaulle was very important in accepting West Germany back to European family of nations.
Yes this how it started since having a multi national authority over the main stuff to wage war in 1950s helped to overcome french fears from germany and helped germany to rejoin Europe. The coal and steel community was authority that regulated german steel and coal conpanies. Yes I realized my fun spelling error but EU history is dear to me.
I really wondered for a second whether that could be a Freudian slip, although I realize that the more likely explanation is Verschlimmbesserung by autocorrect.
I do apologize for the lowly pun, and of course it is important to understand the history of the EU, if only to realize that it was NOT founded in order to screw the US.
Yes the EU was officially formed in the mid-1990s. But many countries did not join until 1999 or later. So for accuracy, the EU is and has been in process for decades. When I look at the very extensive list of trade agreements online, the majority of the trade agreements seem to have come into effect in the 2000s. And again, these agreements aren't set, they are in process.
Yes the large enlargement with 10 countries from east (plus malta and cyprus) was in 2004. Also, historically joining GATT, now the WTO regulated free trade and all EEC/EC/EU member were GATT members. But was internally mostly counted was the create of internal markets and the external trade rules. Also glibalization really got going in the late 1990s in Europe and thus, all the agreements after 2000.
Please, please... don't write like your "president" (who uses the Royal "We" in his weird and wonderful racketeer's shakedown letters), he and and his flunkeys, inventing facts or getting them from some hallucinating ChatGpt or other cockeyed AI source. Same message to Martin Dent, whose facts are correct but so very incomplete...
In 1957, the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community -- the core treaty until the Maastricht Treaty of 1993. In the same year, the Euratom Treaty was negotiated, coming into effect in 1958. Cfr. https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/eu-countries_en. This shows when each Member State joined (and when the UK left...)
There were already 28 members at the time of the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, so it's not as though nothing was there until then, let alone until "the early 2000s" (by which time I'd come and gone after some 33 years service in Brussels, beginning three years before my country, the UK, joined...). The organization was more tightly knit than the 13 colonies under the Articles of Confederation, yet, given Europe's diversity, far from a superstate... Sometimes a 27-ring circus, although the weighting of Member States makes more sense than that which makes the citizens of Wyoming so mighty and those of California so puny...
If you wonder about the inverted commas, maybe someone can find historical precedents for this unique presidency. Usurpers either lost their lives or won wars. We know of cases like Hong Xiuquan and the thirty million dead in his attempt to overthrow the Qing dynasty. We know how Napoleon, Napoleon III, Mussolini and Hitler made it to power. But there has surely been only one coup d'état in world history that lasted four years before succeeding. Exceptionalism with a big E.
I’m a retired CPA, and worked for a company that imported much of its inventory. Yes, a tariff IS a tax. Also, for retail consumers, you will also pay state/local sales taxes on the tariff tax — the cherry on top of this Baloney Sandwich!
SoS was regular fare in USMC mess halls when I was on active duty, and was pretty popular. Also had SoS aboard ships when I was embarked on Navy amphibious craft. Always liked SoS, so let's not be too derogatory about this mess hall staple.
Of course I make a great mushroom, pork sausage over buttermilk biscuits...not quick SOS but close. Dad, served on an LST (large stationary Target), post--WW II, and had fond memories as well. DeMOB duties...
At some point we need to call BS BS…I do approve of a sense of decorum but ‘murder is murder,’ not sudden unexplained loss of life…he is pulling people, hard-working people, off the street with supposedly ICE workers in masks and no markings…this is terrorism! We need a word stronger than just not okay, and it’s really the BS excuses that make it such a horror-show!
We are being played for fools, the only country in the world where heathcare is not a human right. You are scammed day-in and day-out by insurance companies and big pharma. Insurance premiums paid monthly only for you to see Claim Denied. Drug costs that are 2-3 times the cost for the same drug in the next country. It is carnage on the American stage. You accept all that. ?????? https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/health-inequity?r=3m1bs
Sadly the same folks who say they hate "socialized medicine" are the same people who have no problem with an unelected corporate beancounter working for a for-profit insurance scam ration their care.
More important for stockholders to get a big dividend check than for sick people to get all the health care they need!
Amen to Joe’s “unelected corporate bean counter” description. Those who harp on the “Unelected” label haven’t considered how excruciating it would be to have to elect all of our bureaucrats, judges, and bean counters of any kind.
Once I had to vote for the state insurance commissioner. No idea what that person even did and how to judge the qualifications of the candidate, who ran unopposed.
To Joe’s point, the general public can’t vote out the corporate executives, let alone the bean counters.
It was exposed back in the 90s that California SCREW CROSS actually gave bonuses to the examiners who denied the most claims. Those winners got prizes like a week on a cruise ship, a week's stay at Cancun, a shopping spree at a department store or a week a Club Med.
And that's the reward beancounters got for denying claims and making sick people suffer...
What you bring up is so important - - with all the chaos, we haven't really focused on what's going to happen with the destruction of regulatory bodies. Adhering to government regulations costs businesses a lot - - but it keeps us all safe. With the chainsaw taken to many of these bodies, there won't be watchdogs to ensure companies are not taking advantage of consumers. If healthcare insurance and pharmaceutical companies have egregious practices now (and they do!) I shudder to think of what's coming down the pike with deregulation.
It shouldn't be hard. Quality and service will plummet in most cases. Consumers will have little to no recourse for damages incurred by shoddy products and services. I.e., The race to the bottom will accelerate. It's likely going to be worse than the Gilded Age.
For the Trekkers, "Welcome to Ferenginar. That will be one strip of gold pressed latinum."
