Professor, you may not want to speculate as to Trump’s motivations, but I will. Strategically, Trump, and apparently the neo-cons backing him, believe Greenland and Canada are essential to our future National Interests (ice melting/trade routes). Now they need an excuse to apply pressure, because we can’t grow ourselves out of our debt crisis.
Therefore, they want to expropriate their trillions in resources. And we know Trump doesn’t care about National Security; he just took a sledgehammer to our FBI, and CIA; making counter intelligence and espionage against our real foes, nearly impossible!
Bottom line: this isn’t about a trade war, or tariffs, this is Trump’s Sudetenland moment; to expand America’s empire through Manifest Destiny! These people aren’t exactly hiding their goals and objectives. Greenland and Canada are the low hanging fruit; allies with fewer military capabilities. Let’s just hope in this hostile takeover; Canada and Greenland swallows the US.
What we’re experiencing is a failure of imagination on a grand scale, and it will cost us dearly in the end! IMHO!
Do you think the Europeans can fight America and Russia at the same time? Apparently, Zelenskyy doesn’t even believe he can win with only Europe’s support, which is why he’s catering to Trump’s demand, and giving US firms whatever contracts they want to get more American aid!
These may end the same way. American imperialism taking control of our allies natural resources for Trump and his minions to exploit!
Mark my words, by 2028, Trump will be the richest man in the world. We have no idea what deals he’s making behind the scenes. He’s already replaced pretty much the entire State Department; thousands of employees who cover, Europe, Asia, Africa and Central and South America, with just eight to eleven people, all loyal to him. What’s that about?
And if you think Rubio is in charge, all of his deputies are Trump loyalists from the Heritage Foundation. Rubio is as much a Secretary of State as Tillerson was during Trump’s first term.
Right now, we’re experiencing a failure of imagination!
I’m sure Ukrainians are appalled to find themselves exploited by a “zero sum” guy like Trump, who only sees a win if he makes the other party lose. But they’ve been dealing with an ill-mannered, thieving neighbor for decades. That’s why Zelenskyy can read the change in the wind and he knows the nature of the crook that he must deal with now. He’s dangling the promise of resources that are in Russian-held territory. “All this can be yours ... if you’ll give Ukraine the tools to break the Russian invasion.”
There's no question King MAGA wants to be Emperor MAGA. There's also no question he wants to fatten his coffers as much as possible while he can. Becoming the richest man in the world is unlikely because, for one thing, Muskrat already is, and for another, that puts Muskrat in a better position to plunder all there is to plunder - both in the US and everywhere else.
I don’t want to sound uppity, but my guess is that this economy will be soon be taking a nose dive. I’ve made considerable appreciation asset-wise in the stock markets. Soon, I will go short (already doing that now as a day trader) as I’m convinced that the economy will tank. We are so way overdue for a correction as well as recession. Watch it’s coming.
There is already a "Buy Canada" movement in Canada, even when tariff increase was on hold in the first round. People may have short memory but no one wants to have a gun pointing to their head all the time. There will be a shift away from McDonald, KFC, Starbuck, GE etc. There are a lot of choices for the food, drinks, fridge, TV etc. Will it have significant impact on corporate profit, if other countries follow?
Trading partnership realignment, I believe, is already under way around the world. It takes time and US is so wealthy that every one still wants to sell to the US. It may not matter to the US. But I doubt if it will go back to the old days.
I admit to being surprised when my daughters and I went shopping at a few grocery stores tonight in central Canada. There were “Made in CANADA” stickers on almost every shelf, identifying products to consider purchasing instead of U.S. alternatives. We bought Canadian for all but three or four products. I honestly did not expect it to be so easy or painless.
The new U.S. President (he who shall not be named) is teaching my daughters’ generation that the U.S. is not trustworthy, not an ally, and just another global, power seeking bully like Russia, China and others. It disgusts me to see my daughters entering adulthood with this kind of hatred being thrown at them for the next four years instead of having the opportunity to grow up with a great neighbor to the south to learn from, and build a better world with.
You don't sound uppity, you sound accurate. I've been feeling for decades that the stock market is grossly over valued. Mostly thanks to "opt out" 401k's that are actually making people poorer.
BTW, you still day trade? In this day and age of low latency algorithmic trading?
That's my take on also. I started taking profits primarily in the BDCs that I went into heavily following the SVB debacle and moving from my typical cash position of 15-18% to currently at 50%.
I do the same thing. When I thought Trump would win, I bought Tesla stock call options and made some real money within a week. I’m almost completely decoupled from the equity markets right now and I’m considering buying Swiss Francs; parking a good amount of my investments in currency that’s steady, and some commodities.
The Canadian dollar would look good, but if the tariff and invasion threats continue, you might see investor selloffs for the Canadian dollar.
I bet one of the things Lone Skum is doing with his forcibly-inserted apps is backdoor-editing out any text that fails to meet the newspeak standard. So alla the digitally archived text in every single federal document will fit the correct Project 2025/47th Reich dictat, eg: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: That All White Men Are Created Supreme"...hang onto your hard copies, is all I'm sayin'...
If he really wants to be an emperor he should stop being so subservient to Musk and his four year old. He looked like a weak, pathetic old fool in that Oval Office meeting that Musk ran. Musk looked like an arrogant, immature fool.
Worse still, Musk is in the process of buying out Trump. Soon the Project 2025 gang will engineer a 25th amendment removal, dumb democrats will support it and you will have VanceThielMusk and the Afrikaner mafia running the country.
Surely it's Trump who plans to liquidate Musk, after Musk has alienated some more donees. Does Musk have a force equal to or better than what Trump has?
Interesting thought, but for a Constitutional Amendment, ¾ of the states must ratify it.
That's why women don't have equal rights in the US, even though both houses of Congress overwhelmingly passed the Equal Right Amendment, some 40 years ago.
Think the Democrats can come up with at least 13 blue states that will refuse to comply?
It doesn't take imagination to urge the oligarchs to set up trusts which promotes education, housing for the underprivileged, food insecurity and even infrastructure.
In the 1990's Ted Turned set up a charitable trust. Of course this was a good thing. But, more importantly, he challenged his fellow oligarchs to do the same thing.
There are literally thousands of charitable trusts across the US and the World. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett as well as MacKenzie Scott are doing fantastic things which our corporate media rarely, if ever, mentions.
We need to shame the oligarchs and the trustifarians who live off of the trusts of their parents, grandparents etc. to give generously.
There is a book of foundations available at most public libraries that talks about their purpose and how to contact them for requests of funds, etc.
Aren't there enough pundits like Dr. Krugman, Dr. Cox Richardson, Robert Reich, Joyce Vance, Thom Hartmann that are expertly reporting and dissecting what is happening every day. Let's shame these oligarchs, if possible, into helping some of the people they are screwing over.
The oligarchs have no shame, so shaming them won't work, just as it doesn't for King MAGA.
As for trusts, I'd rather force the bastards to pay their fair share in taxes on all the wealth they stole, and let the government do what it's supposed to. Like in Denmark.
They have an audience, sadly, of mere thousands cumulatively. That's not a resistance. The oligarchs aren't ever going to be shamed. Nor are the Republicans in government. Or the Supreme Court.
That's true, but don't forget that MAGA spread online like the malignancy that it is, concurrently with QAnon and all the other bizarre rantings on the right.
We can leverage the same tools, and an audience of mere thousands can easily spread like a spark spread into a giant wild conflagration. It's coming.
oligarchs cannot take the place of a government social net because oligarchs are individuals who have their own interests, so they do vanity projects rather than comprehensive social programs that people across the country need. In order to do the things that are not sexy, not interesting, but absolutely important to a healthy society, the money has to be distributed evenly. This is why government agencies or quasi agencies must administer it, and progressive taxation must pay for it.
No; I never said we'd win, but it won't be a cakewalk. That we are talking about it is frightening, as I, not you, am the target. You guys will have a national holiday and parade in the streets. And you obviously, by your comments, are prepared to stand around while Trump becomes the richest man in the world. And again no re Rubio. Or any Trump appointee. We KNOW they are idiots, and maybe criminals. Acting in the name of your country and your government.
I get you’re worried, and you should be. Look what’s happening around us? Nothing makes sense from a logical perspective. He’s already destroying America. And no, I’m not standing around, but until the MSN recognizes the problem, we can’t come up with a solution.
Right now, Trump is playing whack-a-mole, and flooding the zone with misinformation, and the MSN is following the bright shiny object. Until they wake up, what do you expect anyone of us to do?
Well, I think we can agree that the MSM is well and truly dead in the US, can't we? Fortunately, no one pays attention to it anymore, and the resistance will come, if it comes at all, on social media.
Not true! Remember, most of us didn't vote for the Jackass in Chief. We are every bit as much targets as you - indeed even more so.
"You guys will have a national holiday and parade in the streets."
Maybe. But if you pay close attention to the "spectators", you might notice they're entirely MAGANuts, especially Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and other unsavory "militia" types. The rest of us will be protesting/demonstrating.
Wrong see the comment above. Honestly I was commenting from Trump’s perspective and his goals. It had nothing to do with Europe’s credit.
And, honestly, I just repeated and commented on what Zelenskyy said two days ago about not being able to win with just Europe alone. His words not mine. He didn’t have confidence in Europe. They haven’t shown o be unified in the past. I know it’s changing fast and I support Europe, Mexico and Canada, not Trump in any fashion.
It’s not that, I give them a lot of credit, but we are far too ahead of them right now. Not to mention, with the recession that most of them are experiencing, they have become even weaker. And I’m not saying it will lead to an all out war, most likely a capitulation of a major kind.
Additionally, our allies have been depending on US assistance for the last 75 years. We built NATO, and our defense of our allies this way. And it’s worked. They’ve certainly been getting better prepared for a world without the US, but they aren’t there yet.
That’s my point. We can’t completely defeat them quickly, but we can cause untold damage; just lime everywhere else we go.
The Common Wealth Nations and the EU outnumber the American military and White Phosphorus and other incendiaries are something they own and will use before the the orange fat ones loyalist savages do. Also great for killing forces that out number your own.
You’re assuming Europe is unified, it’s not. The EU is in chaos, and the EU economy is in tatters. Germany is about to have a right-wing government, and so far, even Zelenskyy doesn’t believe The Europeans can help him beat Putin, without the help of the US.
Nothing is static, and the playing friend and conditions keep shifting in Trump’s favor. Just don’t rule out the possibility. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
Your English is terrible. I assume your a Russian who wants to west to be destroyed because you keep propping them up. Germany and Canada are turning against the right wing because of their ties with Musk.
Your also assuming blue states will go along with the traitors when in fact most of them make up the military over subhuman magats(over 60% of officers and enlisted)
Since magats are not legally soldiers, using incendiaries and cluster munitions are not war crimes. Also any place with that has as a little pistol or bullet like a school(ie resource officers) or church are also legal military targets.
My English is terrible? Do you even speak English? You certainly can’t write in English. And no, I am not propping up the Russian’s or Putin; that’s seems to be our new presidents job, and his administration’s. I’m simply warning about his and Trump’s future aggression plans.
That said, the military is an authoritarian institution. They will follow orders, the same way the FBI and CIA have been following orders, and releasing the names of agents and spy’s to the administration; it has never been done before.
Additionally, Trump is also handing out security clearances to people who would normally be considered vulnerable to foreign interference. Although this won’t be a problem anymore, since the DOJ is no longer prosecuting Americans who do the bidding of foreign governments, without registering as a foreign agent.
And if you haven’t noticed, Trump is completely dismantling our democracy and administrative state; what more evidence do you need?
And just because the Germans aren’t buying Musks vehicles doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of White Nationalists in Germany. They are gaining ground in every election, and recently had their best showing ever; winning a state.
That said, the far right was never Musk’s target market for vehicles, it would be the environmentalists and sane people.
