I can tell you this is irreparably poisoning the Americana well in Canada. Some will have trouble conflating their ill will towards the Trump regime with American citizens.
Trump was democratically elected. His presidency, as deplorable as I find it, represents a majority of the electorate. The world is correct to blame us. We're not like the Palestinians who lived under a terrorist regime. We're not like the Russians or Chinese who don't really have a choice of who their autocratic rulers are, but we did.
I am ashamed of the actions of our government and the millions of citizens who were happily duped.
It was likely a good idea in another time, a way of solving a problem. Now it has itself become a problem. A not so easily solved problem, mainly because of politics.
It was a compromise to the slave-owning southerners, who did not live in cities where the majority of the population was. It was a way to give the landowners more power.
Yes the cult. The Joe Rogan, Charlie Kirk,magas, Elon Musk, Wwg1wga,WWF and the others ( think Trump controls the economy) are all in for our government to end…
Libs--including Paul Krugman--have limited language skills. Data they don't like they call "misinformation." Competing political movements they don't like they call "a cult."
Not this time. He did win the popular vote. Not by much but, unfortunately, we’re stuck with it for the time being. All this is to say, instead of finding blame we need to write/phone Congress, fund organizations filing lawsuits to block illegal actions and get active in local politics. It’s either that or roll over. Not much of a choice IMHO.
By the transitive property of GOP messaging, "Every accusation is a confession", as well as the not-so-subtle insinuations from the eventual victor himself, perhaps a more thorough and public investigation of the voting tabulation process is warranted.
That slim margin just happens to have occurred in the exact areas where securing a win was necessary. Curious, isn't it, how those who can and will manipulate data and information (doing so with scale and across multiple platforms) are all major donors to this regime?
1/2 our country voted for Harris/Walz and a lot of lazy people sat home and didn’t vote at all. Civic minded people are hard to find. The education system does not promote civic engagement or education and they are making it even worse. Parents need to make sure their kids are registered and know their representatives and how they vote Local, State and Federal! Explaining that lawmakers run the country and they can have a say so. Until then we suffer and hope we have a chance to get back to a country that works together to have all participating in a good quality of life!!! The hate in this administration is palpable. Firing experts and civil servants because you want to have only yes men is pure evil…..
Thank you! He only squeaked by with 1.5%, More did not vote, than voted for him. They were victims of Russian propaganda and a complicit corporately owned media who sane-washed the porcine obscenity.
And Musk's PAC targeted weak supporters of Harris in swing states with propaganda aimed at getting them to stay home. It was not necessary to get them to vote Trump, just to not vote at all.
We can't say that "half the country" voted for Harris/Walz, and I'm insisting on accuracy bc mis- and disinformation have destroyed this nation. As people who want to hang on to demcracy, let's pledge to be accurate.
About 31% of all eligible voters chose scum. About 30% chose Harris. About 3% chose others. The rest stayed home.
You are correct, however, I believe that was the intended message. If you look at a 31/30 split, that's about half of 61%. The remaining 39% were just flushed down the commode, along with that 31% that went for His Orange MAGA Majesty.
I’m not Sharon, but thank you for your kindness. We are indeed mourning. We are also horrified and ashamed at the Republican fake president’s despicable treatment of our neighbor and best ally.
I’m crossing my fingers that he will find a way to back down without admitting he was wrong (since he doesn’t know how to do that) and save both countries from severe economic harm.
Probably just more wishful thinking from another American hoping to be annexed by our polite neighbor to the North.
We are gob smacked to the reality that so many of our countrymen are so willfully ignorant. At what point will they realize their stupidity is destroying them, I don’t know.
Just as all strongmen before him, Marmalade Mussolini has a personality disorder that makes him excel at exploiting people’s weaknesses. Many Americans don’t have the time or will to be truly informed about politics or civics. Most people didn’t realize or believe their vote would bring about this fascist regime, but don’t yet have the capacity to understand that’s what they actually did. It’s literally a cult, and an abusive dynamic where people are denying their own eyes and ears to make flying monkey excuses for their abusers. Capitalism is in its death throes, and has inevitably failed all but a few. The population is rife for exploitation with populist rhetoric and the voters that elected him are simultaneously being exploited by these oligarch-fascists and defending them because they are 1) uninformed 2) suffering 3) and it’s easiest to get on board with whatever they’re told to think than it is to wake up and realized they’ve been duped and betrayed. Their suffering is being given a (false) explanation, their (reasonable) outrage at their suffering is given scapegoats to blame, and they’re promised the (false) hope of being saved from their suffering. Democrats failed at every turn to denounce neo-liberalism or to address the real roots of people’s suffering. Most of these people were just tired of being left behind, and didn’t know how dangerous it was to place their trust in these narcissistic sadists. It’s tragic mind-warfare on the uninformed and quite literally a cult. Logic doesn’t work because it contradicts their felt reality and programming. Most of these people consider themselves good people, and will act like good people- until you challenge the cult leaders. They identify so strongly with them that they feel as if they are being personally attacked, and will get defensive accordingly. We need cult deprogrammers. It’s maddening to try to hold on to sanity in the midst of it all.
I concur. To put the present situation in context I would urge you to read Peter Turchin's book 'End Times', which puts the pattern you describe in historic context. The basic downfall of every climax society is and always has been the eventual gulf between the resources and power of the elites and everyone else. Thus the suffering you describe, and thus the ascendanse of oligarchs, and the grotesque displays of ego driven opulence.
His presidency *doesn't* represent a majority of the electorate, by which I mean all eligible voters. Abt 31% voted for scum, abt 30% voted for Harris, about 3% voted for others, and the rest didn't vote. Some of them, esp. the "I'm lodging a protest with my vote" voters, are informed enough to regret that decision.
Yes, he did win a plurality of the vote. He beat Harris. I don't dispute that. But this was an atypical election: Anti-incumbent fever raged around the world, largely bc of inflation. And GOPs purged voting rolls in most states, which hurt Dems.
When Americans are polled about issues w-o labels ( = not "Dems propose AAA and GOPs propose BBB"), a majority support Dem positions: universal health care, a less-unfair tax code, some action to shrink the wealth gap, access to abortion, action on the climate crisis, modest gun-safety laws.
So, no, his presidency does NOT represent what the majority of Americans want, tho I'll agree that an appallingly large % of Americans are happy with or see value in his cruelty, stupidity, and recklessness. And I'm ashamed of that and of our nation.
You're misstating some of that. Tens of millions of eligible voters stay home every year. Turnout in 2024 was about 63% -- lower than the 66% in 2020, but higher than in 2016 and 2012.
Yes, there was some voter suppression. And GOPs purged a lot of voter rolls over the past four years. But both of those are tiny factors compared to the global anti-incumbent sentiment, fueled in many places by inflation, that pushed out decent leaders from decent parties. And in the US, inflation sits on top of the biggest wealth gap in the world: About 160 million Americans are struggling bc of 40+ years of ruinous GOP economic policies -- which far to many establishment Dems have embraced. Some % of voters no longer see any difference between the two parties for that reason.
Add to that Gaza, and misogyny, and racism -- and here we are.
Apparently you didn’t bother to read the supporting substack essay.
Everything you list are pisspoor excuses for not voting against handing immense power to a murder/psychopath and his goons.
Putin’s demonstrated how immensely successful his propaganda playbook is and now all the monsters are doing it. Propaganda IS a tool of voter suppression. So are threats to blow up polling stations
Ultimately it falls on we the people to do what we have to do and stop making up one excuse after another. This throwing the baby out with the dirty bath water has never made progress.
Yes, millions of Americans got duped. It’s disgusting what’s taking place in the United States Government for the past two weeks and it will be this way for the next four years causing long term damage. But those citizens that voted for this and made it possible, I suspect, still, they justify it.
Also, how shameful that those GOP elected to Congress are giving the green light and refuse to work for the American people and instead service their king.
I hope that people can separate the government from the people, hard though it may be. Those of us who support Israel and detest Netanyahu have been doing it for years.
Why should they? Outside the US, the only thing that matters is US policy, not the fact that some Americans didn't vote for Trump. Ian Clarke is right; the ill will towards Americans in Canada right now is unprecedented.
and as Margaret Atwood has said (roughly), most Americans are benignly ignorant of Canada, but most Canadians are maliciously well-informed about the USA. She also described the Canada/US border as the world's longest one-way mirror.