I think that in past decades, doctors themselves have been a major obstacle to widespread health insurance -- they are/were afraid that if people were insured, the doctors' income and prestige would be impaired.
But, now that the doctors' income and prestige has been impaired, are they still against insurance?
The US government, as an effective entity, may well fail specifically because it is dragged down by the rent seeking medical industrial complex. The US wastes about $2Trillion/yr on excessive health care costs. There are multiple "known" solutions, used in other countries that provide heath care at half the cost per person of the US system. The excess spending doesn't go into doing anything productive, it just increases the national debt every year, money funneled from taxpayers into the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries. This is a known problem, but it will not be fixed since there are so many people's hands in the till.
Is there no one in the White House to proofread official letters from the President?!! I'm a professor, and I would dock a freshman a full grade for the number of grammatical and capitalization mistakes in that letter. It's an embarrassment--or maybe I should say EMBARRASSMENT.
I can't imagine any freshman would write something so embarrassingly stupid. If so, docking them probably wouldn't be as sensible as referring them to the school shrink. Can you imagine how people in other countries must be gobsmacked by letters like that being used in high-level international communications? WTF?!
Trump didn't write this by himself - he can't write that well. But whoever he gives his draft to is too brow-beaten and afraid to change those insidious capitals.
I pity the folks who have to follow him around and write this shit! Really, I hope they graduated HS so perhaps they can get into somewhere like Columbia, not the country so much, but with all the fear he is doing, he hates education in all it’s forms!
He’s all blister and bluster! For a Mafia Don, he’s not hiring the best, just the cutest! Don’t what generals, I want someone who could play on on TV, Heagsdeath.
John, how come You didn’t misspell anything in your comment? You some sort of elitist who paid attention in sixth grade? You probably proofread, too, don’t you? Even now, after our Leader has shown us the way to Freedom, spelling and grammar-wise. We may have lost a few other freedoms here and there, but we can at least be free of the old chains holding us back from expressing ourselves in writing.
I made the same comment on a different Substack newsletter about the equally oddly capitalized letter Trump sent to Brazil threatening tariffs unless they end the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro (who conspired to overthrow their nation's election). But it shows that Trump wrote the letter. Random use of capitals is a Trump trademark - a sign of declining mental capacity.
"but there clearly isn’t a strategy, just the prejudices of an ignorant man and his enablers." Unfortunately there is nothing more to say about Tariff Dude. Ignorant and prejudiced........
And/or the EU and Latin America could charge the US a "licensing fee" to use the term World Cup, and a very large fee for allowing the US to participate in the event. The formula to calculate these combined fees would be based heavily on the economic loss and harm to the "FIFA Block Nations" from Trump's Tantrum Tarriffs. Tit for Tat ...
I beg to differ: the EU should not retaliate with reciprocal tariffs, but should instead announce with appropriate fanfare that the new tariff rate on non-agricultural US imports will be only 1% and only 3.9% for agricultural imports. Surely, that will sound like enough of a win for the Stable Genius.
No, it won't. Pay close attention to the "..and non-Tariff Policies and Trade Barriers.." in there. One of these that he's already mentioned is the VAT (your sales tax). He will get specific and demand that these be eliminated for items imported from the United States. He will also demand that you eliminate the health regulations that restrict sales of agricultural products to the EU.
EXACTLY. Doing what the would-be exporters want; ie no barriers to chlorine-washed chickens and other rubbish that is illegal here, for excellent reasons. Plus opening up our excellent national health systems to rapacious American insurance companies. In other words, remake the rest of the world in an imitation of everything that is wrong with the States. What we in Europe think of this could be expressed in any of our many languages, but in none of them would it be polite…
Nothing wrong with demanding to be treated BETTER than domestic companies, or is it?
I think the real problem is that Trump doesn't understand that every business entity gets fully reimbursed for any VAT paid by them, therefore it doesn't help any business entity at all if import VAT is not charged.
The only way would be to introduce a rule that CONSUMERS don't pay VAT on products imported from the US, making such products more competitive in the marketplace.
I don't think this would be possible to put to work. The other problem with that is that there are hardly any consumer goods made in the US that you can buy in Europe, so it wouldn't make a dent in the trade deficit anyway. The vast, vast majority of goods imported from the US are industrial goods like planes, turbines, machine parts, etc., for which (see above) VAT is not charged, or reimbursed, because the customers are business entities.
They're not stupid! Again. People outside the US are NOT the targets of his rhetoric. He doesn't care what you think - he only cares what he can convince his people of. Accuracy or truth is not desirable with Trump.
I would hope at least a few MAGAs would disapprove. I’ve seen comments at the WSJ of people complaining that the tariffs are wrecking their businesses.
The VAT Taxes are imposed on all imported goods and ones made in the EU countries. Even though Trump doesn't understand how VAT taxes work, the US is not being treated any differently than any other country exporting to the EU and for goods coming out of factories in the EU countries (eg, cars made in German factories are subject to VAT at the time they are sold to dealers in Germany or elsewhere in the EU).
Oh, Trump knows that. Nevertheless, he will pressure the European nations to eliminate these "unfair" taxes on US goods. He's already made noises about it.
"the VAT (your sales tax). He will get specific and demand that these be eliminated for items imported from the United States."
Except it wouldn't change a single thing for importers, because for them import VAT is strictly a pass-through item that doesn't affect the bottom line at all. Let's compare two scenarios:
I. The world as it is.
I.1. The importer imports goods for, say, 100,000€ net, and pays 119,000€ = 100,000€ invoiced value + 19,000€ import VAT.