You’re missing my point and putting words in my mouth and misinterpreting my comments. I was explaining from Trump’s point of view. He and Putin are trying to divide the West into two spheres of influence and power. That is their goal.
And my point about Europe was that Zelenskyy said two days ago, that “without the US, he won’t be able to succeed with just Europe.” These were his words, not mine.
My comment had nothing to do with what each European nation has contributed or whether they are up for a fight. No one wants war except Putin and Trump.
And let’s face it, Europe is still suffering economically, and politically the EU is not fully united. I hope I’m wrong, and it looks like Germany and others, are waking from their perennial stupor, and finally realizing Trump and MAGA, not the rest of us, do not have Europe’s or Ukraine’s back.
The European’s have been slow to act, because like the rest of us, we never thought it would get to this. That said, we are experiencing a fast moving coup, and the opposition still doesn’t have any sense of urgency; and we do so, at our own peril!
Bottom line: he will not defend Article 5: Europe is on their own against the red menace!
And please don’t speak for me in the future. Feel free to ask me a question if you are confused by my comments, and I’ll be happy to respond. I have no problem with criticism, these are opinions, and I know Im not always correct. Thanks!
Nope. You just got assmad because I told the truth about you. Which is why you replied twice. Your telling Americans there is no to way to fight back and advocating surrender to an enemy that can be beaten with unconventional means(drone, chemical warfare and incendiary weapons). Your just telling everyone not give up because your a deceitful magat or Muscovite troll pretending to be an American.
NATO held back chemical/incendiary weapons and cluster bombs for a reason. Those are the best weapons to kill an enemy that outnumbers them and for getting rid of Orcs/MAGAt savages like you.
You claim to know everything but you know nothing like all Kremlin rolls/Magats. The manufactures that build large American weapon systems such as Tanks and APCs are own by European corpos(thanks to W. Bush. ) . So their governments can order them to stop doing business with America and close down the factories. (and won't be reopened quickly because MAGAts are not the majority in those states) A war can't be won by savages with old rifles, weak fixed wing aircraft(the F-35) and pointy sticks .
America's frontline infinity is made up of those from Blue states(because Magats are too out of shape to join and were kicked out), so getting rid of them will also cut Americas fighting force below half. You still seem to believe that combat is like it was during the 19th century or a video game. Where enemies have to be in visual range to fight. That isn't how it works IRL. Your orange chimp's invasion of other countries won't be met with men but with deadly chemicals that will make conventional warfare and meat wave attacks pointless.
Yes, Canadians will fight back. I was at a Liberal political event last night in North Vancouver and it was unlike any other one I have been to. People are just furious, hurt and looking for any way they can to fight back. Talk of re-orienting stock portfolios to get out of all US investing, buy Canadian, build national pipelines and more infrastructure, cancel all travel. And even more importantly, It will be a factor for many, many years to come.
We are hoping that many Americans will speak up, as he once again threatens us with 25% on aluminun and steel. As Paul points out, we are by far the largest exporter of aluminun to the US and steel is also a huge part of our manufacturing base. We have good relations with our allies and Trudeau is, as we speak, hoping to get as much international support as possible. Our new deadline is March 14th! Patricia Bowles
I think that the tariffs on aluminum and steel will harm the United States more than Canada. As Krugman says, the tariffs will increase costs for U.S. manufacturers who make products containing aluminum or steel. The damage to U.S. manufacturing will affect Canada by reducing the demand for aluminum and steel in the United States. Canada will have to either export more aluminum and steel to other markets (which may mean Canada gets lower prices due to transportation costs), or will have to increase the manufacture of products containing a lot of steel and/or aluminum.
This makes Trump a bigger problem, not a smaller one. You can’t count on him not doing something just because it would harm the United States.
I know they will fight back, I should have used other words. And I didn’t mean to say the war will be over quickly. The difference is Trump and his people want this fight, no one else does, including me. And regardless of any victory, it will be pyrrhic one.
All I’m saying is, this is their goal, and they believe American might is superior to anyone.
>>Strategically, Trump, and apparently the neo-cons backing him, believe Greenland and Canada are essential to our future<<
I don't think there's a shred of evidence the "neocons" (by that do you mean national security hawks like Marco Rubio or Lindsay Graham?) believe the annexation of Greenland and Canada are "essential to our future." The US *already* maintains large national security footprints in both of those countries.
Trump isn't playing with a full deck. This is the man who apparently thinks it's a smart move (even if we ignore the base evil) to ethnically cleanse 2 million Palestinians from Gaza (how, at bayonet point courtesy of the US Marine Corps?) en route to making that into a beach resort. This is the man who seriously made inquiries about using nuclear weapons to tame tropical storms. This is the man who openly mused about injecting bleach to fight a virus.
His people say "Yes, Mr. President" to his hair-brained ideas because they don't want to feel his wrath. But make no mistake, the President of the United States is bats**t crazy.
What he is doing is not stupid of his aim is to destroy the United States. In that case it is well thought out. As well as if it followed a plan formulated in the Kremlin.
I tend to think trump is doing musk’s bidding for access to minerals needed for his soon to be declining (I hope) businesses. I also think that trump wants to one-up putin. Gaza, that’s his (and his SiL). Take over a beach front property for the latest (forthcoming bankrupt) “Bloodbath” Golf Resort.
Behind the scenes there are some neo-cons left, or as you say National Security hawks; although, I’d say it’s a misnomer since these same people are allowing Trump to dismantle the CIA and FBI capabilities to conduct espionage and counterespionage.
And I agree, Trump isn’t playing with a full deck; yet, the ethnic cleaning of 2 million Palestinians is being portrayed as a “new” idea, since we’ve had 75 years of violence. He’s reframing the argument, and his cult, and members of Congress are complicit.
Additionally m, his approval ratings are rising, because this is being disseminated in the MSN as Trump fulfilling his mandate.
So apparently the man who isn’t operating with a full deck, has the majority of Americans agreeing with him; which tells us everything we need to know about all the events taking place, which are going to consequences for decades to come!
You are right about geopolitical considerations. However, what’s the meaning of conquering 1 or 2 countries that are already among your best allies? This is really Monroe doctrine in reverse!!!
Trump and friends’ damages to Western credibility are already and will be immense every single day he goes on.
Agreed, but it’s about raw power. There is no rhyme or reason. Putin and Trump are working together. Putin will expand into Eastern Europe; taking Ukraine and the Baltics, and possibly Poland. The US will focus on North and South America. IMHO!
It doesn’t make sense, because you’re thinking like a rational person. So ask yourself, what is the reason Trump is punishing our allies? There’s no reason except revenge for petty sleights. And through Trump’s revenge (excuse), he and his financial backers, get the spoils.
Honestly, you think raiding the US coffers and taking over the Treasury servers is about waste and fraud? Sure waste and fraud exist, even more so now; than at any time before.
I’d love to hear your opinion. This is my best guess as to what’s happening. The EU is in a recession. They can’t even respond in a unified way to Russia’s aggression. Without US support Zelenskyy doesn’t believe the Europeans can help them defeat Putin alone. That, in itself, speaks volumes. And we know when Trump speaks in generalities, he’s testing the waters, and so far, where is the pushback, outside of shock; which is precisely the point: Shock Doctrine! IMHO!..:)
I think that's part of it. We know that Trumpty Dumpty fancies himself a brilliant negotiator. So it's partially a "tactic" or "strategy" - in his mind.
We also know he's so egotistical he redefines the word. So His Orange MAGA Majesty has a compulsion to throw his weight around just to show who's boss.
In addition, he's a psychopath, thus being compelled to harm as many of the "little people" as possible, both in and out of the United States.
Finally, he's psychotic, so there's really no way to analyze just WTF is going on inside that convoluted brain cell of his.
It’s about gutting the treasury and maybe your bank account to further enhance his and his cronies wealth (strikes me that congressional republicans stand to make a lot of money). Will it work? Lot of guns in this country and once you screw enough people out of their money they just might come after them. In the meantime, they pick vulnerable people to distract you into hating them. I much rather be witnessing the end of this nightmare than the beginning.
Insane men NEED power, money and for Trump - More LAND with Mexico and Canada ....= more land than Russia.... which in his mind might mean he out powers China ??? something has SLIPPED in Trumps sanity
Back in the day, when Saddam Hussein and his spawn were The Official Bad Guys®, I posited that by far the cheapest way to rid the world of him would be to hand him $100billion and a get-out-of-society-free card.
The subsequent unpleasantnesses proved me correct by several orders of magnitude. Woulda been a bargain at a trillion dollars.
I agree that tRump is following Hitler's playbook. But Hitler while obsessed with his Nazi fever dream, was intelligent. tRump is subnormal. I think detailed Neuropsychiatric testing would find he has an IQ in the low 80s. He is a 78 year old 'enfant terrible' with the largest burden of personality disorders I have ever seen: narcissism, psychopathy, paranoia, and a truly epic capacity for delusional thinking - and he is in charge of our economy and foreign policy. He is having daily temper tantrums and there is no mechanism to rein him in.
The unseen hand of India’s Modi could also be in play. Canada called India out for the murder of a Sikh leader in BC in 2023, and Modi was outraged. So Modi, along with Putin, could be egging Trump on along. Putin wants to divide NATO, and Modi wants a free hand with Sikhs wherever they live.
Trump is known for using the “door in the face” sales technique. He is serious about Greenland and is bringing up Canada as a diversion to make settling for Greenland more reasonable. Canada joining the US would be basically impossible and even if it did, Canadians voting in US elections means a republican would never win again.
Do you really think there will be free and fair elections? I think there will be elections, even Venezuela had elections, Iran has elections, Putin holds elections. Our choices will be limited to "safe" politicians who will support the CEO.
What if the on again off again tariffs are for market manipulation and insider trading?The watch dogs are gone.
Trump might have gotten the idea to annex Canada when so many said they would move there if he became president. (Only half joking. He might solve the immigration problem by annexing Mexico. Now they’re American. )
I’m sure they are exploiting the markets and trading on inside information as well. All things can be true at once with these clowns. They never let a crisis or opportunity to go to waste!
They are not clowns. It is dangerous to underestimate them. We are already forgetting what we said would happen if they won the election. Reminder: “this would be the last election. “. Is what we said. And now we’re going to be surprised when it turns out to be true.
I agree, I meant clowns in the sense that they break things, and aren’t serious people. I’ll rephrase in the future, and trust me, I’m not underestimating these people. I’ve seen the damage that they are doing at the NIH and CDC up close; personally knowing many people, including family that are being scapegoated, threatened, and punished for doing science!
It's quite clear he doesn't want Mexico or anything further south, except the Panama canal. How he's going to make it operate differently given the effects of climate change...doesn't matter. This is a man who can miraculously deliver water from the Central Valley to LA even though there aren't water lines.
No They are NOT hiding their Goals.... as Canada knows...as does the UK, Europe, the G7, the Globe..... watches. It is Russia - Ukraine without boot costs...brilliant (they think no one SEE's ) IF they thought the World would ALLOW it ??? WW3? Or does he BREAK the US functioning or economically first ? Who will be left to trade with the US, if a Country can find any other buyer? If freight/AIR is even close to same tariff cost, pay that not the US Government. The US has torn up two legal agreements for trade - business built factories and complete businesses were crated. And they greatly Benefit both Countries - likely already much tilted to the US - like the DISCOUNT on oil from Canada already given. This administration has cemented that they it cannot be trusted. Yes..these plans are ALL in plain sight
I hope your right. I should have rephrased and said, smaller allies who have done nothing wrong. Honestly l, it’s not a knock on Canada, but we’re dealing malignant sociopaths. These guys will stop at nothing!
In Denmark there are already voices (ironically) advising against buying California because the Americans have burned down half of it already. Or there is the slogan "Nake America Denmark". The plan would be to expand Greenland by taking over the USA.