I went to a Catholic grammar school in Meriden CT taught by Les Seurs de L'Assumption - French Canadian parish where English was the second language for half the parents - every mid-sized factory town had a French Canadian population and Church (in addition to an Italian, Polish, Irish, and Greek Orthodox Church) - Willimantic, Hartford, Winsted, Torrington etc - until we ran out of nuns and curates and raised our kids to be agnostics
This comment simply denies the fact of political compulsion. It is simply a fact that modern governments have massive power, and they don't always use it to give you "the government you deserve ." Live with it.
And if we are to 'get' our own government we're gonna hafta do it ourselves. Any sort of 'People's Cabinet' (or Shadow) is gonna hafta be ours collectively – not some already overworked politicians. We individually and collectively will need to find insiders in every federal department, agency, office and get the actual scoop on what is going on where and when. Then we will need to broadcast far/wide however we can (not X, of course). And simply keep doing that every damn day, if for no other reason than posterity.
The solution is simple: Trump/GOP are strictly pay-to-play. Just get a few big Canadian businessmen or corporations to cough up $25million or greater checks to Trump and/or GOP politicians. Or some of their pet PAC's and charities.
Jeff Yass donated $49million to Trump/GOP in the '24 election cycle, and got the TikTok ban reversed. Musk coughed up $250 million--plus tens of millions more in kind, by relegating X to the service of Trump/GOP--and only saw a mere 10% tariff increase on Tesla's China supply chain.
Canadian here. Your suggestion, facetious as it may be, will bankrupt us as assuredly as Trump's tariffs will, with the additional injury of destroying whatever is left of our soul. Every single oligarch and corporation that has purchased itself power with Trump is a ghoul; turning a nation's character into such a monster is beyond the pale. America has to save itself, and so does Canada.
💙 I wish all of my fellow Americans saw the situation as clearly as you do. The bribery and extortion machine is disgusting. I’d never advise another country to go in this direction. Pretty sure that other comment was facetious, but just in case it wasn’t, wanted to let you know that most Americans are also sickened by the money in our politics, and especially the tributes being paid to the squatter in the White House.
No, I'm serious. Trump in particular and the GOP in general are utterly corrupt. Add to that Trump being a malignant narcissist, so if some Canadian industrialists--especially from the oil & gas industries--shamelessly flatter him and pay him largish sums of money, he'll revoke the tariffs on Canada.
And half of our voters see him not as the corrupt, incompetent blowhard that he is; but rather as some sort of semi-divine hero, come to save them all. Because that's the picture that's been etched into their minds by FOX News and RW media.
While all of that is true, every bribe or ransom paid just spreads the corruption and deepens its grip on our country.
We have a treaty with Canada and Mexico - a bargained-for exchange signed by all parties. For Canada to reward this breach of NAFTA (or whatever it’s called today) by the Republican in the WH would be for them to invite further extortion and to welcome Republican-style corruption to their country.
Not saying it wouldn’t work, but I am saying it wouldn’t be in their interest OR ours. I don’t want to see one more person, corporation, or country feed the Republican beast - he’ll only get hungrier.
Trump would only revoke tariffs on those O&G companies. Trump would not revoke tariffs for industries that didn't pay. Any business leader in Canada would also face potential bribery charges if they did this.
Furthermore, O&G industries would be wasting their money because the real retaliatory threat is export tariffs on our crude oil, which PADD-2 states are locked into using unless they invest years and billions into retooling refineries and redirecting pipelines, specifically: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
The corruption is in pursuit of other purposes, such as physical dominance, deliberate humiliation, and simple depravity. Not to mention playing out fantasies of world domination, race war and ultimately planetary conquest.
Yes, Trump just spouts maliciousness and cares nothing about our country. He and his billionaire buddies are taking over the United States and filling up their pockets. They will get all the taxcuts, one reason they’re on trump’s side. He just wants power, more richness ,attention, fame, flattery . He can’t live without these things. And the GOP are afraid of him and show bad intent and corruption themselves too. All they want is power and status. They care nothing about their citizens .
I think the work is harder than what you have described. Americans have allowed your political system to be attacked and eroded over many decades and you are now at the point where your ‘elected’ government is both corrupt and not able to co-exist peacefully with others -other politicians, other sovereign states, other media. Adding more graft to the table doesn’t solve the problem though it may temporarily relieve the discomfort - until the next time a new policy is mused into existence. America is demonstrating that its signature on an agreement is worth little. Your civil service is being decimated and replaced with loyal subjects, and you are now beginning to abuse your trusted partner nations. Sound familiar? Playbook recently updated by Putin. You are being subjected to the slow death by 1000 cuts, and the rest of us are getting dragged into this. We can’t fix your politics or your politicians. That is the very hard work that you have to do.
That won’t work, at least not for long. Corruption is not patient. Perhaps you were just being facetious? I’m not sure. But as another Canadian, I just wanna say WTAF? This Day 13 Fresh Hell™ & Tariff War your president has waged against us will be devastating on BOTH sides of the border. And for what?!? It’s absolute madness. Lives will be ruined. My dear America, why did you vote for this brand of nonsense again? Again!?! Up here in Canada we are done. Of course, there will be all manner of tariff retaliations at the national level. And en masse, snowbirds are already coming home, vacation plans are being canceled. Tickets for upcoming shows & sporting events are being resold. We’re not coming down there anymore. 150+ years as good friends & reliable trading partners — over in a moment of madness. We. Are. Done.
Some of us don’t believe the votes are legit. yes we have a shockingly enormous number of brainwashed voters but we also have enormous numbers of woke people who are paying attention and give a damn about each other. I’ve lived in Canada and very much loved the Canadians I knew. The felon and his goons are the filthiest scum of the earth. It’s humiliating every damn day and heartbreaking on most to watch this shit show happen on “my watch”(so to speak). 💔😫
There’s no reason for the Canucks to have friendly feelings toward any of us. They know now that (1) half of our country are nihilistic selfish democracy-doubters and (2) the rest of us can’t control the knuckle-draggers. We’ve lost a friend.
This is horrible. I hope it's not permanent. I'm not criticizing Canadians for being angry at these stupid actions by Trump. I'm expressing the wish that we can reestablish our longstanding friendship when this monster finally leaves office.
That's a good point. It is encouraging to see many Americans becoming incensed at what is happening in their country AND what the Trump regime is doing to its allies. If you give up that fight though, most Canadians will lose faith in an America they thought they knew. It's true that probably a higher percentage of Canadians than Americans have a decent understanding of what is going on in the US; we have to be that vigilant because you are so much more powerful than we are. I hope my American friends and cousins will be resolute and fight the good fight, for all of our sakes.
I hope we will too, for all of our sakes. If we can save our country, I expect it will be some time before Canada trusts us even a little bit again.
I’m also sickened by what’s being done -in my name - to immigrants. The dehumanization and the disrespect to those other countries, who are also allies and trading partners.
One hopes that Americans will be able to parse the complexity of this situation, but I suspect a huge swath of the MAGA crowd will just repeat whatever the dear leader says and that will build animosity on both sides.
Oh, I'm sure people are wise and would be as capable to separate the government of the USA from its people as they are separating, say, the government of Russia from its people. Poor Russians, they have absolutely nothing to do with Putin... I mean, Americans, with Trump.
Look at this way: if Putin died or was deposed and a democratic leader took his place, would we still consider Russia an enemy? I get why other countries will be anti-American for the moment. I'm hoping that when -- please! -- the Trump Error finally is over the breaks aren't permanent.
Unfortunately, among the things Trump has broken are the treaties and agreements the US is signatory to. No country can ever trust the United States ever again because even after Trump is gone, it is now clear that any half-witted demagogue like him can simply repudiate any agreement, any alliance, any treaty.
I would love for the Senate Democrats to bring suit against Trump for abrogating treaties he is bound to uphold by the black-letter Constitution.
But I'm also afraid that the current Supreme Court would simply hold that the entire Constitution, with the exception of the last few words of the Second Amendment, is unconstitutional and thus void.
the actual terms of NAFTA/USMEXCA (or whatever) about when tariffs may be applied and how the dispute resolution processes work have been remarkably absent from any discussions of Trump's actions. Maybe it's because everybody knows he is not bound by laws or by contracts, even (or maybe especially) ones he has made himself.
Well, I don't know about you, but here in the Eastern Europe we sure as hell would still consider Russia an enemy. I mean, not a fighting enemy, but it wasn't Putin who took a gun and went to kill people for money; it wasn't Putin who built all those drones, bombs and missiles that fall at Ukrainian cities and it isn't Putin who reports to authorities about anyone in Russia trying to say that may be they shouldn't do it.