I.2. He sells the goods to a retailer for 200,000€ net, and receives 238,000€ = 200,000€ invoiced value + 38,000€ VAT. He pays 19,000€ to the tax authority, and keeps 19,000€ to reimburse himself for the import VAT already paid, thereby making a profit of 100,000€ by reselling the goods he imported.
II. The world as Trump wants it.
II.1. The importer imports goods for, say, 100,000€ net, and pays 100,000€ invoiced value.
II.2. He sells the goods to a retailer for 200,000€ net, and receives 238,000€ = 200,000€ invoiced value + 38,000€ VAT. He keeps 200,000€ and funnels the 38,000€ VAT to the tax authority, thereby making a profit of 100,000€ by reselling the goods he imported.
How can it help Trump's voters when the EU ditches the import VAT? It's almost as if nobody in the Trump administration has any idea at all how VAT in Europe works.
They don't care how it works. You people are not the actual targets of his rhetoric, so accuracy is not important. We've been dealing with this garbage since 2016. Quit trying to make Trump make sense.
I genuinely hope the EU, Brazil and Canada tell him to F off! We need to feel the consequences of his and his team of sycophants’ insane behavior for the needed backlash to fully kick in.
great article, thank you for the lead, one of my first mentors in history was a specialist in Latin American history, and he talked about "el Patron" as the model of governance; I'd forgotten that, so thanks for the reminder, I didn't know it was actually Weberian
🎶Who can short the market? And make a lot of dough? He's right there in the White House and you know he'll make that so! The Trumpy Man! The Trumpy Man can cause six crooks on the courts said it's OK with his scam!🎶
Am I crazy to think that the intended effect is the actual effect it's having? Cutting off Americans from imports (and tourists) and the American economy from exports, starting with knowledge and education.
Along with expelling brown people (soon other colors too I imagine) which has convenient side effects of drastically reducing women's autonomy (no childcare, no eldercare), personally I do see consistent aims and successful strategies.
My guess is that the SCOTUS and a congressional majority see very clearly how this will work to their advantage, along with many judges, etc. Also police, too much military, and scores of people eager to put on a mask to brutalize and chain gardeners.
Is it really to our advantage to pretend this isn't all coordinated?
The enablers are the only ones who can stop drumpf from dragging this country and the global economy into a slump, but they are enablers for a reason: they want this disruption, which will eventually lead to civil unrest and military response from governments against their own people, and the ultimate destruction of democracy worldwide, so the billionaires and their armies can rule us all. Dystopian, I know, but entirely likely.
You encourage the EU to retaliate. I get it, but will Trump? He practices The Golden Rule upside down and backwards, typically doing unto others what he doesn’t want done to him. It is no wonder many of us suffer imagined vertigo.
Maybe the EU can say sth like, "We will reduce our tariffs on American products by 35%," without, you know, saying how small the raw-value amount would be overall.
Maybe Tantrump will fall for it.
Since Dumpy doesn't know anything about anything, he likely will. And then we'll be treated to the following: YOUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT, DONALD J. TRUMP, FORCED THE EU TO REDUCE ITS TARRIFF RATES ON THE EU BY 35%! SO MUCH WINNING! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.
CNN will likely post this as their headline: "Trump scores win in EU trade deal."
Yes, so EU, retaliate, especially on rich people's stuff like LVH and other designer merchandise, expensive motor vehicles, top-shelf liquor, and wine. Since we know the billionaires are so cheap that they are fine making children starve in the US, even though they can afford the increase, they will squeal like the livestock they are.
Rich people have no problem paying for expensive items. It shows how much more they have than you and me. Many of their purchases are investments of one kind or the other. Rich people economize when they pay the maids, the gardeners, the chauffeur, the handymen, local businesses, etc.
I used to think they weren't poisoning our food to make us sick..."𝐛𝐮𝐭" this changed everything....
https://t.co/b6AV3rm8dI
reported
NYT: "Trump Extends Trade Wins To The EU"
He's never had a legitimate policy in his life - just fanciful whims and nutty, ill-conceived notions.
Framework of a plan
Concept of a framework of a plan.
Although I still point out his whims have killed people, 600-800,000 extra deaths based on his policy when compared to Canada…’whims’ is too nice, more ‘diarrhea of the mind’…spewing over the lands we used to call America!
No. Giving in to bullies never pays. Because he will only come back for more "concessions."
If the EU threatens even larger counter-tariffs, the markets will start to to tumble once again, Trump/GOP megadonors will threaten to put away their checkbooks, and we'll get another round of TACO.
This is also the main reason all the made-for-TV ICE raids are hammering the economies of CA & NY--and NOT TX & FL. Because the devastation to Republican-owned farms, builders, meat packers, hotels, etc. by killing their labor supply would royally piss off the GOP donor class.
I think that many of the farmers hit in CA are actually Republicans. Otherwise, I agree.
Exactly. But the economic punishment being intentionally inflicted on them is meant to *motivate* them to hate Dem control in Sacramento even more, and push even harder for Republican rule...I guess.
The big ICE raids in CA & other Blue States are for the national pro-GOP audience watching FOX News. The GOP farmers, etc. devastated by this are expected to suck it up. For the cause.
Possibly true. I don't know CA politics in enough detail to be certain. But, at the same time, the ICE raids on farms and in SF won't endear the GOP to them.
Most of the rural CA counties--where the farms and ranches are located--are all solidly Red. Which reflects the national political map, with cities predominantly Blue, and countryside Red.
But ICE hasn't *yet* started creating the economic devastation being inflicted on CA, in TX & FL, two other states containing perhaps 35-40% of the current illegal population.
Once this Trump-generated economic damage starts causing spikes in consumer inflation--which it will, because CA (and FL) is America's greengrocer, *then* he might back off.