It could be all the above. While some pronouncements may be test balloons others are just diarrhea of the mouth from a disordered person with legions of minions. It maybe doesn't matter how well thought out the drunk stumbling in the dark is about his plans, some of it will come to pass anyway. RT reported out Putins desire for dividing up the world into spheres of influence and Alaska and California would go to Russia so why not Canada and Greenland who are close together. Putin is up there at $200b, DJT is a political pawn and a despot facilitator for Elon the go between. Elon and DJT are upside down - they look ok on paper but need subsidizing from the US gvmt to pull themselves out of their real value losses re space x, x, Tesla, DJT being useless swatch obsessive hence cracking into the US Treasury to implant AI code - skimming, skimming, awarding contracts of taxpayer gdp to loser musk. The US is just a bank account for them to drain in efforts of consolidation across existing boundaries. Country shmuntry. The ice melt is opening up shipping lanes and legacy news doesn't report on the squirmishes in the Arctic over control. Russia in Ukraine also about control of shipping along southern coast and into Europe. Panama same. It just looks like a sloppy game of chess and DJT isn't capable of checkers so the intention is there but the fog of Adderall hangover may have unintended outcomes. Stay tuned for more end times.
This makes a lot of sense. The only flaw in your argument is that Trump doesn't make a lot of sense.
As a malignant narcissist, he needs people to bend their reality to meet his own (cf. Gulf of America) as a sign of fealty and to fill the massive hole in his self-esteem. You may be right that neo-cons see this as another opportunity for a murderous invasion, but Trump is just spouting off, trying to make people obey.
Speaking of, it's flat-out bizarre how companies like Google and Apple are caving to his whims and labeling it the Gulf of America on maps (but only maps for U.S. users; in Mexico the map still says "Gulf of Mexico.")
As Timothy Snyder puts it, They are obeying advance, hoping to save themselves pre-emptively from his wrath. But as business owners in Nazi Germany found out, that didn't save them from the death camps or the Nuremberg trials.
I'm interested in seeing what Ford will do. Having donated to Republicans (Farley personally) and given Trump a million dollars for his inauguration as, effectively, a bribe, they are now facing the fact that Trump couldn't give two damns about htem. Trump's tariffs, which they know were coming, will seriously hurt their business and cause them (because God forbid executive pay take a hit) to layoff of the idiot union members who also voted for Trump. Meanwhile, their chief competitor for EVs, Musk, is essentially running the government and happily waiting to see Ford destroyed. The only way out, as I see it, is for Farley to turn Ford into a tool and symbol for Trump the way Mercedes and Volkswagen were for Hitler. This won't save Farley or Ford, of course, in the long run, but it will goose profits when people feel forced to buy Ford F150s as a sign of their own fealty to Trump. They'll make a fortune selling SUVs designed to carry kidnapped immigrants and take them to Trump's concentration camps. And they'll do their part by turning in undocumented immigrants and other undesirables (be careful what you say on the Ford Slack!) and banning their health insurance from covering reproductive rights and vaccines.
Very Russian policy. Support global warming to open the arctic. Geography has always determined destiny. Russia has always been at a disadvantage ports wise. You can’t build a railroad across the northern tundra. You can’t export the minerals during 1/2 the year from Russian arctic ports. Russia is building a fleet of nuclear powered ice breakers. But the Canada Greenland infatuation is Musks family history influence. His father Joshua Haldeman was a leader in the 1930s 40s Tecnocracy fascist movement. He wanted Canada to take Greenland ‘leibenstrom’ living space Nazi style. For fascists it’s always about taking more by force.
I don’t support Global Warming; Trump does, which makes sense when you think about it. Trump and Putin are dividing the West in two spheres. Russia takes Europe, and the US takes North and South America. And China gets Taiwan, and control of the South China Sea.
And it is simply not able to swallow Canada against its' will.
Similar to how Ukraine resists Russia against all anticipation.
However, speculating how great the US would be it it included Canada flatters DT's fragile ego.
Similar to controling Greenland, which other than serving as a stable aircraft carrier (as it has since WW2), has little to offer the US in terms of natural resources.
(In passing, Greenland is probably more than one island under its' massive glacier)
Actually with the glaciers melting, Greenland has substantial mineral and oil deposits. And I wasn’t suggesting they would be a cakewalk. I was making a point.
The tariffs are now cumulative, so the tariff for Canadian aluminum and steel is 50 percent. I'm so done with you lot. Don't even go there by saying some of you didn't vote for Trump: do you think that matters with policy? Does that forgive Gaza? Google is putting Gulf of America on maps. You have to go to the Ceausescus to find such craven behaviour. How much before you squirm? You'll never squirm. All in. That is what it amounts to . NAFTA is dead. Canadians will never forget, and never forgive.
It took Adolf Hitler 33 days to BREAK the Germain Government while the country was assaulted daily with the same type take over/ break atrocities. And the People too were shocked/ frozen ...just wanted to live their lives and buy food and to eat they eventually COMPLY out of Fear usually
.......we are staring at WWIII but only if they BREAK the US resistance first .....
I think DT has abandoned global tarifs on Canada & Mexico, with face-saving comments.
His tarifs on aluminium (mostly from Canada) will very much damage the US arms & aviation industry, so I would be surprised if they are not abandoned as well.
Canada can always export our aluminium elsewhere, as we have abundant energy to make it price competitive.
In Canada Google maps has "Gulf of Mexico" with "(Gulf of America)".
We can always switch to Bing maps, which keeps "Gulf of Mexico", and supposedly tracks us less. Note that Bing is owned by Microsoft, resisting the siren call of Trump.
Even if the US does end up applying extra tarifs, which will hurt the US & Canadian & Mexican economies, due to the free trade agreement, the US will have to pay the tarifs back with penalties.
Meanwhile, both Canada & Mexico will diversify our trade to the detriment of the US. Trump and his handlers are shooting the US economy in the foot.
Do you really think Trump will honour that commitment? No way. He's already torn up NAFTA agreements. This is the crisis: the US is no longer trustworthy, honourable; it's a hostile power.
Whether Trump agrees or not, NAFTA is still in force, and the US will be eventually obliged under GATT to compensate with penalties for their violations. It has already happened numerous times in the past.
He could cancel NAFTA with appropriate notice, but US industry will strongly oppose.
I just tried Bing maps. Like Google, it labels the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. I’m in the United States. Probably both site are now using different names based on IP address.
It must be. At least for Canadians, with Bing it is still "Gulf of Mexico" with no "Gulf of America".
There are a lot of other search engines, I just chose Bing since it shows boundaries of provinces (& states in the US), whereas some others only show boundaries of countries.
There are many map programs (at least 10), most I didn't try.
Perhaps the entity known collectively as “America” will be irreparably tarnished in the eyes of Canadians, but I hope you can still distinguish those who of us who didn’t vote for this catastrophe from those who did. Individual moral responsibility shouldn’t be set aside in any consideration — that would destroy the very foundation for separating right actions from wrong at the level they are made.
No. Does Gaza take much comfort in knowing some Americans don't approve of the bombing? When you're being destroyed, it's government policy that matters, not the sensibilities of the country doing the destroying.
I’m not asking you to make a distinction between the government and, well, itself. There’s nothing to distinguish. Just an acknowledgement that many individual Americans not only did not sign off on this but actively oppose it. I’m not accepting responsibility for anyone’s vote but mine.
American culture and society are already irreparably tarnished in the eyes of the World. Canada (and Greenland) are nothing, the symbolism though is paradym shifting. There was a time when the world considered the USA to be a place of stability, morality and the rule of law - the World no longer holds that to be true - it clearly sees your true nature; you eat your own for profit, all the while boasting of your exceptionalism.
The House and Senate Republicans are doing everything possible to renew and even reduce the Trump 2018 tax cuts. They know they have to fund these which is, of course, a fool's errand.
Wouldn't it be an easier sell, if they added an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15.00 a hours phased in over 3 years? It would be the gift that keeps on giving and cost the oligarchs very little. After 3 years, they should index it based on the same COLA used for Social Security.
The consumer blowback in Canada is stunning. There are demands to re draft labeling rules here to enforce country source on every product in the market place. The water cooler conversation is now "where did that stapler come from?", couldn't you find a Canadian suppler? No? Well order the European one". If Canadians are laid off due to Trump (and it's very very likely), every layoff notice will be headline news just like war reports from WW2. American suppliers have lost their Canadian business for the next 4 years and possibly for a generation. We are typically 10% of most consumer products top line. And this battle is only beginning.
If uniting somehow with Canada were in our national interest, the POTUS making himself and us radioactive to Canadians hardly seems like a wise approach.
That is the tip of the iceberg I think .... so do we keep course like the Titanic or do we change their course. It will be only if he succeeds in breaking the US Government then the people/military must comply..... and we should have GUESSED with his Cabinet choices !!!! BUT it was shock and awe...but now...now we are in the 9th hour
Sitting still is no longer an option it seems. The political/social hot mess in the USA is not the time to consider a merger. Actually, was thinking the yesterday perhaps a merger of Denmark/Greenland/Canada might be an appropriate political/economic union.
Canada supplys almost 60% of U.S. aluminum. Opening an aluminum foundry is not like opening a new corner convenience store. A few weeks will not cut. Try years! How will America replace Canada's low cost aluminum? It can't. If the tarrifs on aluminum are implemented these costs will infiltrate the supply chain and result in higher prices across a broad range of consumer goods from aluminum foil, roasting pans Ford F150 pickups, computers to aircraft. Yes, tarrifs will certainly be a victory for the U.S., a Pyrrhic victory; a victory that comes at a significant cost to the victor that is almost tantamount to defeat.
Ah so good to point out. So the US is a price taker for aluminum and this tariff will boomerang. Tariffs will be based on as higher prices and will hurt domesticanufs turning while raiding prices.
It's the "hot stove" paradigm. The current U.S. Administration needs to burn its hands first. Ouch!! i.e. stock market reaction, job losses, congressional defections etc. Bad burns will diminish the allure of tarrifs. Once burned, twice shy!
IF Elon Musk BUYS AI ChatGPT - then was the election rigged by him or maybe just the 4 years of disinformation and his extra thrust was enough With the US Government in HIS favour and unable to block/stop him, THIS is BAD..very very bad. HE is BRILLIANT enough to have figured all this out .... You know all this has to STOP.... there is more trouble here than a Globe will handle
As a lapsed economist, I am not totally unhappy that Trump is willing to use the US as a Guinea pig for testing the empirical size of import demand and supply elasticities. As a consumer and tax payer, I increasingly believe that we need a stronger version of the 25th amendment, i.e. there should be a mandatory psychological evaluation of our presidents when they show clear signs of madness.
The weakness of the American system is that the people can't call for a new election themselves. I realize lots of countries don't have this, but our system sorely needs a legal mechanism for the people to depose a president and a whole administration earlier than normally scheduled.
Under a Parliamentary system, the US House could bring down the government and force an election whenever the government (or in this case, Trump) loses the confidence of the House.
Yep :) But, I'd rather not be depending on Republicans to do that thing these days anyway. If we had proportional representation like many parliamentary systems, or runoff voting even, so that there weren't just 2 parties, maybe. The founders really should have created a way for the people to directly recall the President in the US.
I would offer that the test for sanity should be the election process but that has clearly failed. Starting with the loss of the Fairness Doctrine in the late 1980s disinformation and a substantial loss of applying critical thinking skills has been the ongoing "pandemic" ever since. As to the economics I believe we have sufficient empirical data in that area to know what the results will be.
When I saw NY Times, WaPo and LA Times sane-washing trump's babble, I lost all faith in them. There was a universe of difference between the two candidates but they portrayed them as equals.
did you watch him and Elon yesterday in the Oval Office? Elon was totally in charge. Trump sat behind his desk like a 1st grader. It was pathetic. Elon and his minions are tearing the place up, Trump has given him all the authority, and the R Congress is so terrified they are doing nothing but defend him (and filling his cabinet with people who have zero business being there).
but he's a puppet of Musk, who rides off in all directions (but generally to quash a regulation or an investigation that involves his ability to make money without restriction). So Musk can let Trump rant, while Musk targets the agencies that have had the nerve to try to rein him in.