I mean, it's not even majority of Russians who do it, and still it'll take a generation to calm things down here. And as for Americans, well, it is definitely a majority of you who either voted for Trump or stayed home. Everything he does is on you. I mean, I'm not Canadian, but if I were, I wouldn't forget in a hurry.
Not on me. I've voted against him in every election. I don't believe in collective guilt. You sound like the antisemites who want to blame all Jews for Netanyahu.
*shrug* or like Jews who blame every Palestinian for terrorism. Yeah. That's human nature for you. You may not believe in collective guilt, but it won't stop others from believing in it.
Me too, 💯. I voted against him and volunteered for Clinton, Biden, and Kamala.
Even if we ever get a real president, I do expect it will be a long time before Canada and other allies trust us again. Maybe not in my lifetime. But, I hope it happens.
I don’t hold Putin against any Russian who disavows what’s being done to poor Ukraine in their name either. But, Russia and the US are very different cases. Russia has zero years history of ever being a good neighbor, so even without Putin, there’s no muscle memory. We in the US at least have the muscle memory, if we can get rid of the White House squatter and the rest of the rot and corruption that’s led us here.
We didn’t really treat Russia all that well when they were, briefly, a nascent democracy. We did what we so often do, to our discredit: We started them on the road to democracy, and then essentially wished them good luck and walked away. And we left a vacuum for Putin to exploit - we didn’t create Putin, but we sure enabled him. That is a problem our system creates for us, because we have earned a reputation of being inconstant, especially in the recent past with the starkly terrifying contrast between Obama and Trump, then the hopeful contrast between Trump and Biden, and now the glaringly, alarmingly terrifying contrast between Biden and Trump. No wonder our allies don’t feel they can trust us. Because they can’t. America is apparently feckless. And if Trump did some damage in his first term, that’s nothing compared to what he intends to do now. He’s just getting started, and I’m not so sure seat belts will help. Not in a hellscape, not in Mad Max Thunderdome world. Will our institutions hold? We will see, but I’m less than optimistic.
I hear you. He's a criminal grifter narcissist. But he's also a self-absorbed incompetent who overreaches. The midterms can't come soon enough. (And the lower courts, at least, seem to be holding... so far.)
Did you read about spectators in Ottawa booing the American national anthem at an Ottawa hockey game last night? Considering everything Trump has done in the last two weeks, I would imagine that the tariffs are a sideshow to most.
I don't think one *can* separate a dem. nation's government -- which is elected by the people -- from the people of a nation. I don't know that one *should*.
Evn tho I'm Murkan, I'm pretty damm angry at everyone who voted for scum or who sat this one out. My life is about to get even grimmer and might literally end v. prematurely bc he's in office: I'm broke, thanks to the Great Recession (which torpedoed my profession and provided zero assistance for me to train for something else, and my savings were small bc of medical debt earlier in life), and I have cancer -- and I rely on Medicaid. Medicaid would not be on the chopping block under Harris. So my anti-American sentiment is pretty damm high, and with good reason.
Not far from it, Ian, though the more direct attacks on my Canadian FB are on Trump. Flip side, "Buy Canadian" boosters have "flooded the zone". I know for myself, i won't be visiting USA any time soon.
While I don’t pretend to speak for all Canadians, believe it is well understood here the Trump gang does not represent the majority of Americans in spite of his claims. Just as should this country elect Pierre Pollievre it will not be the choice of the majority of mindful people. The U.S. is not alone in facing challenges of an ill-informed voting public and the rise of the extreme right. While of course much more complicated as to why, we look to Paul Krugman and others for the analyses, seems to us in your case the worst that can happen has happened. We are not fair-weather friends, will weather these tariffs, worry much more that the Trump/Vance impact on climate change, environment, wildlife will be irreversible. .
That's one of the many things that worries me. Will we ever be able to repair the damage? Assuming the Clown in Chief doesn't drive us into extinction, it could take many decades to recover from this idiocracy.
Tell me about it, the only time I encountered any anti American sentiment while living in Canada, was during the Bush ll years, and I hastened to explain I agreed with them.
The “Ugly American” perception is now on steroids? Well this time we really deserve it, but maybe Stupid Ugly American would be more to the point, and would be especially appropriate under Trump’s presidential portrait … which should be given a special archive called Enemies Of State.
I think there are situations where malicious stupidity is no longer an excuse. I think you underestimate the international significance of such a gesture.
Gods know, I'm no left-winger, and I can justify or dismiss a lot of things Republicans and Trump do, but the tariffs levied against a friendly nation, trusty and valuable ally, with which you have a specific agreement about the tariffs, is a very open hostile act. High tariffs were, historically, considered a legitimate casus belli for actual shooting war; tariffs introduced like this, breaking the signed and ratified agreement, I don't even know how to describe it. If we translate it from international relationships into more personal terms, it's like husband one day returning home drunk and viciously hitting his wife. It's like domestic abuse. He can get sober in 4 years and start saying "it's not like this, honey, I'm a changed man", but relationships can't stay the same. They can't. She would never be able to trust him again.
53% of college educated voters voted for Harris vs just 40% for Trump. The non-college educated gave us Trump after being duped by fake culture wars, exaggerated immigration issues, and misinformation about the economy. Is it always the fault of those who warn others they are being conned? Is the fault of those being conned? Or is it the fault of the con artist? The Republican party had plenty of opportunity to do away with the poisoning of their party by Trump but refused to do it. Instead they normalized Trump and supported in fear of being ostracized. This to makes conservatives weak and pathetic human being who are the root of our problems.
He represents a fairly sizable chunk of America. It's time of call a spider a spade. Some Americans are closet racists, and poorly educated. Some prefer to believe that their personal religion is the ONLY right religion and should imposed on everyone.
Thanks to the black vote and no Gaza. This time Black men didn't want a female president so they and Hispanic men voted for Trump. A lot of misogyny this time around.
Unfortunately, for the time being Trump is America, and the damage he does reflects directly on us, because we couldn’t hold him to account for his high crimes and misdemeanors, and so instead we elected him president. So, Trump is, as much as I hate saying or even thinking it, America. Going from riches to rags, for most of us. If you’re reading this and you’re one of those 1% oligarchs, please don’t turn your back on us. Remember who contributed, wittingly or unwittingly, to your exalted status, and return the favor. What’s in it for you? Probably nothing. And if you do it anonymously, so much the better. You’ll still be rich, you shouldn’t need to give it all away, just share with those whose lives can be made more comfortable. If it’s at all possible, volunteer without giving yourself away. Your return rewards will be psychic rather than material, and in the end you will be much happier.
I'm just in the 1% by wealth and I will never give money to a US charity again because there could be Trump supporters. I was talking with some friends from grad school (all in the 1%) recently and they all felt the same. Now that pure evil has won we all say fuck it I'm just out for myself now. I love it that the GOP is planning on cutting as much aid as they can. Trump won 85% of the poor counties where 40% or more of income is from government spending. A bunch of poor Trump supporters were interviewed and they are so stupid and ignorant they think Trump will save the spending they depend on. No, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations mean the GOP is going to slash support for the rural counties that elected him. Yes! Make these evil creatures (Trump is a racist and racism is a binary evil so by the rules of logic anyone who supports Trump is evil) suffer!
Boo-hoo. You voted him in. In what sense does the president of the country not represent the country? Don't want your credit. We are all pretty angry at America.
If Putin were able to place a paid agent in the WH, would he do anything differently from what DJT is doing to destroy American credibility and economic power?
I don't think that's really true though. Most people *do* have preconceptions about people they meet from other countries. If you travel abroad as an American, you'll find yourself generally greeted different ways in different countries, based on impressions of American culture, the historical relationship, and recent events.
Occam’s razor. The simplest explanation for anything Trump does is that he thinks it benefits him. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. We are dealing with a sociopath after all.
Trump’s tariffs are a distraction from his bribe of billions through sales of bitcoin by China or others seeking favor, his removal of anyone who would check him from the federal government and his capturing the U. S. Treasury’s payment system with Musk executing that action.
In August, Canada applied a 100% tariff on EVs entering from China - including Teslas. It has occurred to me that hitting Canada hard may be Elon's retaliation against Canada and not a show of force by Trump.
Did not know that. It makes total sense. That fact needs to be highlighted. Canada controls 90% of the heating oil used in Maine. Maybe not such a good idea to aggravate them.