Another explanation is that Trump/GOP by trying to shut down CA's agricultural output, is trying to increase market penetration for Florida's GOP megafarms.
Apparently, he prefers random capitalization, so I'm guessing it would look more like:
"Your Favorite president DONALD J. TRUMP, forced the EU To Reduce its TARIFF rates BY 35%!!1!! so Much Winning! Thank you FOR your Attention to This Matter."
That is what happens if you confuse capitalism and capitalization with capitalization.
Yes, the garbage scow Trump is a rudderless navigation hazard amid the shifting currents of global prosperity.
Note: Laughing at wannabe or actual dictators is powerful stuff - they want to be feared not amusing.
Here's an historically famous example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnBhQHa0xDI
The amusing choreography is from the musical (The Lambeth Walk), in which the song was a show-stopping Cockney-inspired extravaganza, inspiring a popular walking dance, performed in a jaunty strutting style which, in the mocking satire of the doctored newsreel, knocked the Nazi military pomp into hilarious burlesque.
Thanks! I've never seen The Lambeth Walk. Genius editing.
So amusing that it infuriated the Nazis...just like maggots get upset about farcical videos today.
Full employment for Schicklgrubers is part of the BBB.
In the traveling circuses that used to wander around South America, the clown was often the baddest ass on the crew; if you scratch the skin off a comedian, you'll find an undercover cop. So comedians and pundits should do hilariously too, and Art may even be democratized by oppression.
Somewhere a lamp post awaits us all.
ça ira, ça ira - à la laterne, à la laterne....
Excellent!
This is the best! Thank you so much. Too bad no one used some similar satirical choreography during Thump's recent birthday parade.
I think the army itself did! it was a sort of shuffle .... or at least the images that I saw.
lol 😺
Now, now. Calling names doesn’t help… unless it’s more creative. Like Trumplethinskin.
Yeah. That helps. 😊
I still like TACO Loco, The Gold Load, Lard, Loaf. And ‘Cheating Incorporated’. So many to choose for a smile. He loves him some Gold Leaf, makes everything look new and shining, like his heinie! Now that’s lawn ornaments he could sell, “straight from the West End/Wing, Donny’s ‘Golden Heinie’, done in plaster-casters and pure gold (leaf.)
I think the things on the fireplace in the oval are just spray paint
I like Felon in Chief
Unfortunately I don't think this matters. Trump I think is doing this not to honestly negotiate better trade agreements but to create the illusion of an excuse to tax your average American with tariffs and replace or significantly reduce federal income tax especially on the rich. His goal and strategy was laid out months ago when he said he wants to return to the 1800's (or some imaginary place) when we had no federal income tax and government was funded solely by tariffs and sales tax. It has been an idea floated by Republicans before and it is just to have one purpose for our federal government, an army to attack, intimidate and enforce our global dominance and nothing else.
I personally believe that Dump is trying to negotiate what he considers "better" trade deals, but because he doesn't understand trade, people assume there has to be more nefarious intent.
This is a vibes president who doesn't understand the nuts and bolts of politics or governance. Everything is performative to him - a show that always has to be over-the-top. It would be boring as hell to him to get world leaders together and try to arrange a new style of international trade that took logistics into account. So instead, he just goes off half-cocked and does whatever he thinks will make things the most interesting to him.
I don't know which of these theories is correct, and perhaps they all have some plausibility. But it's just obvious that in the absence of anything like consistency coming from the "Let's Make a Deal" White House, not only Americans but every foreign government has to assess our government as behaving capriciously and unpredictably. They have to treat the U.S. the way we used to treat the Soviet Union, with specialists engaging in "Kremlinology" to try to keep current.
Maralagology?
I agree. While I don’t expect logic from the White House, these letters aren’t asking for negotiations nor for changes in policies. I think they are pretty clearly just adding an illegal tax on foreign goods thinking this will reduce the deficits (not a crazy thought) and raise money.
Perhaps the main word being "illegal."
Calling all members of congress, who haven't been crypto-bought.
I wonder whether The Trump thinks that revenue from tariffs will be completely under his control? That this is his pot of gold separate from ordinary tax revenues because He negotiated the deals for this new stream of money. Or, I just might be going nuts.
The only difficulty I see is their being able.to keep a straight face when they announce it.
Speaking of percent, does anyone remember a month or so ago when Trump told how much he had reduced the price of eggs? The percentages he gave would mean that you'd get paid a few bucks for taking a dozen eggs instead of *paying* for them. No, I don't think he has the concept at all.
It could be a part of the Trump paradox that the less he uses his brain, the longer he will live; but it may have a reciprocal relationship to the size of his movement eventually. Americans are still prone to hope, which somewhat explains his political existence, but we'll see how soon our cultural health develops an immune resistance to spin. Weird how this kind of spin still seems to work in Russia, where they abandoned hope way back in Soviet times. It's astounding what people will do to each other to hang on to a little power.
According to trump's logic, babies are the STRONGEST humans, and only people who do absolutely nothing maintain their strength.
That may go far toward explaining Trump's stamina...
But on the other hand, the current consensus seems to be that actively using one's brain (perhaps even just ny reading, especially aloud) lengthens its usefulness. And a new study says that the "age" of the brain, as measured by the proteins generated by the brain and various organs, is strongly correlated with NOT geting dementia and being less likely to die soon. We'll see, though I may not live to see it all resolved, being even older than Trump by a litte bit,
Might work. But if Trump takes the bait, what happens to all of that massive new tariff revenue he said was going to make us all so rich? No revenue, only an exploding deficit because of a huge tax cut for the already rich. Is this a great country or what!