Worth noting that Musk is roughly as irrational and uncontrolled as Trump, so him acting on behalf of Musk doesn't actually make him more controlled and rational.
Nope...Musk is MAKING MUCH MUCH More $$$ from the US Government - who's payments he now controls ;) AND if they sell him AI in ChatGBT = HEAVEN HELP US Literally. If Functioning the US Government would have blocked this...hmmmmmmmmm see a Musk plan.
Unlike Trump. Hitler was hugely popular among Germans. I think it was because the German government was already broken and they saw him as someone who might fix it.
Nope, Hitler was popular because his arms manufacturing investments in the 1930s put German workers back to work while the Western World did nothing to end the Great Depression and President Hoover (Rep) pretended prosperity was just around the corner.
NOT if breaking the US so badly...then it's people had no choice and then will comply with ??? Russia is a good guess ;) Trump is now insane, we all know that...Project 2025 is to BREAK and KEEP power..... forever...a must even to keep even just Trump out of Jail.
It is cute to think, that elections from here on in will not be RIGDED, exactly as fair as Russian elections :) .......
Thanks for this helpful analysis. To date, experts like yourself have been able to count on sources of statistics which are generally regarded as reliable, impartial and accountable. Are you worried about the future availability of such information?
Availability is a concern, but data manipulation may pose an even more significant threat—especially concerning the CPI-W, which underpins Social Security and other benefits. Cost-of-living adjustments are already delayed and arguably insufficient; if they’re skewed further from actual inflation, retirees and other recipients will feel real harm.
We’ve seen “stealth taxation” in action through the Social Security Amendments of 1983 (Public Law 98-21) and adjustments made by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-66), where more Social Security income became taxable over time. Yet most Americans haven’t raised much of a fuss over these gradual shifts—suggesting they might also miss or dismiss any quiet manipulation of CPI-W data. As Paul Krugman has observed, you can’t hide false figures forever. Still, with AI-enabled dynamic pricing (airline tickets are just one example), the lines between genuine costs and manipulated indexes are getting blurrier. Ultimately, manipulation of these measures is likely a greater danger than mere information scarcity.
I read an earlier column where he discussed this very subject. My take away: yes, statistical analysis will likely be manipulated especially as the economy flounders due to musk’s policies. However, US gov is not the only entity keeping tack of such things. I will count on the good professor to inform me on which stats are reliable.
The erosion of Hong Kong and Macau are case studies for this. The type of manipulation that Musk would enable is likely not reactive to Winnie-the-Pooh type influences though. The threat here is corruption not saving face.
Yes..that is how it is in Russia and if it works well for Putin's power it will work well to keep Trump in Power...once the people fully understand what happened..it's too late. It took Hitler only 33 days to take over the Germain Government with create the SS
I don't believe that's the case. We're not Russia nor are we Germany circa 1933. We have a long standing "underground" that will emerge rather explosively soon.
I think it's because the #DirtyOldRapist's wife #3 took a fancy to the young Trudeau and the photo of their 2019 air kiss went viral. Sound petty and childish? Check and check.
The polarization of wealth has made public personal vendettas that social justice and history are laying at the feet of our billionaire overlords. Vivian Wilson, Epstein, and WWE have an inordinate hold on our leadership. It makes me want to read Hunter Biden's laptop.
The last true public servant was Jimmy Carter. Will we ever get another President who attacks swamp rabbits and considers his engagement to his spouse as the most important moment in his life? I doubt it.
I think to Trump....it is LAND :) :) Mexico with be 2nd and easier after Canada....but what ....the rest of the free world SEE's too ... Gaza, Canada, Panama, Greenland - well it doesn't take Real Estate 101 to SEE what the PLAN is ...its the back ground partner that is hiding ......
Professor Krugman: in addition to making us poorer, the orange toddler's temper tantrum will also make us sicker and deader. so not only will ameriKKKa be hated and feared globally, but even its own citizens hate and fear the country. i know i do.
(1) The tariff business isn't only Trump. It's backed by his advisors who in turn have their self-interested backers. For one example, you need only read Robert Lighthizer's essay in last Saturday's NYT (Want Free Trade? May I Introduce You to the Tariff) to see the 21st century version of Mercantilism writ-large. I've been encouraging Paul Krugman to take that essay apart but this plea has not been taken-up yet. It's the "intellectual" foundation of Trump's thinking on tariffs and needs to be dealt with.
(2) Canada seriously needs to rethink its whole industrial strategy (if it ever had one that went beyond relying for 18% of its GDP on exports to the USA). It needs to start with dismantling its foolish inter-provincial trade barriers, and then move on to the auto, public transport and defense industries, re-conceptualizing them to survive essentially without American product, in partnership with other such industries internationally. I target these industries because they are the backbone of much other industry, including steel and aluminum. Will take time, effort and money, but the traditional model of these periodic begging sessions to remain within the American tent is by now obviously not sustainable, because the US is not trustworthy, and trust lies at the heart of any sustainable trade agreement.
(3) Notwithstanding (2) above, perhaps manufacturing industry is not in Canada's future, and the country needs to be a whole lot more aggressive than it has been in advancing its burgeoning high tech sectors - this is where the biggest value-added may be, and if it can get every successful start-up to stop selling out to the US, a true Canadian high-tech sector could be the country's future, dwarfing autos, steel and Trump's shenanigans.
That escalated quickly—now this is Canada’s problem? I’m not sure what Canada should do beyond responding tit-for-tat until morale improves. Suggesting Canada can pivot its entire industrial base away from the U.S. oversimplifies things. Dismantling inter-provincial barriers or fostering a high-tech sector sounds great on paper, but long-term strategies won’t shield Canada from immediate economic fallout. Economic integration isn’t just about trust—it’s about proximity, scale, competitive advantage, and shared infrastructure that can’t be unraveled overnight.
We need to tax smartly—not tariffically. Trump is an idiot, full stop. This isn’t a Canada problem per se. The Ontario ads during the Super Bowl were well-placed; maybe Michigan/the Midwest States should return the favor during the Stanley Cup. I kid (mostly), but I’m not ready to pivot into Canadian reforms when this is an America-first issue.
Tim what about the GST ? Is it broad enough ? Are their loopholes. How does it impact trade ? Should we all be things about that subject in broader terms ?
GST and VAT taxes are more transparent since they’re built into pricing but are still regressive. In Canada, GST is broad enough, but provincial add-ons and export exemptions create loopholes. GST’s impact on trade isn’t always obvious—it’s subtle and varies by region.
We should be thinking about this. Paul has suggested VAT taxes before, but I’m conflicted. My values lean toward progressivity (which makes me skeptical of GST), but I also care about fairness—and if essentials like food and housing are exempted, maybe I can live with it. VAT systems can address regressiveness, depending on how they are implemented.
I appreciate the fact that you put "intellectual" in quotes and yes, the tariffs will likely drive a lot of our trading partners into the arms of our competitors.
Canada may be able to import NIH doctors and other intellectuals, as well who are getting budget cuts here from DOGE.
“We have learned that we cannot live alone at peace, that our own wellbeing is dependent on the wellbeing of other nations far away,” he declares, “We have learned to be citizens of the world. We have learned…The only way to have a friend is to be one.” - FDR, January 20, 1945.
Apparently, trump has no use for friends; bootlickers yes, friends, not so much.
His mercantilist view of economic prosperity comes from a simpleton’s logic that we’re stronger if we make it ourselves. He shut be focusing on closing the foreign partition of revenue with little to no connection to these tax havens.
Good points. And I’m a bit cynical. It may not even be adherence to trickle-down economics ideology. Rather, they are simply self-interested and see securing greater profit potential for corporate benefactors as a means to increase their personal wealth.
I’d love to have a serious conversation about taxes—that’s where the real issues lie. But this leadership, and the broader Republican agenda, is still stuck on trickle-down economics, with tax partitioning taking priority over meaningful reform.
Sigh... agree. I'm struggling to find a constructive policy to endorse or place hope, but the conversation needs to focus on taxes. People understand that. It's real.
I'm not giving up hope. I AM giving up on the Phillips Curve-based Democratic economic agenda. We need to get away from employment and talk about standard of living (focusing on health, education, and the environment) and ... taxation. Mostly stealth taxation, progression, and TBP's target ==> partition. Concerning taxation, we must eliminate stealth taxes and find a macro-solution to the max/min for progression and partition. Taxes are out of whack in more ways than this, but it would be a start.
Of course Canada wouldn't join as one big state. You'd never get Quebec to agree, so it's 2 minimum. But seeing as there are 13 provinces and territories, adjust for Alberta... and you're definitely not looking at a GOP majority anymore. So that would be a pretty mighty own-goal.
And I think he's still mad about that look Melania was giving the rather handsome Mr. Trudeau as caught on photo, but that's just me.
Professor, you may not want to speculate as to Trump’s motivations, but I will. Strategically, Trump, and apparently the neo-cons backing him, believe Greenland and Canada are essential to our future National Interests (ice melting/trade routes). Now they need an excuse to apply pressure, because we can’t grow ourselves out of our debt crisis.
Therefore, they want to expropriate their trillions in resources. And we know Trump doesn’t care about National Security; he just took a sledgehammer to our FBI, and CIA; making counter intelligence and espionage against our real foes, nearly impossible!
Bottom line: this isn’t about a trade war, or tariffs, this is Trump’s Sudetenland moment; to expand America’s empire through Manifest Destiny! These people aren’t exactly hiding their goals and objectives. Greenland and Canada are the low hanging fruit; allies with fewer military capabilities. Let’s just hope in this hostile takeover; Canada and Greenland swallows the US.
What we’re experiencing is a failure of imagination on a grand scale, and it will cost us dearly in the end! IMHO!
Do you think Canadians won't fight back? And Denmark? Europe? Canada has other allies. Americans are loathed; won't be an easy acquisition.
Do you think the Europeans can fight America and Russia at the same time? Apparently, Zelenskyy doesn’t even believe he can win with only Europe’s support, which is why he’s catering to Trump’s demand, and giving US firms whatever contracts they want to get more American aid!
These may end the same way. American imperialism taking control of our allies natural resources for Trump and his minions to exploit!
Mark my words, by 2028, Trump will be the richest man in the world. We have no idea what deals he’s making behind the scenes. He’s already replaced pretty much the entire State Department; thousands of employees who cover, Europe, Asia, Africa and Central and South America, with just eight to eleven people, all loyal to him. What’s that about?
And if you think Rubio is in charge, all of his deputies are Trump loyalists from the Heritage Foundation. Rubio is as much a Secretary of State as Tillerson was during Trump’s first term.
Right now, we’re experiencing a failure of imagination!
I’m sure Ukrainians are appalled to find themselves exploited by a “zero sum” guy like Trump, who only sees a win if he makes the other party lose. But they’ve been dealing with an ill-mannered, thieving neighbor for decades. That’s why Zelenskyy can read the change in the wind and he knows the nature of the crook that he must deal with now. He’s dangling the promise of resources that are in Russian-held territory. “All this can be yours ... if you’ll give Ukraine the tools to break the Russian invasion.”
There's no question King MAGA wants to be Emperor MAGA. There's also no question he wants to fatten his coffers as much as possible while he can. Becoming the richest man in the world is unlikely because, for one thing, Muskrat already is, and for another, that puts Muskrat in a better position to plunder all there is to plunder - both in the US and everywhere else.
I don’t want to sound uppity, but my guess is that this economy will be soon be taking a nose dive. I’ve made considerable appreciation asset-wise in the stock markets. Soon, I will go short (already doing that now as a day trader) as I’m convinced that the economy will tank. We are so way overdue for a correction as well as recession. Watch it’s coming.