It appears more purple than blue. To get really blue you have to come to the West Coast, and even here we have pockets of MAGA cult members. The sad part is Confederate ideology has taken over rural areas of old Union states, with Maine being just one of many examples.
Or floods in our beautiful North Carolina mountains. And so, (ill)Logical Donny is scheming to get rid of FEMA and let states fend for themselves. And with the (un)Supreme Court giving him essentially unfettered power, and voters giving him a (they’ll live to regret it) trifecta in the election, can we really stop him? Aren’t We The People the boss, the hiring authority? Apparently not.
Teslas are also made in North America aren't they ? Probably at a much higher cost. So importing them is a form of dumping that puts the squeeze on his own US division. One his Shanghai plant is up and running, he may close his North American plants. The Canadians would understand this. Not sure Trump does or anyone who thinks this will be good for US manufacturing. Musk is not MAGA. He is an internationalist. And he has a Chinese car company.
Teslas sold to/in Canada would presumably also come from the US. The main argument in the leader post was that Musk may have an animus against Canada because of the EV tariffs; that doesn't seem convincing to me.
Actually, US Teslas are all consumed in the US. The Teslas in Canada come from Shanghai. Canadians can't move their Teslas with them across the border and register them in the US - happened to a friend, had to sell it in Canada.
Wow! This could very well be the reason. With Trump there’s always a grift, and since he does owe Elon his election, this may be how he’s repaying him.
The ev tariff was done by both Canada and the US. Teslas built in the US wouldn’t have any tariff restrictions sent into Canada. This isn’t about musk getting back at Canada, it is merely about an Authoritarian government acting out.
But wouldn’t the Canadian tariff help Tesla? Without this tariff the Canadian market would likely be flooded with BYD EVs from China not Chinese made teslas.
Teslas sold in Canada come from Tesla's factories in Shanghai, China and Fremont, California. The source of a specific Tesla depends on the model and the manufacturing date.:
Model 3
Tesla has imported Model 3s from both Shanghai and Fremont to Canada. The VIN for a Model 3 made in Fremont starts with 5YJ.
Model Y
Tesla has supplied Canada with Model Ys made in Fremont. Giga Shanghai is building a refreshed Model Y with new wheels and ambient lighting.
Tariffs:
In October 2023, Canada imposed a 100% tariff on electric vehicles (EVs) made in China. This tariff was in response to the tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese EVs. (Canada and US are friends then)
Manufacturing location:
Customers can request the manufacturing location of their Tesla from the company or by using their vehicle identification number (VIN).
Bear in mind, it isn’t just tariffs on entire vehicles; even if they are assembled in the US there will be tariffs on parts that have to be imported in order to assemble the cars. No matter what, they will cost us more, and not hurt the Chinese in any meaningful way.
And plus the enormous Shanghai "Megafactory" site for Tesla batteries...Elno's business interests are massively entwined within US and China, and you bet he's claimed real estate in tRump's ear to warn him off daily against angering the PRC with stupidly punitive tariffs.
I will say this, FOTUS has managed to unite a lot of Canadians. At this time, I have never seen so many pro Canadian advertisements. Boycotting all US goods, etc. It is unbelievable. Most of my friends are not going to the US. Many people from other countries are not spending one dime in the States. The tourism will suffer. No more shopping trips to LL Bean or grocery stores. Some businesses are putting US Products in the back of grocery shelves, etc. This is happening all over. Ontario is threatening to withhold the hydro . Canadians are PISSED!🇨🇦
Yes, but it's easy for us to wish for them to take a huge economic hit by fighting back. We won't suffer the job losses and damage if they shut off sales of oil to the US.
They're better off being quiet and subservient, then finding new buyers for their products and getting as far away from us as possible. We aren't reliable.
Trump is violating the trade agreements that he supposedly set in place.
The rhetoric from Canadian politicians does not sound like they are felling subservient. Since our own politicians are bending over to kiss his ass, I can’t presume to tell another country what to do. But I hope they tell him to shove it. No one wins.
We’ll see. If it comes to a point where Trump doesn’t feel he needs Elon anymore, yes then it might be the Trump justice dept. that does the indicting. Although I imagine SpaceX is a key player in Trump’s grand plan to inhabit Mars, claim it as part of the US. The great state of Mars!
Not to mention Tesla - and no doubt X-man's other companies - source a lot of raw materials from China. He wouldn't want that supply summarily cut off.
It’s like his licensing deals. Get paid a lot for doing nothing really, except making cruel threats to both. Who pays him more ($trump meme coin) gets the lower tariff.
As a Canadian maybe I am a touch paranoid when ignorance is the actual reason. BUT the right wing sees our mostly progressive, healthy nation right next door as a threatening model.
He is a petulant child, and is mad that Canada and Mexico are both verbally defying him. He cannot allow this so he turns to retribution on anyone who opposes him. In other words, he is having a hissy fit and tantrum just as a child would do when they do not get their way.
Canada isn't even defying him. He hasn't asked for anything. He hints at crazy reasons: little fentanyl and "migrants" head south from here. Canada is making a show to solve the non-problem.
Meanwhile, a large percentage of gun crime in Canada involves guns illegally smuggled from the US.
Isn't most of the fentanyl produced in China? While Trump goes on about Mexico and fentanyl a lot of it is brought into the United States by our own citizens. Would be nice if some day we here some factually based arguments out of Trump and his minions.
According to the Congressional Research people (if they still are employed today), most is made in labs in Mexico from precursor chemicals made in China.
I'm increasingly of the opinion Trump's ludicrous obsession with tariffs is mainly about money for the government: Trump really, actually thinks tariffs are a great tool to drive more revenue. Which he knows he needs if he is to simultaneously cut taxes, increase defense spending, and avoid inflation—especially as he's unwilling to touch Social Security and Medicare (and even if he were willing Congress isn't). So, he probably asked his people who our biggest trade partners (ie, targets for tariffs) are, and they told him Canada and Mexico.
The other part is his generally troglodytic views on trade. It seems clear he really is an unreformed mercantilist at heart: buying from foreigners is bad! Trump seems to think if we but tax imports with sufficient vigor, we'll enter a new golden age of prosperity and balanced budgets.
So, with respect to Canada, at least, the Fentanyl thing was just a ruse to justify his lunatic trade policies. The whole thing is bonkers. And as for going light on China? That's easy: Trump's a bully, and like all bullies he's afraid of picking on the strong. He figures hitting Mexico and Canada hard won't result in much blowback. I suspect he's about to find out he's wrong.
I did read it, and also did searches of the PDF. On what page do you see SS being at risk? I can’t find it, and only some references to raising the retirement age. Please provide the data for your comment. If it’s true I want to reread the document and need the pages referenced. Use the document page numbering not the PDF page numbering as they are different.
We shouldn't underestimate his ignorance. I read that he ordered the Army Core of Engineers to release water from Central California dams to get water to LA. He doesn't understand there's a huge mountain range between them. The water that should be saved for farmers in the summer is/was being flushed out to the sea.
Massive ignorance is bipartisan. The billion dollar fund for a high speed rail from Bakersfield to Modesto is crazy. Again, there's a big mountain range between the central valley and the LA basin. Take a billion dollars and set up a Pacific coast bus line like Mega or Bolt bus that they have back east.
It seems obvious that these "coins" and Trump businesses are merely conduits to receive bribes. The FBI purges are designed to make sure that these things are never investigated. Our constitutional system depends on having people in government with principles and integrity is not equipped to deal with the obsequiousness of an entire political party to this kind of criminality.
Democrats and Democratic PACs need to file lawsuits. Lots of them. Then we need to unite around Democrats in the midterms. It's the only way to stop this.
In the past, Trump's strategy was always to keep things tied up in court until his opponents ran out of money. I'm afraid he will keep signing executive orders until nobody can afford to sue any longer.
I think Musk is sock puppetting Trump now. In his last press conference Trump said two things he hasn't really said before. One is that he wants everyone to work in the private sector. The other is that there is nothing any country can do about the tariffs. These seem to be fed to him by Musk.
So I think that it's President Musk and Press Secretary Trump.
I agree. However Musk can be sued. He is not immune to prosecution. I admit it will be hard because of Musk's money and power. However Democrats need to go after Musk with all they have. And when these tariffs tank the US economy, that needs to be widely shared especially in competitive districts for 2026 midterms
I still can’t escape the thought that Trump has serious designs on Canada for the purpose of annexation. He has often noted that “Canada has water” for instance. His rhetoric about making Canada the 51st state has been stated too many times for it to be considered mere trolling . And his continued talk about the US subsidizing Canada also underscores the idea that in Trump’s mind, Canada’s resources should be available for free.