Nah, they should just tell him to go to hell.
Brilliant idea. P!ay on his idiocy, of which wehavealot.
Precious. It might actually work. But only if some TV star repeats it incessantly on FoxNews…😉
Unfortunately, the EU may end up yielding to Trump.
The EU has conceded on the proposed digital service tax, similar to Canada.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/08/trump-bullied-canada-over-digital-taxes-and-ottawa-submitted
https://www.politico.eu/article/victory-eu-donald-trump-meta-tax-digital/
I’m not exactly sure what that tax was but I think that any concession to Trump will just make him worse.
I’m already seeing Trumpers boasting about the concession by Canada as an example of their wonderful Dear Leader.
Here is an introduction to digital service tax.
https://youtu.be/MAKpewMQxbg?t=66
It’s worth noting that Trump himself once wanted to impose a digital services tax on Amazon. I believe Bezos’s political shift toward Trump—such as placing restrictions on The Washington Post—is not unrelated to this.
Thx. Since these companies are American it’s catnip for Trump. Bezos may well have talked to him about.
Bezos is horribly mismanaging WaPo.
https://presswatchers.org/2025/07/washington-post-publisher-seeks-to-crush-newsroom-dissent/
Thank you for that link. Husband wants to keep our subscription for now; I'm more reluctant all the time and reaching out elsewhere for things the Post won't say.
I prefer various Substack authors for opinion journalism. NYT and WaPo are too anemic, although I keep them for straight news.
That is a spot on approach that should be immediately adopted by the numerous “American trade adversaries”. It makes as much sense as the calculated tariff numbers.
"That's crazy enough that it just might work!"
When it was formed in the early 2000s, the EU significantly reduced tariffs between its member countries. Subsequently, it proceeded to reduce tariffs to other trading partners, including the USA. In short, the EU led the way towards increasing the free trade of goods between countries. trump is, as always, full of crap.
The EU was founded in 1993, building on the European Coal and Steel Community (1952). that initially involved 6 nations and grew and expanded its footprint until the Maastricht treaty 1993. The EU proper has no tariffs or barrier to migration between its member nations (a few carve-outs but very minor), uniform standards, etc.. As the article mentions, the EU generally shies away from tariffs with non-EU trading partners except to correct for exporters who dump or over-subsidize products in a way that would be detrimental to EU competition. The US had a similar stance until Trump came into the picture with his hallucinations about some mystical "good old days" for which nobody can find the references. 25th amendement urgently needed before our whole country faces ruin and ridicule.
Not 25th. Impeachment & conviction. 25th is reversible.
And besides, it would leave us with "President Vance", or just as bad "President Johnson". We need something bigger than the 25th.
Correct; my American cousins, allow him to demonstrate his mental incoherence over the next year, so his support base can see what they have, then ask to re-join the Big Beautiful British Empire and Commonwealth!!!
LOL. Perhaps your American cousins simply just revamp the presidential power into being ceremonial only?
Up till now, we thought it mostly was.
Practically, he's still relatively popular and the worst hasn't kicked in and likely won't before Nov 2026. However, Trump would not last long if there were ⅔ Dem majorities in House and Senate, and Vance would have to be careful not to be impeached as well. That would is what might be called a Golden Swan event, an unlikely reprieve probably preceded by its Black cousin. Doing evil deeds is doubly difficult, so it is not beyond the pale for this cupidinous administration to put a foot wrong and get stomped in turn. The question is always when, not what.
I think you'll have to wait a bit longer than a year before that happens :D
The 25th is also a heavier lift than impeachment. Impeachment needs a House majority and 2/3 of the Senate.
The 25th needs 2/3 of both houses AND a majority of the Cabinet AND the approval of the VP....and it's reversible.
At this point I’d settle for one KFC chicken bone.
https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/she-won-part-v-why-the-missing-votes
Help by asking for the audit of 2024 election.
Yes, and make the 25th a threat!
Look at point 2 and 3 of Wilson's 14 points.
No doubt EU will bebefriends by BRICs and disUSA the ex-polity near the Gulf of Mexico can slowly but surely disappear up it own orifaces. So Empires rise and fall like Nero's horse at the 5th fence.
Actually, more than a commercial club, our EU is fundamentally a project of peace. A way to end the perpetual wars on European soil.
French president De Gaulle and German chancelor Adenauer signed in 1959 the Treaty of Rome, with Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. That's the political birth of the EU, even if it changed name and rules since.
It was mainly a French creation. Germany had become an international pariah after WWII. De Gaulle, a wise politician, offered it a way out.
And that way out was to link their économies.
Ancient Romans said 'If you want peace, prepare for war".
The EU project added: "Or try mutual prosperity"
For what it's worth, I correct my typo:
The Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957.
You can correct a posting by clicking on the three dots that appear to the right. Then activate "edit".
Thank you, Antoinette.
As you can deduce, I'm a newbie here
You are welcome!
Sorry, the common market ie no tariffs between members was established in 1957 as EU predecessor organization called European Economic Community (EEC). This morphed into EU and its single market in 1992. The EEC already had external tariffs (ie tariffs on the US) and Commission had power to set these. This far longer in place the 2000s and EU single market with its 450 Mio consumers and its 18 trillion GDP is 30 year success story similar to its forerunner the common market.
Again some historical perspectives. Yes it is a peace project but its main creators are Robert Schuman (french foreign minister), Jean Monnet and German chancellor Adenauer. The two french men had ideas and Adenauer wanted to anchor West Germany to the Westner block and took up the idea of steal and coal community. De Gaulle was very important in accepting West Germany back to European family of nations.