There is already a "Buy Canada" movement in Canada, even when tariff increase was on hold in the first round. People may have short memory but no one wants to have a gun pointing to their head all the time. There will be a shift away from McDonald, KFC, Starbuck, GE etc. There are a lot of choices for the food, drinks, fridge, TV etc. Will it have significant impact on corporate profit, if other countries follow?
Trading partnership realignment, I believe, is already under way around the world. It takes time and US is so wealthy that every one still wants to sell to the US. It may not matter to the US. But I doubt if it will go back to the old days.
Only time will tell.
I admit to being surprised when my daughters and I went shopping at a few grocery stores tonight in central Canada. There were “Made in CANADA” stickers on almost every shelf, identifying products to consider purchasing instead of U.S. alternatives. We bought Canadian for all but three or four products. I honestly did not expect it to be so easy or painless.
The new U.S. President (he who shall not be named) is teaching my daughters’ generation that the U.S. is not trustworthy, not an ally, and just another global, power seeking bully like Russia, China and others. It disgusts me to see my daughters entering adulthood with this kind of hatred being thrown at them for the next four years instead of having the opportunity to grow up with a great neighbor to the south to learn from, and build a better world with.
Damned straight! Once we make the shift, there's no reason to go back. And, fewer Starbucks would be welcome.
You don't sound uppity, you sound accurate. I've been feeling for decades that the stock market is grossly over valued. Mostly thanks to "opt out" 401k's that are actually making people poorer.
BTW, you still day trade? In this day and age of low latency algorithmic trading?
That's my take on also. I started taking profits primarily in the BDCs that I went into heavily following the SVB debacle and moving from my typical cash position of 15-18% to currently at 50%.
I do the same thing. When I thought Trump would win, I bought Tesla stock call options and made some real money within a week. I’m almost completely decoupled from the equity markets right now and I’m considering buying Swiss Francs; parking a good amount of my investments in currency that’s steady, and some commodities.
The Canadian dollar would look good, but if the tariff and invasion threats continue, you might see investor selloffs for the Canadian dollar.
Re the plundering:
I bet one of the things Lone Skum is doing with his forcibly-inserted apps is backdoor-editing out any text that fails to meet the newspeak standard. So alla the digitally archived text in every single federal document will fit the correct Project 2025/47th Reich dictat, eg: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: That All White Men Are Created Supreme"...hang onto your hard copies, is all I'm sayin'...
No doubt.
Thanks.
You, of all people, would certainly recognize my hypothesis.
If he really wants to be an emperor he should stop being so subservient to Musk and his four year old. He looked like a weak, pathetic old fool in that Oval Office meeting that Musk ran. Musk looked like an arrogant, immature fool.
Worse still, Musk is in the process of buying out Trump. Soon the Project 2025 gang will engineer a 25th amendment removal, dumb democrats will support it and you will have VanceThielMusk and the Afrikaner mafia running the country.
Could be. Pretty easy peasy with alla that lot of cabinet-heads.
Surely it's Trump who plans to liquidate Musk, after Musk has alienated some more donees. Does Musk have a force equal to or better than what Trump has?
Could Muskrat be the next Prigozhin?
Interesting thought, but for a Constitutional Amendment, ¾ of the states must ratify it.
That's why women don't have equal rights in the US, even though both houses of Congress overwhelmingly passed the Equal Right Amendment, some 40 years ago.
Think the Democrats can come up with at least 13 blue states that will refuse to comply?
ANYONE forget China and their POWER and utter distaste for the US..... Insane men forget ..being FILTHY Rich isn't helpful, when dead
It doesn't take imagination to urge the oligarchs to set up trusts which promotes education, housing for the underprivileged, food insecurity and even infrastructure.
In the 1990's Ted Turned set up a charitable trust. Of course this was a good thing. But, more importantly, he challenged his fellow oligarchs to do the same thing.
There are literally thousands of charitable trusts across the US and the World. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett as well as MacKenzie Scott are doing fantastic things which our corporate media rarely, if ever, mentions.
We need to shame the oligarchs and the trustifarians who live off of the trusts of their parents, grandparents etc. to give generously.
There is a book of foundations available at most public libraries that talks about their purpose and how to contact them for requests of funds, etc.
Aren't there enough pundits like Dr. Krugman, Dr. Cox Richardson, Robert Reich, Joyce Vance, Thom Hartmann that are expertly reporting and dissecting what is happening every day. Let's shame these oligarchs, if possible, into helping some of the people they are screwing over.
The oligarchs have no shame, so shaming them won't work, just as it doesn't for King MAGA.
As for trusts, I'd rather force the bastards to pay their fair share in taxes on all the wealth they stole, and let the government do what it's supposed to. Like in Denmark.
They have an audience, sadly, of mere thousands cumulatively. That's not a resistance. The oligarchs aren't ever going to be shamed. Nor are the Republicans in government. Or the Supreme Court.
That's true, but don't forget that MAGA spread online like the malignancy that it is, concurrently with QAnon and all the other bizarre rantings on the right.
We can leverage the same tools, and an audience of mere thousands can easily spread like a spark spread into a giant wild conflagration. It's coming.
Wistfully hearted...
oligarchs cannot take the place of a government social net because oligarchs are individuals who have their own interests, so they do vanity projects rather than comprehensive social programs that people across the country need. In order to do the things that are not sexy, not interesting, but absolutely important to a healthy society, the money has to be distributed evenly. This is why government agencies or quasi agencies must administer it, and progressive taxation must pay for it.
Shame the oligarchs? They have no shame and are immune to it.
No; I never said we'd win, but it won't be a cakewalk. That we are talking about it is frightening, as I, not you, am the target. You guys will have a national holiday and parade in the streets. And you obviously, by your comments, are prepared to stand around while Trump becomes the richest man in the world. And again no re Rubio. Or any Trump appointee. We KNOW they are idiots, and maybe criminals. Acting in the name of your country and your government.
I get you’re worried, and you should be. Look what’s happening around us? Nothing makes sense from a logical perspective. He’s already destroying America. And no, I’m not standing around, but until the MSN recognizes the problem, we can’t come up with a solution.
Right now, Trump is playing whack-a-mole, and flooding the zone with misinformation, and the MSN is following the bright shiny object. Until they wake up, what do you expect anyone of us to do?
Well, I think we can agree that the MSM is well and truly dead in the US, can't we? Fortunately, no one pays attention to it anymore, and the resistance will come, if it comes at all, on social media.
And it's already begun.
Who here knows what is mainstream is anymore? I mean, youtube has the numbers, they and tiktok have the yout's...alla the rest are small change, no?
"...as I, not you, am the target."
Not true! Remember, most of us didn't vote for the Jackass in Chief. We are every bit as much targets as you - indeed even more so.
"You guys will have a national holiday and parade in the streets."
Maybe. But if you pay close attention to the "spectators", you might notice they're entirely MAGANuts, especially Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and other unsavory "militia" types. The rest of us will be protesting/demonstrating.
"and maybe criminals."
Not maybe. Unequivocally.
Rubio will continue to pray as Trump bombs the world
Europe has contributed every bit as much to Ukraiane as the US has. And they're willing to expand that, because the wolf is at *their* door.
The countries bordering Russia are giving the most. Poland has supplied more aid than any other European country.
I think @Robert Jaffee harbours the same "American Exceptionalism" bias that many Americans do. Underestimate the rest of the world at your own peril.
You should read up on Anzacs and Canadians in the World Wars.
You are also giving our allies ZERO credit.
Wrong see the comment above. Honestly I was commenting from Trump’s perspective and his goals. It had nothing to do with Europe’s credit.
And, honestly, I just repeated and commented on what Zelenskyy said two days ago about not being able to win with just Europe alone. His words not mine. He didn’t have confidence in Europe. They haven’t shown o be unified in the past. I know it’s changing fast and I support Europe, Mexico and Canada, not Trump in any fashion.
I hope this helps! Thanks
It’s not that, I give them a lot of credit, but we are far too ahead of them right now. Not to mention, with the recession that most of them are experiencing, they have become even weaker. And I’m not saying it will lead to an all out war, most likely a capitulation of a major kind.
Additionally, our allies have been depending on US assistance for the last 75 years. We built NATO, and our defense of our allies this way. And it’s worked. They’ve certainly been getting better prepared for a world without the US, but they aren’t there yet.
That’s my point. We can’t completely defeat them quickly, but we can cause untold damage; just lime everywhere else we go.
The Common Wealth Nations and the EU outnumber the American military and White Phosphorus and other incendiaries are something they own and will use before the the orange fat ones loyalist savages do. Also great for killing forces that out number your own.
You’re assuming Europe is unified, it’s not. The EU is in chaos, and the EU economy is in tatters. Germany is about to have a right-wing government, and so far, even Zelenskyy doesn’t believe The Europeans can help him beat Putin, without the help of the US.
Nothing is static, and the playing friend and conditions keep shifting in Trump’s favor. Just don’t rule out the possibility. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
Your English is terrible. I assume your a Russian who wants to west to be destroyed because you keep propping them up. Germany and Canada are turning against the right wing because of their ties with Musk.
Your also assuming blue states will go along with the traitors when in fact most of them make up the military over subhuman magats(over 60% of officers and enlisted)
Since magats are not legally soldiers, using incendiaries and cluster munitions are not war crimes. Also any place with that has as a little pistol or bullet like a school(ie resource officers) or church are also legal military targets.
My English is terrible? Do you even speak English? You certainly can’t write in English. And no, I am not propping up the Russian’s or Putin; that’s seems to be our new presidents job, and his administration’s. I’m simply warning about his and Trump’s future aggression plans.
That said, the military is an authoritarian institution. They will follow orders, the same way the FBI and CIA have been following orders, and releasing the names of agents and spy’s to the administration; it has never been done before.
Additionally, Trump is also handing out security clearances to people who would normally be considered vulnerable to foreign interference. Although this won’t be a problem anymore, since the DOJ is no longer prosecuting Americans who do the bidding of foreign governments, without registering as a foreign agent.
And if you haven’t noticed, Trump is completely dismantling our democracy and administrative state; what more evidence do you need?
And just because the Germans aren’t buying Musks vehicles doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of White Nationalists in Germany. They are gaining ground in every election, and recently had their best showing ever; winning a state.
That said, the far right was never Musk’s target market for vehicles, it would be the environmentalists and sane people.
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-far-right-elections-victory-afd-cdu-olaf-scholz/
So I’m not sure your point, but you seriously need to educate yourself!
You’re missing my point and putting words in my mouth and misinterpreting my comments. I was explaining from Trump’s point of view. He and Putin are trying to divide the West into two spheres of influence and power. That is their goal.
And my point about Europe was that Zelenskyy said two days ago, that “without the US, he won’t be able to succeed with just Europe.” These were his words, not mine.
My comment had nothing to do with what each European nation has contributed or whether they are up for a fight. No one wants war except Putin and Trump.
And let’s face it, Europe is still suffering economically, and politically the EU is not fully united. I hope I’m wrong, and it looks like Germany and others, are waking from their perennial stupor, and finally realizing Trump and MAGA, not the rest of us, do not have Europe’s or Ukraine’s back.
The European’s have been slow to act, because like the rest of us, we never thought it would get to this. That said, we are experiencing a fast moving coup, and the opposition still doesn’t have any sense of urgency; and we do so, at our own peril!
Bottom line: he will not defend Article 5: Europe is on their own against the red menace!
And please don’t speak for me in the future. Feel free to ask me a question if you are confused by my comments, and I’ll be happy to respond. I have no problem with criticism, these are opinions, and I know Im not always correct. Thanks!
Nope. You just got assmad because I told the truth about you. Which is why you replied twice. Your telling Americans there is no to way to fight back and advocating surrender to an enemy that can be beaten with unconventional means(drone, chemical warfare and incendiary weapons). Your just telling everyone not give up because your a deceitful magat or Muscovite troll pretending to be an American.