What was reported here in Canada regarding yesterday’s announcements was that Trump said the 25% tariffs will likely go up. In my view, this suggests a severe shakedown attempt coming for Canada, something that you would indeed feel was consistent coming from a criminal mind. To that end, I won’t be surprised if Trump retaliates further almost immediately after the Canadian response is made official.
Military annexation of Panama, Greenland & Canada will become more likely the more obvious it is how much damage Trump’s policies are inflicting on the average US citizen. The military action then becomes the rallying cry for a new national project in an efforrt to divert attention /hide the catastrophic consequences of terrible policies. This is part of the Putin playbook developed from studying authoritarian governments over the past 400 years.
Maybe not. But as someone else pointed out Canada, unlike Mexico, is a predominantly white nation which is very difficult to 'otherise'. More likely he will try and ferment domestic unrest in Canada. Which is why is vital Canada says united and calls out any traitors who would sell out their nation.
I agree, and I feel it is about more than water, it is about control of northern shipping routes, mineral resources, agricultural land, and energy to run the power-hungry AI and crypto industries.
I can tell you this is irreparably poisoning the Americana well in Canada. Some will have trouble conflating their ill will towards the Trump regime with American citizens.
Trump was democratically elected. His presidency, as deplorable as I find it, represents a majority of the electorate. The world is correct to blame us. We're not like the Palestinians who lived under a terrorist regime. We're not like the Russians or Chinese who don't really have a choice of who their autocratic rulers are, but we did.
I am ashamed of the actions of our government and the millions of citizens who were happily duped.
Actually, it represents a majority of the electoral college - the worst idea the framers have conceived. We need to do away with it.
It was likely a good idea in another time, a way of solving a problem. Now it has itself become a problem. A not so easily solved problem, mainly because of politics.
The Electoral College was formed to ensure the slave states had as much or more power than the free states. Do you really think that was a good idea?
It was a compromise to the slave-owning southerners, who did not live in cities where the majority of the population was. It was a way to give the landowners more power.
Yeah, or at least it >seemed< like a good idea at the time. They couldn't imagine the likes of Trump coming along.
Yes the cult. The Joe Rogan, Charlie Kirk,magas, Elon Musk, Wwg1wga,WWF and the others ( think Trump controls the economy) are all in for our government to end…
Well FAFO…….
Libs--including Paul Krugman--have limited language skills. Data they don't like they call "misinformation." Competing political movements they don't like they call "a cult."
Not this time. He did win the popular vote. Not by much but, unfortunately, we’re stuck with it for the time being. All this is to say, instead of finding blame we need to write/phone Congress, fund organizations filing lawsuits to block illegal actions and get active in local politics. It’s either that or roll over. Not much of a choice IMHO.
That's true. Technically he won the popular vote. But if you take voter suppression into account, the numbers look quite different.
And you're right, we're stuck with it for now and need to do everything possible to fight it. No choice whatsoever.
By the transitive property of GOP messaging, "Every accusation is a confession", as well as the not-so-subtle insinuations from the eventual victor himself, perhaps a more thorough and public investigation of the voting tabulation process is warranted.
Yes, or apathy.
That too.
That is true - but by a pretty slim margin. He won a plurality, not a majority. Thanks in part to third party candidates like RFK jr.
Oh, and as mentioned elsewhere, voter suppression played a pretty significant role as well.
It doesn’t matter. A vote for treason by definition is not a valid vote.
Yeah, that's true, isn't it? Unfortunately, it is a legal vote.
That slim margin just happens to have occurred in the exact areas where securing a win was necessary. Curious, isn't it, how those who can and will manipulate data and information (doing so with scale and across multiple platforms) are all major donors to this regime?
I am sorry Sharon. It is hard enough here in Canada to understand why people would elect him. You must be in deep mourning for your country.
1/2 our country voted for Harris/Walz and a lot of lazy people sat home and didn’t vote at all. Civic minded people are hard to find. The education system does not promote civic engagement or education and they are making it even worse. Parents need to make sure their kids are registered and know their representatives and how they vote Local, State and Federal! Explaining that lawmakers run the country and they can have a say so. Until then we suffer and hope we have a chance to get back to a country that works together to have all participating in a good quality of life!!! The hate in this administration is palpable. Firing experts and civil servants because you want to have only yes men is pure evil…..
Thank you! He only squeaked by with 1.5%, More did not vote, than voted for him. They were victims of Russian propaganda and a complicit corporately owned media who sane-washed the porcine obscenity.
100 percent!!
And Musk's PAC targeted weak supporters of Harris in swing states with propaganda aimed at getting them to stay home. It was not necessary to get them to vote Trump, just to not vote at all.
You get it, I get, why didn’t they?
We can't say that "half the country" voted for Harris/Walz, and I'm insisting on accuracy bc mis- and disinformation have destroyed this nation. As people who want to hang on to demcracy, let's pledge to be accurate.
About 31% of all eligible voters chose scum. About 30% chose Harris. About 3% chose others. The rest stayed home.
You are correct, however, I believe that was the intended message. If you look at a 31/30 split, that's about half of 61%. The remaining 39% were just flushed down the commode, along with that 31% that went for His Orange MAGA Majesty.
I’m not Sharon, but thank you for your kindness. We are indeed mourning. We are also horrified and ashamed at the Republican fake president’s despicable treatment of our neighbor and best ally.
I’m crossing my fingers that he will find a way to back down without admitting he was wrong (since he doesn’t know how to do that) and save both countries from severe economic harm.
Probably just more wishful thinking from another American hoping to be annexed by our polite neighbor to the North.
We are gob smacked to the reality that so many of our countrymen are so willfully ignorant. At what point will they realize their stupidity is destroying them, I don’t know.
When they're down to their last can of Schlitz.
Just as all strongmen before him, Marmalade Mussolini has a personality disorder that makes him excel at exploiting people’s weaknesses. Many Americans don’t have the time or will to be truly informed about politics or civics. Most people didn’t realize or believe their vote would bring about this fascist regime, but don’t yet have the capacity to understand that’s what they actually did. It’s literally a cult, and an abusive dynamic where people are denying their own eyes and ears to make flying monkey excuses for their abusers. Capitalism is in its death throes, and has inevitably failed all but a few. The population is rife for exploitation with populist rhetoric and the voters that elected him are simultaneously being exploited by these oligarch-fascists and defending them because they are 1) uninformed 2) suffering 3) and it’s easiest to get on board with whatever they’re told to think than it is to wake up and realized they’ve been duped and betrayed. Their suffering is being given a (false) explanation, their (reasonable) outrage at their suffering is given scapegoats to blame, and they’re promised the (false) hope of being saved from their suffering. Democrats failed at every turn to denounce neo-liberalism or to address the real roots of people’s suffering. Most of these people were just tired of being left behind, and didn’t know how dangerous it was to place their trust in these narcissistic sadists. It’s tragic mind-warfare on the uninformed and quite literally a cult. Logic doesn’t work because it contradicts their felt reality and programming. Most of these people consider themselves good people, and will act like good people- until you challenge the cult leaders. They identify so strongly with them that they feel as if they are being personally attacked, and will get defensive accordingly. We need cult deprogrammers. It’s maddening to try to hold on to sanity in the midst of it all.
I concur. To put the present situation in context I would urge you to read Peter Turchin's book 'End Times', which puts the pattern you describe in historic context. The basic downfall of every climax society is and always has been the eventual gulf between the resources and power of the elites and everyone else. Thus the suffering you describe, and thus the ascendanse of oligarchs, and the grotesque displays of ego driven opulence.
Indeed we are. At least half of us are in a state of shock, horror and disgust. We're not in awe though.
His presidency *doesn't* represent a majority of the electorate, by which I mean all eligible voters. Abt 31% voted for scum, abt 30% voted for Harris, about 3% voted for others, and the rest didn't vote. Some of them, esp. the "I'm lodging a protest with my vote" voters, are informed enough to regret that decision.
Yes, he did win a plurality of the vote. He beat Harris. I don't dispute that. But this was an atypical election: Anti-incumbent fever raged around the world, largely bc of inflation. And GOPs purged voting rolls in most states, which hurt Dems.
When Americans are polled about issues w-o labels ( = not "Dems propose AAA and GOPs propose BBB"), a majority support Dem positions: universal health care, a less-unfair tax code, some action to shrink the wealth gap, access to abortion, action on the climate crisis, modest gun-safety laws.