"steal and coal community."
Tell me more about your mother.
Yes this how it started since having a multi national authority over the main stuff to wage war in 1950s helped to overcome french fears from germany and helped germany to rejoin Europe. The coal and steel community was authority that regulated german steel and coal conpanies. Yes I realized my fun spelling error but EU history is dear to me.
I really wondered for a second whether that could be a Freudian slip, although I realize that the more likely explanation is Verschlimmbesserung by autocorrect.
I do apologize for the lowly pun, and of course it is important to understand the history of the EU, if only to realize that it was NOT founded in order to screw the US.
Yes the autocorrect, but do not worry, I actual had laughed when realizing my nonesense
45-47 is stupid. You cannot fix stupid.
He's criminal. Calling him "stupid" is a misstatement which lets him off the hook b/c it implies he may have good intentions, which he doesn't.
Yes the EU was officially formed in the mid-1990s. But many countries did not join until 1999 or later. So for accuracy, the EU is and has been in process for decades. When I look at the very extensive list of trade agreements online, the majority of the trade agreements seem to have come into effect in the 2000s. And again, these agreements aren't set, they are in process.
Yes the large enlargement with 10 countries from east (plus malta and cyprus) was in 2004. Also, historically joining GATT, now the WTO regulated free trade and all EEC/EC/EU member were GATT members. But was internally mostly counted was the create of internal markets and the external trade rules. Also glibalization really got going in the late 1990s in Europe and thus, all the agreements after 2000.
Yes, his diapers tell us the fullness of his crap.
Please, please... don't write like your "president" (who uses the Royal "We" in his weird and wonderful racketeer's shakedown letters), he and and his flunkeys, inventing facts or getting them from some hallucinating ChatGpt or other cockeyed AI source. Same message to Martin Dent, whose facts are correct but so very incomplete...
In 1957, the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community -- the core treaty until the Maastricht Treaty of 1993. In the same year, the Euratom Treaty was negotiated, coming into effect in 1958. Cfr. https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/eu-countries_en. This shows when each Member State joined (and when the UK left...)
There were already 28 members at the time of the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, so it's not as though nothing was there until then, let alone until "the early 2000s" (by which time I'd come and gone after some 33 years service in Brussels, beginning three years before my country, the UK, joined...). The organization was more tightly knit than the 13 colonies under the Articles of Confederation, yet, given Europe's diversity, far from a superstate... Sometimes a 27-ring circus, although the weighting of Member States makes more sense than that which makes the citizens of Wyoming so mighty and those of California so puny...
If you wonder about the inverted commas, maybe someone can find historical precedents for this unique presidency. Usurpers either lost their lives or won wars. We know of cases like Hong Xiuquan and the thirty million dead in his attempt to overthrow the Qing dynasty. We know how Napoleon, Napoleon III, Mussolini and Hitler made it to power. But there has surely been only one coup d'état in world history that lasted four years before succeeding. Exceptionalism with a big E.
EU was founded in the 1950s. You must be thinking about the Euro that was introduced in 2001/2 .
Just for the sake of being precise: EU was founded much earlier. In 1993, with the Maastricht treaty, is usually considered as the EU foundation.
The EU single market since 1993 has no tariffs on goods, no barrier in movements between EU states for EU citizens.
I’m a retired CPA, and worked for a company that imported much of its inventory. Yes, a tariff IS a tax. Also, for retail consumers, you will also pay state/local sales taxes on the tariff tax — the cherry on top of this Baloney Sandwich!
More like ‘shit on a shingle.’
SoS was regular fare in USMC mess halls when I was on active duty, and was pretty popular. Also had SoS aboard ships when I was embarked on Navy amphibious craft. Always liked SoS, so let's not be too derogatory about this mess hall staple.
Of course I make a great mushroom, pork sausage over buttermilk biscuits...not quick SOS but close. Dad, served on an LST (large stationary Target), post--WW II, and had fond memories as well. DeMOB duties...
Right, but I have grandkids so try to moderate with Baloney Sandwiches instead of the other BS word!
At some point we need to call BS BS…I do approve of a sense of decorum but ‘murder is murder,’ not sudden unexplained loss of life…he is pulling people, hard-working people, off the street with supposedly ICE workers in masks and no markings…this is terrorism! We need a word stronger than just not okay, and it’s really the BS excuses that make it such a horror-show!
That is a great point!
We are being played for fools, the only country in the world where heathcare is not a human right. You are scammed day-in and day-out by insurance companies and big pharma. Insurance premiums paid monthly only for you to see Claim Denied. Drug costs that are 2-3 times the cost for the same drug in the next country. It is carnage on the American stage. You accept all that. ?????? https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/health-inequity?r=3m1bs
Sadly the same folks who say they hate "socialized medicine" are the same people who have no problem with an unelected corporate beancounter working for a for-profit insurance scam ration their care.
More important for stockholders to get a big dividend check than for sick people to get all the health care they need!
Amen to Joe’s “unelected corporate bean counter” description. Those who harp on the “Unelected” label haven’t considered how excruciating it would be to have to elect all of our bureaucrats, judges, and bean counters of any kind.
Once I had to vote for the state insurance commissioner. No idea what that person even did and how to judge the qualifications of the candidate, who ran unopposed.
To Joe’s point, the general public can’t vote out the corporate executives, let alone the bean counters.
It was exposed back in the 90s that California SCREW CROSS actually gave bonuses to the examiners who denied the most claims. Those winners got prizes like a week on a cruise ship, a week's stay at Cancun, a shopping spree at a department store or a week a Club Med.
And that's the reward beancounters got for denying claims and making sick people suffer...
Hence Luigi.