NATO held back chemical/incendiary weapons and cluster bombs for a reason. Those are the best weapons to kill an enemy that outnumbers them and for getting rid of Orcs/MAGAt savages like you.
You claim to know everything but you know nothing like all Kremlin rolls/Magats. The manufactures that build large American weapon systems such as Tanks and APCs are own by European corpos(thanks to W. Bush. ) . So their governments can order them to stop doing business with America and close down the factories. (and won't be reopened quickly because MAGAts are not the majority in those states) A war can't be won by savages with old rifles, weak fixed wing aircraft(the F-35) and pointy sticks .
America's frontline infinity is made up of those from Blue states(because Magats are too out of shape to join and were kicked out), so getting rid of them will also cut Americas fighting force below half. You still seem to believe that combat is like it was during the 19th century or a video game. Where enemies have to be in visual range to fight. That isn't how it works IRL. Your orange chimp's invasion of other countries won't be met with men but with deadly chemicals that will make conventional warfare and meat wave attacks pointless.
Yes, Canadians will fight back. I was at a Liberal political event last night in North Vancouver and it was unlike any other one I have been to. People are just furious, hurt and looking for any way they can to fight back. Talk of re-orienting stock portfolios to get out of all US investing, buy Canadian, build national pipelines and more infrastructure, cancel all travel. And even more importantly, It will be a factor for many, many years to come.
We are hoping that many Americans will speak up, as he once again threatens us with 25% on aluminun and steel. As Paul points out, we are by far the largest exporter of aluminun to the US and steel is also a huge part of our manufacturing base. We have good relations with our allies and Trudeau is, as we speak, hoping to get as much international support as possible. Our new deadline is March 14th! Patricia Bowles
I think that the tariffs on aluminum and steel will harm the United States more than Canada. As Krugman says, the tariffs will increase costs for U.S. manufacturers who make products containing aluminum or steel. The damage to U.S. manufacturing will affect Canada by reducing the demand for aluminum and steel in the United States. Canada will have to either export more aluminum and steel to other markets (which may mean Canada gets lower prices due to transportation costs), or will have to increase the manufacture of products containing a lot of steel and/or aluminum.
This makes Trump a bigger problem, not a smaller one. You can’t count on him not doing something just because it would harm the United States.
I know they will fight back, I should have used other words. And I didn’t mean to say the war will be over quickly. The difference is Trump and his people want this fight, no one else does, including me. And regardless of any victory, it will be pyrrhic one.
All I’m saying is, this is their goal, and they believe American might is superior to anyone.
We shall call it ??? !! WWIII
My opinion is we've been in a slow-roll version of WWIII (or maybe 2.5) for about 30 years or so. It's heating up some now.
Extinction.
>>Strategically, Trump, and apparently the neo-cons backing him, believe Greenland and Canada are essential to our future<<
I don't think there's a shred of evidence the "neocons" (by that do you mean national security hawks like Marco Rubio or Lindsay Graham?) believe the annexation of Greenland and Canada are "essential to our future." The US *already* maintains large national security footprints in both of those countries.
Trump isn't playing with a full deck. This is the man who apparently thinks it's a smart move (even if we ignore the base evil) to ethnically cleanse 2 million Palestinians from Gaza (how, at bayonet point courtesy of the US Marine Corps?) en route to making that into a beach resort. This is the man who seriously made inquiries about using nuclear weapons to tame tropical storms. This is the man who openly mused about injecting bleach to fight a virus.
His people say "Yes, Mr. President" to his hair-brained ideas because they don't want to feel his wrath. But make no mistake, the President of the United States is bats**t crazy.
"Trump isn't playing with a full deck."
Thanks. I keep saying this.
As my dear departed dad might have said, "There's something wrong with him in the head."
What he is doing is not stupid of his aim is to destroy the United States. In that case it is well thought out. As well as if it followed a plan formulated in the Kremlin.
I tend to think trump is doing musk’s bidding for access to minerals needed for his soon to be declining (I hope) businesses. I also think that trump wants to one-up putin. Gaza, that’s his (and his SiL). Take over a beach front property for the latest (forthcoming bankrupt) “Bloodbath” Golf Resort.
Behind the scenes there are some neo-cons left, or as you say National Security hawks; although, I’d say it’s a misnomer since these same people are allowing Trump to dismantle the CIA and FBI capabilities to conduct espionage and counterespionage.
And I agree, Trump isn’t playing with a full deck; yet, the ethnic cleaning of 2 million Palestinians is being portrayed as a “new” idea, since we’ve had 75 years of violence. He’s reframing the argument, and his cult, and members of Congress are complicit.
Additionally m, his approval ratings are rising, because this is being disseminated in the MSN as Trump fulfilling his mandate.
So apparently the man who isn’t operating with a full deck, has the majority of Americans agreeing with him; which tells us everything we need to know about all the events taking place, which are going to consequences for decades to come!
You are right about geopolitical considerations. However, what’s the meaning of conquering 1 or 2 countries that are already among your best allies? This is really Monroe doctrine in reverse!!!
Trump and friends’ damages to Western credibility are already and will be immense every single day he goes on.
Time to say enough, before it’s too late.
Agreed, but it’s about raw power. There is no rhyme or reason. Putin and Trump are working together. Putin will expand into Eastern Europe; taking Ukraine and the Baltics, and possibly Poland. The US will focus on North and South America. IMHO!
It doesn’t make sense, because you’re thinking like a rational person. So ask yourself, what is the reason Trump is punishing our allies? There’s no reason except revenge for petty sleights. And through Trump’s revenge (excuse), he and his financial backers, get the spoils.
Honestly, you think raiding the US coffers and taking over the Treasury servers is about waste and fraud? Sure waste and fraud exist, even more so now; than at any time before.
I agree, at least for large part of Ukraine (except the most western parts), I don’t know for Poland and the Baltics.
DOGE is obviously only for power, cost cutting is only the excuse. In the end this is an hostile takeover by Thiel, Musk et al. (aka a coup).
Their goal is to purloin everything the can, while they can.
Houston...we have a few PROBLEMS here....and Mars is just too far yet
What you're describing here is the beginning of Oceania and North Asia. Big Brother is watching.
I’d love to hear your opinion. This is my best guess as to what’s happening. The EU is in a recession. They can’t even respond in a unified way to Russia’s aggression. Without US support Zelenskyy doesn’t believe the Europeans can help them defeat Putin alone. That, in itself, speaks volumes. And we know when Trump speaks in generalities, he’s testing the waters, and so far, where is the pushback, outside of shock; which is precisely the point: Shock Doctrine! IMHO!..:)
I think that's part of it. We know that Trumpty Dumpty fancies himself a brilliant negotiator. So it's partially a "tactic" or "strategy" - in his mind.
We also know he's so egotistical he redefines the word. So His Orange MAGA Majesty has a compulsion to throw his weight around just to show who's boss.
In addition, he's a psychopath, thus being compelled to harm as many of the "little people" as possible, both in and out of the United States.
Finally, he's psychotic, so there's really no way to analyze just WTF is going on inside that convoluted brain cell of his.
We're on the same page. Dump is a DSM-5 exemplar.
It’s about gutting the treasury and maybe your bank account to further enhance his and his cronies wealth (strikes me that congressional republicans stand to make a lot of money). Will it work? Lot of guns in this country and once you screw enough people out of their money they just might come after them. In the meantime, they pick vulnerable people to distract you into hating them. I much rather be witnessing the end of this nightmare than the beginning.
Agreed..:)
Insane men NEED power, money and for Trump - More LAND with Mexico and Canada ....= more land than Russia.... which in his mind might mean he out powers China ??? something has SLIPPED in Trumps sanity
They gave him a T.V. show and it got to his head.
"it got to his head," which was empty.
I'm pretty sure there's one cell in there - but it's a mutation.
True, and fair enough, but he will be one of the richest people in the world. And you’re assuming Musk doesn’t wear out his welcome…:)
Back in the day, when Saddam Hussein and his spawn were The Official Bad Guys®, I posited that by far the cheapest way to rid the world of him would be to hand him $100billion and a get-out-of-society-free card.
The subsequent unpleasantnesses proved me correct by several orders of magnitude. Woulda been a bargain at a trillion dollars.
I agree that tRump is following Hitler's playbook. But Hitler while obsessed with his Nazi fever dream, was intelligent. tRump is subnormal. I think detailed Neuropsychiatric testing would find he has an IQ in the low 80s. He is a 78 year old 'enfant terrible' with the largest burden of personality disorders I have ever seen: narcissism, psychopathy, paranoia, and a truly epic capacity for delusional thinking - and he is in charge of our economy and foreign policy. He is having daily temper tantrums and there is no mechanism to rein him in.
Not that it matters so long as he follows the playbook.
I will settle for Hawaii. The weather is nice this time of year. Canadian money!!! 🤣.
On a serious note it is sad and stupid what The President of The United States is doing will hurt both economies.
In my opinion; what is happening in your Country is a crime much worse than Watergate.
You are losing your checks and balances and it has not even been a month.
Land of the free and home of the brave? 🤔
Are you kidding? Watergate was shoplifting, this is armed robbery on a grand scale.
And I just watching the senate hearings about taking control of Greenland??!!!!
For me, Costa Rica is Looking bright!…:)
I enjoyed every moment of the time I spent there.
You've forgotten retaking the Panama canal, and ownership if Gaza, which gives the US a port near the Suez.
The unseen hand of India’s Modi could also be in play. Canada called India out for the murder of a Sikh leader in BC in 2023, and Modi was outraged. So Modi, along with Putin, could be egging Trump on along. Putin wants to divide NATO, and Modi wants a free hand with Sikhs wherever they live.
Then the governments of Canada, the US and Reuters must be delusional.
https://www.reuters.com/world/some-us-sikhs-fear-modi-government-is-threatening-surveilling-doxxing-them-2024-08-12/
Trump is known for using the “door in the face” sales technique. He is serious about Greenland and is bringing up Canada as a diversion to make settling for Greenland more reasonable. Canada joining the US would be basically impossible and even if it did, Canadians voting in US elections means a republican would never win again.
Do you really think there will be free and fair elections? I think there will be elections, even Venezuela had elections, Iran has elections, Putin holds elections. Our choices will be limited to "safe" politicians who will support the CEO.
What if the on again off again tariffs are for market manipulation and insider trading?The watch dogs are gone.
Trump might have gotten the idea to annex Canada when so many said they would move there if he became president. (Only half joking. He might solve the immigration problem by annexing Mexico. Now they’re American. )
I’m sure they are exploiting the markets and trading on inside information as well. All things can be true at once with these clowns. They never let a crisis or opportunity to go to waste!
They are not clowns. It is dangerous to underestimate them. We are already forgetting what we said would happen if they won the election. Reminder: “this would be the last election. “. Is what we said. And now we’re going to be surprised when it turns out to be true.
I agree, I meant clowns in the sense that they break things, and aren’t serious people. I’ll rephrase in the future, and trust me, I’m not underestimating these people. I’ve seen the damage that they are doing at the NIH and CDC up close; personally knowing many people, including family that are being scapegoated, threatened, and punished for doing science!
It's quite clear he doesn't want Mexico or anything further south, except the Panama canal. How he's going to make it operate differently given the effects of climate change...doesn't matter. This is a man who can miraculously deliver water from the Central Valley to LA even though there aren't water lines.
No They are NOT hiding their Goals.... as Canada knows...as does the UK, Europe, the G7, the Globe..... watches. It is Russia - Ukraine without boot costs...brilliant (they think no one SEE's ) IF they thought the World would ALLOW it ??? WW3? Or does he BREAK the US functioning or economically first ? Who will be left to trade with the US, if a Country can find any other buyer? If freight/AIR is even close to same tariff cost, pay that not the US Government. The US has torn up two legal agreements for trade - business built factories and complete businesses were crated. And they greatly Benefit both Countries - likely already much tilted to the US - like the DISCOUNT on oil from Canada already given. This administration has cemented that they it cannot be trusted. Yes..these plans are ALL in plain sight
"Or does he BREAK the US functioning or economically first ?"