So, no, his presidency does NOT represent what the majority of Americans want, tho I'll agree that an appallingly large % of Americans are happy with or see value in his cruelty, stupidity, and recklessness. And I'm ashamed of that and of our nation.
Then maybe the key here is to have more American vote? Or make it compulsory like it is here in Australia 🤷♀️
But the D party does not support the issues popular w/ Americans that you described in your post.
90 million eligible voters did not vote. Voter suppression was definitely at play.
How many polling places received bomb threats???
https://substack.com/home/post/p-156246340
You're misstating some of that. Tens of millions of eligible voters stay home every year. Turnout in 2024 was about 63% -- lower than the 66% in 2020, but higher than in 2016 and 2012.
Yes, there was some voter suppression. And GOPs purged a lot of voter rolls over the past four years. But both of those are tiny factors compared to the global anti-incumbent sentiment, fueled in many places by inflation, that pushed out decent leaders from decent parties. And in the US, inflation sits on top of the biggest wealth gap in the world: About 160 million Americans are struggling bc of 40+ years of ruinous GOP economic policies -- which far to many establishment Dems have embraced. Some % of voters no longer see any difference between the two parties for that reason.
Add to that Gaza, and misogyny, and racism -- and here we are.
I have made two statements. Which one are you attacking as false?
The 90 million?: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/13/why-eligible-voters-did-not-vote
Or is it the voter suppression statement?
Apparently you didn’t bother to read the supporting substack essay.
Everything you list are pisspoor excuses for not voting against handing immense power to a murder/psychopath and his goons.
Putin’s demonstrated how immensely successful his propaganda playbook is and now all the monsters are doing it. Propaganda IS a tool of voter suppression. So are threats to blow up polling stations
Ultimately it falls on we the people to do what we have to do and stop making up one excuse after another. This throwing the baby out with the dirty bath water has never made progress.
Yes, millions of Americans got duped. It’s disgusting what’s taking place in the United States Government for the past two weeks and it will be this way for the next four years causing long term damage. But those citizens that voted for this and made it possible, I suspect, still, they justify it.
Also, how shameful that those GOP elected to Congress are giving the green light and refuse to work for the American people and instead service their king.
I hope that people can separate the government from the people, hard though it may be. Those of us who support Israel and detest Netanyahu have been doing it for years.
Why should they? Outside the US, the only thing that matters is US policy, not the fact that some Americans didn't vote for Trump. Ian Clarke is right; the ill will towards Americans in Canada right now is unprecedented.
and as Margaret Atwood has said (roughly), most Americans are benignly ignorant of Canada, but most Canadians are maliciously well-informed about the USA. She also described the Canada/US border as the world's longest one-way mirror.
I hadn't known that Atwood quote. It's too true for comfort.
True, my Canadian husband knows way more Us culture, and history than most of us here in the states.
I went to a Catholic grammar school in Meriden CT taught by Les Seurs de L'Assumption - French Canadian parish where English was the second language for half the parents - every mid-sized factory town had a French Canadian population and Church (in addition to an Italian, Polish, Irish, and Greek Orthodox Church) - Willimantic, Hartford, Winsted, Torrington etc - until we ran out of nuns and curates and raised our kids to be agnostics
Soeurs, not "Seurs."
That is unfortunate - for both countries.
Absolutely. There is an adage, a country gets the government they deserve!
I would argue that if The Felon forces Putin on Ukrainians they very much don’t deserve it.
You ALWAYS get the government you deserve.
This comment simply denies the fact of political compulsion. It is simply a fact that modern governments have massive power, and they don't always use it to give you "the government you deserve ." Live with it.
And if we are to 'get' our own government we're gonna hafta do it ourselves. Any sort of 'People's Cabinet' (or Shadow) is gonna hafta be ours collectively – not some already overworked politicians. We individually and collectively will need to find insiders in every federal department, agency, office and get the actual scoop on what is going on where and when. Then we will need to broadcast far/wide however we can (not X, of course). And simply keep doing that every damn day, if for no other reason than posterity.
The solution is simple: Trump/GOP are strictly pay-to-play. Just get a few big Canadian businessmen or corporations to cough up $25million or greater checks to Trump and/or GOP politicians. Or some of their pet PAC's and charities.
Jeff Yass donated $49million to Trump/GOP in the '24 election cycle, and got the TikTok ban reversed. Musk coughed up $250 million--plus tens of millions more in kind, by relegating X to the service of Trump/GOP--and only saw a mere 10% tariff increase on Tesla's China supply chain.
Canadian here. Your suggestion, facetious as it may be, will bankrupt us as assuredly as Trump's tariffs will, with the additional injury of destroying whatever is left of our soul. Every single oligarch and corporation that has purchased itself power with Trump is a ghoul; turning a nation's character into such a monster is beyond the pale. America has to save itself, and so does Canada.
💙 I wish all of my fellow Americans saw the situation as clearly as you do. The bribery and extortion machine is disgusting. I’d never advise another country to go in this direction. Pretty sure that other comment was facetious, but just in case it wasn’t, wanted to let you know that most Americans are also sickened by the money in our politics, and especially the tributes being paid to the squatter in the White House.
No, I'm serious. Trump in particular and the GOP in general are utterly corrupt. Add to that Trump being a malignant narcissist, so if some Canadian industrialists--especially from the oil & gas industries--shamelessly flatter him and pay him largish sums of money, he'll revoke the tariffs on Canada.
And half of our voters see him not as the corrupt, incompetent blowhard that he is; but rather as some sort of semi-divine hero, come to save them all. Because that's the picture that's been etched into their minds by FOX News and RW media.
While all of that is true, every bribe or ransom paid just spreads the corruption and deepens its grip on our country.
We have a treaty with Canada and Mexico - a bargained-for exchange signed by all parties. For Canada to reward this breach of NAFTA (or whatever it’s called today) by the Republican in the WH would be for them to invite further extortion and to welcome Republican-style corruption to their country.
Not saying it wouldn’t work, but I am saying it wouldn’t be in their interest OR ours. I don’t want to see one more person, corporation, or country feed the Republican beast - he’ll only get hungrier.
Trump would only revoke tariffs on those O&G companies. Trump would not revoke tariffs for industries that didn't pay. Any business leader in Canada would also face potential bribery charges if they did this.
Furthermore, O&G industries would be wasting their money because the real retaliatory threat is export tariffs on our crude oil, which PADD-2 states are locked into using unless they invest years and billions into retooling refineries and redirecting pipelines, specifically: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
The corruption is in pursuit of other purposes, such as physical dominance, deliberate humiliation, and simple depravity. Not to mention playing out fantasies of world domination, race war and ultimately planetary conquest.
Yes, Trump just spouts maliciousness and cares nothing about our country. He and his billionaire buddies are taking over the United States and filling up their pockets. They will get all the taxcuts, one reason they’re on trump’s side. He just wants power, more richness ,attention, fame, flattery . He can’t live without these things. And the GOP are afraid of him and show bad intent and corruption themselves too. All they want is power and status. They care nothing about their citizens .
Well said! We will stand together to defend both our values and our economy.
I think the work is harder than what you have described. Americans have allowed your political system to be attacked and eroded over many decades and you are now at the point where your ‘elected’ government is both corrupt and not able to co-exist peacefully with others -other politicians, other sovereign states, other media. Adding more graft to the table doesn’t solve the problem though it may temporarily relieve the discomfort - until the next time a new policy is mused into existence. America is demonstrating that its signature on an agreement is worth little. Your civil service is being decimated and replaced with loyal subjects, and you are now beginning to abuse your trusted partner nations. Sound familiar? Playbook recently updated by Putin. You are being subjected to the slow death by 1000 cuts, and the rest of us are getting dragged into this. We can’t fix your politics or your politicians. That is the very hard work that you have to do.
That won’t work, at least not for long. Corruption is not patient. Perhaps you were just being facetious? I’m not sure. But as another Canadian, I just wanna say WTAF? This Day 13 Fresh Hell™ & Tariff War your president has waged against us will be devastating on BOTH sides of the border. And for what?!? It’s absolute madness. Lives will be ruined. My dear America, why did you vote for this brand of nonsense again? Again!?! Up here in Canada we are done. Of course, there will be all manner of tariff retaliations at the national level. And en masse, snowbirds are already coming home, vacation plans are being canceled. Tickets for upcoming shows & sporting events are being resold. We’re not coming down there anymore. 150+ years as good friends & reliable trading partners — over in a moment of madness. We. Are. Done.