Medicare “Advantage” being a prime example.
What you bring up is so important - - with all the chaos, we haven't really focused on what's going to happen with the destruction of regulatory bodies. Adhering to government regulations costs businesses a lot - - but it keeps us all safe. With the chainsaw taken to many of these bodies, there won't be watchdogs to ensure companies are not taking advantage of consumers. If healthcare insurance and pharmaceutical companies have egregious practices now (and they do!) I shudder to think of what's coming down the pike with deregulation.
It shouldn't be hard. Quality and service will plummet in most cases. Consumers will have little to no recourse for damages incurred by shoddy products and services. I.e., The race to the bottom will accelerate. It's likely going to be worse than the Gilded Age.
For the Trekkers, "Welcome to Ferenginar. That will be one strip of gold pressed latinum."
Amen!
I think that in past decades, doctors themselves have been a major obstacle to widespread health insurance -- they are/were afraid that if people were insured, the doctors' income and prestige would be impaired.
But, now that the doctors' income and prestige has been impaired, are they still against insurance?
The US government, as an effective entity, may well fail specifically because it is dragged down by the rent seeking medical industrial complex. The US wastes about $2Trillion/yr on excessive health care costs. There are multiple "known" solutions, used in other countries that provide heath care at half the cost per person of the US system. The excess spending doesn't go into doing anything productive, it just increases the national debt every year, money funneled from taxpayers into the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries. This is a known problem, but it will not be fixed since there are so many people's hands in the till.
Is there no one in the White House to proofread official letters from the President?!! I'm a professor, and I would dock a freshman a full grade for the number of grammatical and capitalization mistakes in that letter. It's an embarrassment--or maybe I should say EMBARRASSMENT.
"I would dock a freshman a full grade..."
I can't imagine any freshman would write something so embarrassingly stupid. If so, docking them probably wouldn't be as sensible as referring them to the school shrink. Can you imagine how people in other countries must be gobsmacked by letters like that being used in high-level international communications? WTF?!
Trump didn't write this by himself - he can't write that well. But whoever he gives his draft to is too brow-beaten and afraid to change those insidious capitals.
Trump added the explanation marks. So many exclamation marks. In a formal letter to another president. 🤦♀️
I pity the folks who have to follow him around and write this shit! Really, I hope they graduated HS so perhaps they can get into somewhere like Columbia, not the country so much, but with all the fear he is doing, he hates education in all it’s forms!
He’s all blister and bluster! For a Mafia Don, he’s not hiring the best, just the cutest! Don’t what generals, I want someone who could play on on TV, Heagsdeath.
John, how come You didn’t misspell anything in your comment? You some sort of elitist who paid attention in sixth grade? You probably proofread, too, don’t you? Even now, after our Leader has shown us the way to Freedom, spelling and grammar-wise. We may have lost a few other freedoms here and there, but we can at least be free of the old chains holding us back from expressing ourselves in writing.
I made the same comment on a different Substack newsletter about the equally oddly capitalized letter Trump sent to Brazil threatening tariffs unless they end the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro (who conspired to overthrow their nation's election). But it shows that Trump wrote the letter. Random use of capitals is a Trump trademark - a sign of declining mental capacity.
With poor structure and content. Diplomacy by demand? These are not the work of professional writers.
Really, it is time for the rest of the world to walk away from this train wreck and make other arrangements
European nations are seriously working on that.
Every country is working towards that; the US will become isolated, except for Russia and Israel.
Good luck America.
Willard: They told me that you had gone totally insane, and that your methods were unsound.
Kurtz: Are my methods unsound?
Willard: I don't see any method at all, sir.
Apocalypse Now.
I was going to post that; you beat me to it.
Probably the best line in that moving picture show (though I'll give the opening line some bit of propers).
Paul Krugman's got me to coda'ing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-bvNttwAUc
They were careless people, - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness.
"sell the house, sell the car, sell the kids, (and send me the money). I'm never coming home. Never!" But we know he's too chicken to do that.
"but there clearly isn’t a strategy, just the prejudices of an ignorant man and his enablers." Unfortunately there is nothing more to say about Tariff Dude. Ignorant and prejudiced........
Woe be it that we elected an "ignorant man"-- as if that wasn't already evident.
not elected...installed
https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/she-won-they-didnt-just-change-the
The EU can ask FIFA to move the 2026 World Cup out of the USA
And/or the EU and Latin America could charge the US a "licensing fee" to use the term World Cup, and a very large fee for allowing the US to participate in the event. The formula to calculate these combined fees would be based heavily on the economic loss and harm to the "FIFA Block Nations" from Trump's Tantrum Tarriffs. Tit for Tat ...
FIFA should just pull the World Cup over safety concerns given ICE. A slap in the face and a financial hit hard to ignore.
I beg to differ: the EU should not retaliate with reciprocal tariffs, but should instead announce with appropriate fanfare that the new tariff rate on non-agricultural US imports will be only 1% and only 3.9% for agricultural imports. Surely, that will sound like enough of a win for the Stable Genius.
No, it won't. Pay close attention to the "..and non-Tariff Policies and Trade Barriers.." in there. One of these that he's already mentioned is the VAT (your sales tax). He will get specific and demand that these be eliminated for items imported from the United States. He will also demand that you eliminate the health regulations that restrict sales of agricultural products to the EU.
EXACTLY. Doing what the would-be exporters want; ie no barriers to chlorine-washed chickens and other rubbish that is illegal here, for excellent reasons. Plus opening up our excellent national health systems to rapacious American insurance companies. In other words, remake the rest of the world in an imitation of everything that is wrong with the States. What we in Europe think of this could be expressed in any of our many languages, but in none of them would it be polite…
MAGAs keep saying that the VAT is effectively a tariff, no matter how many times you explain that it’s charged on ALL goods, domestic and imported.