Yes. That's the goal. Divide and conquer.
Exactly!..:)
Well said!….:)
"Greenland and Canada are helpless to fight back": Ha, ha. Just you wait.
I hope your right. I should have rephrased and said, smaller allies who have done nothing wrong. Honestly l, it’s not a knock on Canada, but we’re dealing malignant sociopaths. These guys will stop at nothing!
In Denmark there are already voices (ironically) advising against buying California because the Americans have burned down half of it already. Or there is the slogan "Nake America Denmark". The plan would be to expand Greenland by taking over the USA.
It could be all the above. While some pronouncements may be test balloons others are just diarrhea of the mouth from a disordered person with legions of minions. It maybe doesn't matter how well thought out the drunk stumbling in the dark is about his plans, some of it will come to pass anyway. RT reported out Putins desire for dividing up the world into spheres of influence and Alaska and California would go to Russia so why not Canada and Greenland who are close together. Putin is up there at $200b, DJT is a political pawn and a despot facilitator for Elon the go between. Elon and DJT are upside down - they look ok on paper but need subsidizing from the US gvmt to pull themselves out of their real value losses re space x, x, Tesla, DJT being useless swatch obsessive hence cracking into the US Treasury to implant AI code - skimming, skimming, awarding contracts of taxpayer gdp to loser musk. The US is just a bank account for them to drain in efforts of consolidation across existing boundaries. Country shmuntry. The ice melt is opening up shipping lanes and legacy news doesn't report on the squirmishes in the Arctic over control. Russia in Ukraine also about control of shipping along southern coast and into Europe. Panama same. It just looks like a sloppy game of chess and DJT isn't capable of checkers so the intention is there but the fog of Adderall hangover may have unintended outcomes. Stay tuned for more end times.
Well said!…:)
This makes a lot of sense. The only flaw in your argument is that Trump doesn't make a lot of sense.
As a malignant narcissist, he needs people to bend their reality to meet his own (cf. Gulf of America) as a sign of fealty and to fill the massive hole in his self-esteem. You may be right that neo-cons see this as another opportunity for a murderous invasion, but Trump is just spouting off, trying to make people obey.
Speaking of, it's flat-out bizarre how companies like Google and Apple are caving to his whims and labeling it the Gulf of America on maps (but only maps for U.S. users; in Mexico the map still says "Gulf of Mexico.")
As Timothy Snyder puts it, They are obeying advance, hoping to save themselves pre-emptively from his wrath. But as business owners in Nazi Germany found out, that didn't save them from the death camps or the Nuremberg trials.
I'm interested in seeing what Ford will do. Having donated to Republicans (Farley personally) and given Trump a million dollars for his inauguration as, effectively, a bribe, they are now facing the fact that Trump couldn't give two damns about htem. Trump's tariffs, which they know were coming, will seriously hurt their business and cause them (because God forbid executive pay take a hit) to layoff of the idiot union members who also voted for Trump. Meanwhile, their chief competitor for EVs, Musk, is essentially running the government and happily waiting to see Ford destroyed. The only way out, as I see it, is for Farley to turn Ford into a tool and symbol for Trump the way Mercedes and Volkswagen were for Hitler. This won't save Farley or Ford, of course, in the long run, but it will goose profits when people feel forced to buy Ford F150s as a sign of their own fealty to Trump. They'll make a fortune selling SUVs designed to carry kidnapped immigrants and take them to Trump's concentration camps. And they'll do their part by turning in undocumented immigrants and other undesirables (be careful what you say on the Ford Slack!) and banning their health insurance from covering reproductive rights and vaccines.
Very Russian policy. Support global warming to open the arctic. Geography has always determined destiny. Russia has always been at a disadvantage ports wise. You can’t build a railroad across the northern tundra. You can’t export the minerals during 1/2 the year from Russian arctic ports. Russia is building a fleet of nuclear powered ice breakers. But the Canada Greenland infatuation is Musks family history influence. His father Joshua Haldeman was a leader in the 1930s 40s Tecnocracy fascist movement. He wanted Canada to take Greenland ‘leibenstrom’ living space Nazi style. For fascists it’s always about taking more by force.
I don’t support Global Warming; Trump does, which makes sense when you think about it. Trump and Putin are dividing the West in two spheres. Russia takes Europe, and the US takes North and South America. And China gets Taiwan, and control of the South China Sea.
As a Canadian, I disagree.
Canada has too many friends in the US.
And it is simply not able to swallow Canada against its' will.
Similar to how Ukraine resists Russia against all anticipation.
However, speculating how great the US would be it it included Canada flatters DT's fragile ego.
Similar to controling Greenland, which other than serving as a stable aircraft carrier (as it has since WW2), has little to offer the US in terms of natural resources.
(In passing, Greenland is probably more than one island under its' massive glacier)
Actually with the glaciers melting, Greenland has substantial mineral and oil deposits. And I wasn’t suggesting they would be a cakewalk. I was making a point.
Point taken. I was thinking of resources that the US didn't already have.
The US has lots of oil & minerals.
But the US doesn't have their own unsinkable aircraft carrier halfway to Europe.
(However they have been free to use it since during WW2.)
The tariffs are now cumulative, so the tariff for Canadian aluminum and steel is 50 percent. I'm so done with you lot. Don't even go there by saying some of you didn't vote for Trump: do you think that matters with policy? Does that forgive Gaza? Google is putting Gulf of America on maps. You have to go to the Ceausescus to find such craven behaviour. How much before you squirm? You'll never squirm. All in. That is what it amounts to . NAFTA is dead. Canadians will never forget, and never forgive.
It took Adolf Hitler 33 days to BREAK the Germain Government while the country was assaulted daily with the same type take over/ break atrocities. And the People too were shocked/ frozen ...just wanted to live their lives and buy food and to eat they eventually COMPLY out of Fear usually
.......we are staring at WWIII but only if they BREAK the US resistance first .....
They will >never< break the US resistance. It's only just begun.
Hope you are correct. There is far more resistance than is reported in newspapers that I use to respect.
Got off a call with a group. I can not believe the denial and these are people directly in musk’s sights.
I think DT has abandoned global tarifs on Canada & Mexico, with face-saving comments.
His tarifs on aluminium (mostly from Canada) will very much damage the US arms & aviation industry, so I would be surprised if they are not abandoned as well.
Canada can always export our aluminium elsewhere, as we have abundant energy to make it price competitive.
In Canada Google maps has "Gulf of Mexico" with "(Gulf of America)".
We can always switch to Bing maps, which keeps "Gulf of Mexico", and supposedly tracks us less. Note that Bing is owned by Microsoft, resisting the siren call of Trump.
Even if the US does end up applying extra tarifs, which will hurt the US & Canadian & Mexican economies, due to the free trade agreement, the US will have to pay the tarifs back with penalties.
Meanwhile, both Canada & Mexico will diversify our trade to the detriment of the US. Trump and his handlers are shooting the US economy in the foot.
NAFTA is dead.
Not yet, although it looks like it soon will be.
The US will still have to pay back the tarifs (if imposed) & the penalties.
Do you really think Trump will honour that commitment? No way. He's already torn up NAFTA agreements. This is the crisis: the US is no longer trustworthy, honourable; it's a hostile power.
Whether Trump agrees or not, NAFTA is still in force, and the US will be eventually obliged under GATT to compensate with penalties for their violations. It has already happened numerous times in the past.
He could cancel NAFTA with appropriate notice, but US industry will strongly oppose.
I just tried Bing maps. Like Google, it labels the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. I’m in the United States. Probably both site are now using different names based on IP address.
It must be. At least for Canadians, with Bing it is still "Gulf of Mexico" with no "Gulf of America".
There are a lot of other search engines, I just chose Bing since it shows boundaries of provinces (& states in the US), whereas some others only show boundaries of countries.
There are many map programs (at least 10), most I didn't try.
Good luck dealing with trumpism.
Perhaps the entity known collectively as “America” will be irreparably tarnished in the eyes of Canadians, but I hope you can still distinguish those who of us who didn’t vote for this catastrophe from those who did. Individual moral responsibility shouldn’t be set aside in any consideration — that would destroy the very foundation for separating right actions from wrong at the level they are made.
No. Does Gaza take much comfort in knowing some Americans don't approve of the bombing? When you're being destroyed, it's government policy that matters, not the sensibilities of the country doing the destroying.
I’m not asking you to make a distinction between the government and, well, itself. There’s nothing to distinguish. Just an acknowledgement that many individual Americans not only did not sign off on this but actively oppose it. I’m not accepting responsibility for anyone’s vote but mine.
American culture and society are already irreparably tarnished in the eyes of the World. Canada (and Greenland) are nothing, the symbolism though is paradym shifting. There was a time when the world considered the USA to be a place of stability, morality and the rule of law - the World no longer holds that to be true - it clearly sees your true nature; you eat your own for profit, all the while boasting of your exceptionalism.
The House and Senate Republicans are doing everything possible to renew and even reduce the Trump 2018 tax cuts. They know they have to fund these which is, of course, a fool's errand.
Wouldn't it be an easier sell, if they added an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15.00 a hours phased in over 3 years? It would be the gift that keeps on giving and cost the oligarchs very little. After 3 years, they should index it based on the same COLA used for Social Security.
The consumer blowback in Canada is stunning. There are demands to re draft labeling rules here to enforce country source on every product in the market place. The water cooler conversation is now "where did that stapler come from?", couldn't you find a Canadian suppler? No? Well order the European one". If Canadians are laid off due to Trump (and it's very very likely), every layoff notice will be headline news just like war reports from WW2. American suppliers have lost their Canadian business for the next 4 years and possibly for a generation. We are typically 10% of most consumer products top line. And this battle is only beginning.
If uniting somehow with Canada were in our national interest, the POTUS making himself and us radioactive to Canadians hardly seems like a wise approach.
It really is not. Destruction of both is.
That is the tip of the iceberg I think .... so do we keep course like the Titanic or do we change their course. It will be only if he succeeds in breaking the US Government then the people/military must comply..... and we should have GUESSED with his Cabinet choices !!!! BUT it was shock and awe...but now...now we are in the 9th hour
Sitting still is no longer an option it seems. The political/social hot mess in the USA is not the time to consider a merger. Actually, was thinking the yesterday perhaps a merger of Denmark/Greenland/Canada might be an appropriate political/economic union.
Canada supplys almost 60% of U.S. aluminum. Opening an aluminum foundry is not like opening a new corner convenience store. A few weeks will not cut. Try years! How will America replace Canada's low cost aluminum? It can't. If the tarrifs on aluminum are implemented these costs will infiltrate the supply chain and result in higher prices across a broad range of consumer goods from aluminum foil, roasting pans Ford F150 pickups, computers to aircraft. Yes, tarrifs will certainly be a victory for the U.S., a Pyrrhic victory; a victory that comes at a significant cost to the victor that is almost tantamount to defeat.
Ah so good to point out. So the US is a price taker for aluminum and this tariff will boomerang. Tariffs will be based on as higher prices and will hurt domesticanufs turning while raiding prices.
aha....so why do it
Because King MAGA is insane.
It's the "hot stove" paradigm. The current U.S. Administration needs to burn its hands first. Ouch!! i.e. stock market reaction, job losses, congressional defections etc. Bad burns will diminish the allure of tarrifs. Once burned, twice shy!
I can't believe we're getting such lunatic policies from the president who inquired about using nuclear weapons to fight hurricanes.
That and drinking bleach and injecting Lysol to fight covid. Very stable genius indeed.
IF Elon Musk BUYS AI ChatGPT - then was the election rigged by him or maybe just the 4 years of disinformation and his extra thrust was enough With the US Government in HIS favour and unable to block/stop him, THIS is BAD..very very bad. HE is BRILLIANT enough to have figured all this out .... You know all this has to STOP.... there is more trouble here than a Globe will handle
Is ChatGPT even for sale?