Some of us don’t believe the votes are legit. yes we have a shockingly enormous number of brainwashed voters but we also have enormous numbers of woke people who are paying attention and give a damn about each other. I’ve lived in Canada and very much loved the Canadians I knew. The felon and his goons are the filthiest scum of the earth. It’s humiliating every damn day and heartbreaking on most to watch this shit show happen on “my watch”(so to speak). 💔😫
Unfortunately, the votes are probably (pretty much) legit.
There’s no reason for the Canucks to have friendly feelings toward any of us. They know now that (1) half of our country are nihilistic selfish democracy-doubters and (2) the rest of us can’t control the knuckle-draggers. We’ve lost a friend.
This is horrible. I hope it's not permanent. I'm not criticizing Canadians for being angry at these stupid actions by Trump. I'm expressing the wish that we can reestablish our longstanding friendship when this monster finally leaves office.
That's a good point. It is encouraging to see many Americans becoming incensed at what is happening in their country AND what the Trump regime is doing to its allies. If you give up that fight though, most Canadians will lose faith in an America they thought they knew. It's true that probably a higher percentage of Canadians than Americans have a decent understanding of what is going on in the US; we have to be that vigilant because you are so much more powerful than we are. I hope my American friends and cousins will be resolute and fight the good fight, for all of our sakes.
I hope we will too, for all of our sakes. If we can save our country, I expect it will be some time before Canada trusts us even a little bit again.
I’m also sickened by what’s being done -in my name - to immigrants. The dehumanization and the disrespect to those other countries, who are also allies and trading partners.
You have lost me and I was a good friend.
One hopes that Americans will be able to parse the complexity of this situation, but I suspect a huge swath of the MAGA crowd will just repeat whatever the dear leader says and that will build animosity on both sides.
Oh, I'm sure people are wise and would be as capable to separate the government of the USA from its people as they are separating, say, the government of Russia from its people. Poor Russians, they have absolutely nothing to do with Putin... I mean, Americans, with Trump.
Look at this way: if Putin died or was deposed and a democratic leader took his place, would we still consider Russia an enemy? I get why other countries will be anti-American for the moment. I'm hoping that when -- please! -- the Trump Error finally is over the breaks aren't permanent.
Unfortunately, among the things Trump has broken are the treaties and agreements the US is signatory to. No country can ever trust the United States ever again because even after Trump is gone, it is now clear that any half-witted demagogue like him can simply repudiate any agreement, any alliance, any treaty.
As a Canadian I say that America can only punch us in the face so many times before we realize America is no longer our friend.
There is a realization in Canada that it is different this time and we need to chart a path away from the USA.
Sadly I can't disagree. Convicted Felon Trump is doing HORRIFIC damage. It will take many, many years to re-earn that trust.
Can Canada and Mexico jointly sue Dump and the US Government for breach of contract (NAFTA)?
I would love for the Senate Democrats to bring suit against Trump for abrogating treaties he is bound to uphold by the black-letter Constitution.
But I'm also afraid that the current Supreme Court would simply hold that the entire Constitution, with the exception of the last few words of the Second Amendment, is unconstitutional and thus void.
the actual terms of NAFTA/USMEXCA (or whatever) about when tariffs may be applied and how the dispute resolution processes work have been remarkably absent from any discussions of Trump's actions. Maybe it's because everybody knows he is not bound by laws or by contracts, even (or maybe especially) ones he has made himself.
Well, I don't know about you, but here in the Eastern Europe we sure as hell would still consider Russia an enemy. I mean, not a fighting enemy, but it wasn't Putin who took a gun and went to kill people for money; it wasn't Putin who built all those drones, bombs and missiles that fall at Ukrainian cities and it isn't Putin who reports to authorities about anyone in Russia trying to say that may be they shouldn't do it.
I mean, it's not even majority of Russians who do it, and still it'll take a generation to calm things down here. And as for Americans, well, it is definitely a majority of you who either voted for Trump or stayed home. Everything he does is on you. I mean, I'm not Canadian, but if I were, I wouldn't forget in a hurry.
Not on me. I've voted against him in every election. I don't believe in collective guilt. You sound like the antisemites who want to blame all Jews for Netanyahu.
*shrug* or like Jews who blame every Palestinian for terrorism. Yeah. That's human nature for you. You may not believe in collective guilt, but it won't stop others from believing in it.
Me too, 💯. I voted against him and volunteered for Clinton, Biden, and Kamala.
Even if we ever get a real president, I do expect it will be a long time before Canada and other allies trust us again. Maybe not in my lifetime. But, I hope it happens.
I don’t hold Putin against any Russian who disavows what’s being done to poor Ukraine in their name either. But, Russia and the US are very different cases. Russia has zero years history of ever being a good neighbor, so even without Putin, there’s no muscle memory. We in the US at least have the muscle memory, if we can get rid of the White House squatter and the rest of the rot and corruption that’s led us here.
We didn’t really treat Russia all that well when they were, briefly, a nascent democracy. We did what we so often do, to our discredit: We started them on the road to democracy, and then essentially wished them good luck and walked away. And we left a vacuum for Putin to exploit - we didn’t create Putin, but we sure enabled him. That is a problem our system creates for us, because we have earned a reputation of being inconstant, especially in the recent past with the starkly terrifying contrast between Obama and Trump, then the hopeful contrast between Trump and Biden, and now the glaringly, alarmingly terrifying contrast between Biden and Trump. No wonder our allies don’t feel they can trust us. Because they can’t. America is apparently feckless. And if Trump did some damage in his first term, that’s nothing compared to what he intends to do now. He’s just getting started, and I’m not so sure seat belts will help. Not in a hellscape, not in Mad Max Thunderdome world. Will our institutions hold? We will see, but I’m less than optimistic.
I hear you. He's a criminal grifter narcissist. But he's also a self-absorbed incompetent who overreaches. The midterms can't come soon enough. (And the lower courts, at least, seem to be holding... so far.)
We have to rid ourselves of his POS South African handler.
What is the evidence of "inputs from diverse stakeholders" in Russian decision making?
Did you read about spectators in Ottawa booing the American national anthem at an Ottawa hockey game last night? Considering everything Trump has done in the last two weeks, I would imagine that the tariffs are a sideshow to most.
No!
I'm crossing my fingers while hoping you're right.
I don't think one *can* separate a dem. nation's government -- which is elected by the people -- from the people of a nation. I don't know that one *should*.
Evn tho I'm Murkan, I'm pretty damm angry at everyone who voted for scum or who sat this one out. My life is about to get even grimmer and might literally end v. prematurely bc he's in office: I'm broke, thanks to the Great Recession (which torpedoed my profession and provided zero assistance for me to train for something else, and my savings were small bc of medical debt earlier in life), and I have cancer -- and I rely on Medicaid. Medicaid would not be on the chopping block under Harris. So my anti-American sentiment is pretty damm high, and with good reason.
Not far from it, Ian, though the more direct attacks on my Canadian FB are on Trump. Flip side, "Buy Canadian" boosters have "flooded the zone". I know for myself, i won't be visiting USA any time soon.
I’m a nice American. Can I please come to Canada? I’m self-sufficient and enjoy helping others.
Dump FB and X
What about Canadian oil embargo to the US. Saying now...
The Premier of Alberta (oil producer) has ruled that out.
Smith’s only interested in protecting oil and gas & will betray Canada at will.
That’s a shame. Should have kept those pocket aces, even if they never get played.
While I don’t pretend to speak for all Canadians, believe it is well understood here the Trump gang does not represent the majority of Americans in spite of his claims. Just as should this country elect Pierre Pollievre it will not be the choice of the majority of mindful people. The U.S. is not alone in facing challenges of an ill-informed voting public and the rise of the extreme right. While of course much more complicated as to why, we look to Paul Krugman and others for the analyses, seems to us in your case the worst that can happen has happened. We are not fair-weather friends, will weather these tariffs, worry much more that the Trump/Vance impact on climate change, environment, wildlife will be irreversible. .
❤️so true. Many of us voted blue and live in red states
I hope you are right. It is so depressing being a thinking, feeling American right now. Some days, it's hard to accept what is happening is real.
That's one of the many things that worries me. Will we ever be able to repair the damage? Assuming the Clown in Chief doesn't drive us into extinction, it could take many decades to recover from this idiocracy.
What was it Dubya said? "Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice... won't get fooled again."
That was his moment of greatest clarity.