I’ve even heard that some US states have such taxes too (typically called a sales tax).
Nothing wrong with demanding to be treated BETTER than domestic companies, or is it?
I think the real problem is that Trump doesn't understand that every business entity gets fully reimbursed for any VAT paid by them, therefore it doesn't help any business entity at all if import VAT is not charged.
The only way would be to introduce a rule that CONSUMERS don't pay VAT on products imported from the US, making such products more competitive in the marketplace.
I don't think this would be possible to put to work. The other problem with that is that there are hardly any consumer goods made in the US that you can buy in Europe, so it wouldn't make a dent in the trade deficit anyway. The vast, vast majority of goods imported from the US are industrial goods like planes, turbines, machine parts, etc., for which (see above) VAT is not charged, or reimbursed, because the customers are business entities.
Good points. But Trump and his cabinet are really stupid so I’m not getting my hopes up.
They're not stupid! Again. People outside the US are NOT the targets of his rhetoric. He doesn't care what you think - he only cares what he can convince his people of. Accuracy or truth is not desirable with Trump.
I would hope at least a few MAGAs would disapprove. I’ve seen comments at the WSJ of people complaining that the tariffs are wrecking their businesses.
The VAT Taxes are imposed on all imported goods and ones made in the EU countries. Even though Trump doesn't understand how VAT taxes work, the US is not being treated any differently than any other country exporting to the EU and for goods coming out of factories in the EU countries (eg, cars made in German factories are subject to VAT at the time they are sold to dealers in Germany or elsewhere in the EU).
Oh, Trump knows that. Nevertheless, he will pressure the European nations to eliminate these "unfair" taxes on US goods. He's already made noises about it.
They should dig in their heals on that point. So should Canada on its GST
/HST
Canada has already caved on the digital tax.
Agree.
"the VAT (your sales tax). He will get specific and demand that these be eliminated for items imported from the United States."
Except it wouldn't change a single thing for importers, because for them import VAT is strictly a pass-through item that doesn't affect the bottom line at all. Let's compare two scenarios:
I. The world as it is.
I.1. The importer imports goods for, say, 100,000€ net, and pays 119,000€ = 100,000€ invoiced value + 19,000€ import VAT.
I.2. He sells the goods to a retailer for 200,000€ net, and receives 238,000€ = 200,000€ invoiced value + 38,000€ VAT. He pays 19,000€ to the tax authority, and keeps 19,000€ to reimburse himself for the import VAT already paid, thereby making a profit of 100,000€ by reselling the goods he imported.
II. The world as Trump wants it.
II.1. The importer imports goods for, say, 100,000€ net, and pays 100,000€ invoiced value.
II.2. He sells the goods to a retailer for 200,000€ net, and receives 238,000€ = 200,000€ invoiced value + 38,000€ VAT. He keeps 200,000€ and funnels the 38,000€ VAT to the tax authority, thereby making a profit of 100,000€ by reselling the goods he imported.
How can it help Trump's voters when the EU ditches the import VAT? It's almost as if nobody in the Trump administration has any idea at all how VAT in Europe works.
They don't care how it works. You people are not the actual targets of his rhetoric, so accuracy is not important. We've been dealing with this garbage since 2016. Quit trying to make Trump make sense.
I genuinely hope the EU, Brazil and Canada tell him to F off! We need to feel the consequences of his and his team of sycophants’ insane behavior for the needed backlash to fully kick in.
I'm a Canadian, and if Carney doesn't take that attitude, he will be ex-prime minister before Christmas. We have one nerve left, and Trump is on it.
He caved on the digital tax already.
It’s only suspended, not actually revoked…
OK, thanks, didn’t know that.
Yes, I knew that. I figure that's his only get-out-of-jail-free card.
We are suffering under governance by tantrum.
Check this out:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/corruption-trump-administration/681794/?gift=voJ7Byjgd6r4v80CYc5SPaGScUznTWw_xKzGS2QbuTA
great article, thank you for the lead, one of my first mentors in history was a specialist in Latin American history, and he talked about "el Patron" as the model of governance; I'd forgotten that, so thanks for the reminder, I didn't know it was actually Weberian
🎶Who can short the market? And make a lot of dough? He's right there in the White House and you know he'll make that so! The Trumpy Man! The Trumpy Man can cause six crooks on the courts said it's OK with his scam!🎶
Am I crazy to think that the intended effect is the actual effect it's having? Cutting off Americans from imports (and tourists) and the American economy from exports, starting with knowledge and education.
Along with expelling brown people (soon other colors too I imagine) which has convenient side effects of drastically reducing women's autonomy (no childcare, no eldercare), personally I do see consistent aims and successful strategies.
My guess is that the SCOTUS and a congressional majority see very clearly how this will work to their advantage, along with many judges, etc. Also police, too much military, and scores of people eager to put on a mask to brutalize and chain gardeners.
Is it really to our advantage to pretend this isn't all coordinated?
The enablers are the only ones who can stop drumpf from dragging this country and the global economy into a slump, but they are enablers for a reason: they want this disruption, which will eventually lead to civil unrest and military response from governments against their own people, and the ultimate destruction of democracy worldwide, so the billionaires and their armies can rule us all. Dystopian, I know, but entirely likely.
You encourage the EU to retaliate. I get it, but will Trump? He practices The Golden Rule upside down and backwards, typically doing unto others what he doesn’t want done to him. It is no wonder many of us suffer imagined vertigo.