As a lapsed economist, I am not totally unhappy that Trump is willing to use the US as a Guinea pig for testing the empirical size of import demand and supply elasticities. As a consumer and tax payer, I increasingly believe that we need a stronger version of the 25th amendment, i.e. there should be a mandatory psychological evaluation of our presidents when they show clear signs of madness.
The weakness of the American system is that the people can't call for a new election themselves. I realize lots of countries don't have this, but our system sorely needs a legal mechanism for the people to depose a president and a whole administration earlier than normally scheduled.
Under a Parliamentary system, the US House could bring down the government and force an election whenever the government (or in this case, Trump) loses the confidence of the House.
Yep :) But, I'd rather not be depending on Republicans to do that thing these days anyway. If we had proportional representation like many parliamentary systems, or runoff voting even, so that there weren't just 2 parties, maybe. The founders really should have created a way for the people to directly recall the President in the US.
I would offer that the test for sanity should be the election process but that has clearly failed. Starting with the loss of the Fairness Doctrine in the late 1980s disinformation and a substantial loss of applying critical thinking skills has been the ongoing "pandemic" ever since. As to the economics I believe we have sufficient empirical data in that area to know what the results will be.
When I saw NY Times, WaPo and LA Times sane-washing trump's babble, I lost all faith in them. There was a universe of difference between the two candidates but they portrayed them as equals.
Trump: PINO.
President In Name Only
did you watch him and Elon yesterday in the Oval Office? Elon was totally in charge. Trump sat behind his desk like a 1st grader. It was pathetic. Elon and his minions are tearing the place up, Trump has given him all the authority, and the R Congress is so terrified they are doing nothing but defend him (and filling his cabinet with people who have zero business being there).
Musks kid was more engaged than trump
I find it quite disgusting that he wears his child like an expensive purse.
but he's a puppet of Musk, who rides off in all directions (but generally to quash a regulation or an investigation that involves his ability to make money without restriction). So Musk can let Trump rant, while Musk targets the agencies that have had the nerve to try to rein him in.
And Project 2025, even though he denied it way more than Peter denied Jesus.
Worth noting that Musk is roughly as irrational and uncontrolled as Trump, so him acting on behalf of Musk doesn't actually make him more controlled and rational.
Nope...Musk is MAKING MUCH MUCH More $$$ from the US Government - who's payments he now controls ;) AND if they sell him AI in ChatGBT = HEAVEN HELP US Literally. If Functioning the US Government would have blocked this...hmmmmmmmmm see a Musk plan.
Unlike Trump. Hitler was hugely popular among Germans. I think it was because the German government was already broken and they saw him as someone who might fix it.
Nope, Hitler was popular because his arms manufacturing investments in the 1930s put German workers back to work while the Western World did nothing to end the Great Depression and President Hoover (Rep) pretended prosperity was just around the corner.
They are only high for him. At this stage of the administration Biden was a full ten points higher. Trump was net positive for about ten minutes.
NOT if breaking the US so badly...then it's people had no choice and then will comply with ??? Russia is a good guess ;) Trump is now insane, we all know that...Project 2025 is to BREAK and KEEP power..... forever...a must even to keep even just Trump out of Jail.
It is cute to think, that elections from here on in will not be RIGDED, exactly as fair as Russian elections :) .......
Thanks for this helpful analysis. To date, experts like yourself have been able to count on sources of statistics which are generally regarded as reliable, impartial and accountable. Are you worried about the future availability of such information?
Racunista,
Availability is a concern, but data manipulation may pose an even more significant threat—especially concerning the CPI-W, which underpins Social Security and other benefits. Cost-of-living adjustments are already delayed and arguably insufficient; if they’re skewed further from actual inflation, retirees and other recipients will feel real harm.
We’ve seen “stealth taxation” in action through the Social Security Amendments of 1983 (Public Law 98-21) and adjustments made by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-66), where more Social Security income became taxable over time. Yet most Americans haven’t raised much of a fuss over these gradual shifts—suggesting they might also miss or dismiss any quiet manipulation of CPI-W data. As Paul Krugman has observed, you can’t hide false figures forever. Still, with AI-enabled dynamic pricing (airline tickets are just one example), the lines between genuine costs and manipulated indexes are getting blurrier. Ultimately, manipulation of these measures is likely a greater danger than mere information scarcity.
Tim
I read an earlier column where he discussed this very subject. My take away: yes, statistical analysis will likely be manipulated especially as the economy flounders due to musk’s policies. However, US gov is not the only entity keeping tack of such things. I will count on the good professor to inform me on which stats are reliable.
same figures as China puts out
Shauna,
The erosion of Hong Kong and Macau are case studies for this. The type of manipulation that Musk would enable is likely not reactive to Winnie-the-Pooh type influences though. The threat here is corruption not saving face.
The comparison doesn't really hold.
Tim
There will be nothing but Newspeak.
Yes..that is how it is in Russia and if it works well for Putin's power it will work well to keep Trump in Power...once the people fully understand what happened..it's too late. It took Hitler only 33 days to take over the Germain Government with create the SS
I don't believe that's the case. We're not Russia nor are we Germany circa 1933. We have a long standing "underground" that will emerge rather explosively soon.
I think it's because the #DirtyOldRapist's wife #3 took a fancy to the young Trudeau and the photo of their 2019 air kiss went viral. Sound petty and childish? Check and check.
Ginny,
The polarization of wealth has made public personal vendettas that social justice and history are laying at the feet of our billionaire overlords. Vivian Wilson, Epstein, and WWE have an inordinate hold on our leadership. It makes me want to read Hunter Biden's laptop.
The last true public servant was Jimmy Carter. Will we ever get another President who attacks swamp rabbits and considers his engagement to his spouse as the most important moment in his life? I doubt it.
Tim
Agree. She looked smitten (to be polite).
I think to Trump....it is LAND :) :) Mexico with be 2nd and easier after Canada....but what ....the rest of the free world SEE's too ... Gaza, Canada, Panama, Greenland - well it doesn't take Real Estate 101 to SEE what the PLAN is ...its the back ground partner that is hiding ......
Professor Krugman: in addition to making us poorer, the orange toddler's temper tantrum will also make us sicker and deader. so not only will ameriKKKa be hated and feared globally, but even its own citizens hate and fear the country. i know i do.
"Small, Ugly and Stupid" is an apt description of not only the Emperor's tariffs, but also of the Emperor himself.
Just three points:
(1) The tariff business isn't only Trump. It's backed by his advisors who in turn have their self-interested backers. For one example, you need only read Robert Lighthizer's essay in last Saturday's NYT (Want Free Trade? May I Introduce You to the Tariff) to see the 21st century version of Mercantilism writ-large. I've been encouraging Paul Krugman to take that essay apart but this plea has not been taken-up yet. It's the "intellectual" foundation of Trump's thinking on tariffs and needs to be dealt with.
(2) Canada seriously needs to rethink its whole industrial strategy (if it ever had one that went beyond relying for 18% of its GDP on exports to the USA). It needs to start with dismantling its foolish inter-provincial trade barriers, and then move on to the auto, public transport and defense industries, re-conceptualizing them to survive essentially without American product, in partnership with other such industries internationally. I target these industries because they are the backbone of much other industry, including steel and aluminum. Will take time, effort and money, but the traditional model of these periodic begging sessions to remain within the American tent is by now obviously not sustainable, because the US is not trustworthy, and trust lies at the heart of any sustainable trade agreement.
(3) Notwithstanding (2) above, perhaps manufacturing industry is not in Canada's future, and the country needs to be a whole lot more aggressive than it has been in advancing its burgeoning high tech sectors - this is where the biggest value-added may be, and if it can get every successful start-up to stop selling out to the US, a true Canadian high-tech sector could be the country's future, dwarfing autos, steel and Trump's shenanigans.
Mark,
That escalated quickly—now this is Canada’s problem? I’m not sure what Canada should do beyond responding tit-for-tat until morale improves. Suggesting Canada can pivot its entire industrial base away from the U.S. oversimplifies things. Dismantling inter-provincial barriers or fostering a high-tech sector sounds great on paper, but long-term strategies won’t shield Canada from immediate economic fallout. Economic integration isn’t just about trust—it’s about proximity, scale, competitive advantage, and shared infrastructure that can’t be unraveled overnight.
We need to tax smartly—not tariffically. Trump is an idiot, full stop. This isn’t a Canada problem per se. The Ontario ads during the Super Bowl were well-placed; maybe Michigan/the Midwest States should return the favor during the Stanley Cup. I kid (mostly), but I’m not ready to pivot into Canadian reforms when this is an America-first issue.
Tim
Tim what about the GST ? Is it broad enough ? Are their loopholes. How does it impact trade ? Should we all be things about that subject in broader terms ?
Tyler,
GST and VAT taxes are more transparent since they’re built into pricing but are still regressive. In Canada, GST is broad enough, but provincial add-ons and export exemptions create loopholes. GST’s impact on trade isn’t always obvious—it’s subtle and varies by region.
We should be thinking about this. Paul has suggested VAT taxes before, but I’m conflicted. My values lean toward progressivity (which makes me skeptical of GST), but I also care about fairness—and if essentials like food and housing are exempted, maybe I can live with it. VAT systems can address regressiveness, depending on how they are implemented.
What are you suggesting here?
Tim
I appreciate the fact that you put "intellectual" in quotes and yes, the tariffs will likely drive a lot of our trading partners into the arms of our competitors.
Canada may be able to import NIH doctors and other intellectuals, as well who are getting budget cuts here from DOGE.
“We have learned that we cannot live alone at peace, that our own wellbeing is dependent on the wellbeing of other nations far away,” he declares, “We have learned to be citizens of the world. We have learned…The only way to have a friend is to be one.” - FDR, January 20, 1945.
Apparently, trump has no use for friends; bootlickers yes, friends, not so much.
I do not believe he has true friends.
His mercantilist view of economic prosperity comes from a simpleton’s logic that we’re stronger if we make it ourselves. He shut be focusing on closing the foreign partition of revenue with little to no connection to these tax havens.
Good points. And I’m a bit cynical. It may not even be adherence to trickle-down economics ideology. Rather, they are simply self-interested and see securing greater profit potential for corporate benefactors as a means to increase their personal wealth.
TBP,
An appeal to logic? We’re far beyond that point.
I’d love to have a serious conversation about taxes—that’s where the real issues lie. But this leadership, and the broader Republican agenda, is still stuck on trickle-down economics, with tax partitioning taking priority over meaningful reform.
Tim
Id be happy to engage with you on that subject. .But it is hopeless to talk of tax reform.
Tyler,
Sigh... agree. I'm struggling to find a constructive policy to endorse or place hope, but the conversation needs to focus on taxes. People understand that. It's real.
I'm not giving up hope. I AM giving up on the Phillips Curve-based Democratic economic agenda. We need to get away from employment and talk about standard of living (focusing on health, education, and the environment) and ... taxation. Mostly stealth taxation, progression, and TBP's target ==> partition. Concerning taxation, we must eliminate stealth taxes and find a macro-solution to the max/min for progression and partition. Taxes are out of whack in more ways than this, but it would be a start.
Tim
R’s are working on a $4.5 Billion tax cut (WSJ), not that it will benefit anyone here.
Dear Professor Krugman....by no small measure, your information keeps me sane right now ....when nothing seems to make sense ....Thank you !
Of course Canada wouldn't join as one big state. You'd never get Quebec to agree, so it's 2 minimum. But seeing as there are 13 provinces and territories, adjust for Alberta... and you're definitely not looking at a GOP majority anymore. So that would be a pretty mighty own-goal.
And I think he's still mad about that look Melania was giving the rather handsome Mr. Trudeau as caught on photo, but that's just me.
Why would you think that Canadians actually would get the vote? Canada would be dragged in as a subservient colony.
Trump only cares about his interests.