Really, when it comes to malapropisms, Trump Trumps Dubya - that's no small accomplishment.
But they were fooled twice!
Doubtful!
Now, now. Let's >try< to be optimistic Ok, maybe not..
Europe needs oil and won't get it from Russia anymore, so Canada send your oil to Europe, Europe loves you!
Tell me about it, the only time I encountered any anti American sentiment while living in Canada, was during the Bush ll years, and I hastened to explain I agreed with them.
He will make Americans the most hated people in the World.
The “Ugly American” perception is now on steroids? Well this time we really deserve it, but maybe Stupid Ugly American would be more to the point, and would be especially appropriate under Trump’s presidential portrait … which should be given a special archive called Enemies Of State.
We spend quite a bit of time in Quebec each year and in our experience the people we meet are as kind and welcoming as they have always been.
I'm there. They voted for him knowing, knowing-I have disgust for all Americans.
I'm sorry to hear that. We didn't all vote for him. And the ones who did really didn't know - they're too stupid to know.
I think there are situations where malicious stupidity is no longer an excuse. I think you underestimate the international significance of such a gesture.
Gods know, I'm no left-winger, and I can justify or dismiss a lot of things Republicans and Trump do, but the tariffs levied against a friendly nation, trusty and valuable ally, with which you have a specific agreement about the tariffs, is a very open hostile act. High tariffs were, historically, considered a legitimate casus belli for actual shooting war; tariffs introduced like this, breaking the signed and ratified agreement, I don't even know how to describe it. If we translate it from international relationships into more personal terms, it's like husband one day returning home drunk and viciously hitting his wife. It's like domestic abuse. He can get sober in 4 years and start saying "it's not like this, honey, I'm a changed man", but relationships can't stay the same. They can't. She would never be able to trust him again.
The problem with pushing people or countries around is that you might need their help one day. And you might not get it.
53% of college educated voters voted for Harris vs just 40% for Trump. The non-college educated gave us Trump after being duped by fake culture wars, exaggerated immigration issues, and misinformation about the economy. Is it always the fault of those who warn others they are being conned? Is the fault of those being conned? Or is it the fault of the con artist? The Republican party had plenty of opportunity to do away with the poisoning of their party by Trump but refused to do it. Instead they normalized Trump and supported in fear of being ostracized. This to makes conservatives weak and pathetic human being who are the root of our problems.
He represents a fairly sizable chunk of America. It's time of call a spider a spade. Some Americans are closet racists, and poorly educated. Some prefer to believe that their personal religion is the ONLY right religion and should imposed on everyone.
Seems that most of the racists are out of the closet now.
Thanks to the black vote and no Gaza. This time Black men didn't want a female president so they and Hispanic men voted for Trump. A lot of misogyny this time around.
Unfortunately, for the time being Trump is America, and the damage he does reflects directly on us, because we couldn’t hold him to account for his high crimes and misdemeanors, and so instead we elected him president. So, Trump is, as much as I hate saying or even thinking it, America. Going from riches to rags, for most of us. If you’re reading this and you’re one of those 1% oligarchs, please don’t turn your back on us. Remember who contributed, wittingly or unwittingly, to your exalted status, and return the favor. What’s in it for you? Probably nothing. And if you do it anonymously, so much the better. You’ll still be rich, you shouldn’t need to give it all away, just share with those whose lives can be made more comfortable. If it’s at all possible, volunteer without giving yourself away. Your return rewards will be psychic rather than material, and in the end you will be much happier.
I'm just in the 1% by wealth and I will never give money to a US charity again because there could be Trump supporters. I was talking with some friends from grad school (all in the 1%) recently and they all felt the same. Now that pure evil has won we all say fuck it I'm just out for myself now. I love it that the GOP is planning on cutting as much aid as they can. Trump won 85% of the poor counties where 40% or more of income is from government spending. A bunch of poor Trump supporters were interviewed and they are so stupid and ignorant they think Trump will save the spending they depend on. No, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations mean the GOP is going to slash support for the rural counties that elected him. Yes! Make these evil creatures (Trump is a racist and racism is a binary evil so by the rules of logic anyone who supports Trump is evil) suffer!
There probably some Canadian charities that could make good use of your donations.
Boo-hoo. You voted him in. In what sense does the president of the country not represent the country? Don't want your credit. We are all pretty angry at America.
This American is pretty angry at America, too! A lot of good it does…
If Putin were able to place a paid agent in the WH, would he do anything differently from what DJT is doing to destroy American credibility and economic power?
It is always my go to question. How does this benefit Putin? Your answer to that often aligns with a Trump action.
No. And Trump has been paid. Deutsche Bank has lots of Russian money.
Why should Putin pay for an agent when his Orange Baby will do it for free?
So true. Alienating us from our peaceful neighbors is effing strategic to weaken USA
Interesting how you didn't answer the question. Why not?
In the words of Beau of the Fifth Column, "Countries don't have friends. They have interests."
I don't think that's really true though. Most people *do* have preconceptions about people they meet from other countries. If you travel abroad as an American, you'll find yourself generally greeted different ways in different countries, based on impressions of American culture, the historical relationship, and recent events.
All countries have leaders protecting interests. Their own - or those of their citizens.
I was distraught when you left NYT, but I am so happy you are able and willing to continue to publish your insights elsewhere.
💯💯💯
Occam’s razor. The simplest explanation for anything Trump does is that he thinks it benefits him. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. We are dealing with a sociopath after all.
Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo came up with the often-handy "Trump's Razor" a few years ago:
"All other being equal, whatever the question concerning Trump, the stupidest explanation is likely to be the correct one."
lol Occam might be laughing "in his grave"
How does shutting down the US auto industry help Trump?
It might help Musk in the US, but other countries are going to retaliate against his cars.
There is only one rational explanation: Corruption.
Trump’s tariffs are a distraction from his bribe of billions through sales of bitcoin by China or others seeking favor, his removal of anyone who would check him from the federal government and his capturing the U. S. Treasury’s payment system with Musk executing that action.
Or punishes an enemy
While ignoring Damocles' sword.
Because Elon Musk has a factory there and China is a large market for Tesla. Elon will be mad if he does anything to China.
In August, Canada applied a 100% tariff on EVs entering from China - including Teslas. It has occurred to me that hitting Canada hard may be Elon's retaliation against Canada and not a show of force by Trump.
Did not know that. It makes total sense. That fact needs to be highlighted. Canada controls 90% of the heating oil used in Maine. Maybe not such a good idea to aggravate them.
Isn't Maine a blue state? Why would Trump or his followers care if they froze, any more than they care about fire victims in California?
It appears more purple than blue. To get really blue you have to come to the West Coast, and even here we have pockets of MAGA cult members. The sad part is Confederate ideology has taken over rural areas of old Union states, with Maine being just one of many examples.
Actually, to get really blue, they'd have to ditch Susan Collins.
Or floods in our beautiful North Carolina mountains. And so, (ill)Logical Donny is scheming to get rid of FEMA and let states fend for themselves. And with the (un)Supreme Court giving him essentially unfettered power, and voters giving him a (they’ll live to regret it) trifecta in the election, can we really stop him? Aren’t We The People the boss, the hiring authority? Apparently not.
Think of all the electricity Hydro Quebec, likely also Newfound/Labrador Hydro exports into eastern USA.
Wishing Maine, always a friendly neighbour, well this coming winter. Lived in Nee Brunswick and know how dependent they are on oil for home heating.
Teslas are also made in North America aren't they ? Probably at a much higher cost. So importing them is a form of dumping that puts the squeeze on his own US division. One his Shanghai plant is up and running, he may close his North American plants. The Canadians would understand this. Not sure Trump does or anyone who thinks this will be good for US manufacturing. Musk is not MAGA. He is an internationalist. And he has a Chinese car company.
I’d say Musk isn’t MAGA he’s MEGALO as in Maglomaniac
Aren't the Canadian tariffs on Chinese EVs identical to the American ones?
Mrs Freeland has proposed, this week, to impose a tariff of 100% to all Teslas. It's actually an excellent idea.
The US has a 100% tariff on China EVs too. But, I don't know if any Tesla cars come to the US from China.
Teslas sold to/in Canada would presumably also come from the US. The main argument in the leader post was that Musk may have an animus against Canada because of the EV tariffs; that doesn't seem convincing to me.
Actually, US Teslas are all consumed in the US. The Teslas in Canada come from Shanghai. Canadians can't move their Teslas with them across the border and register them in the US - happened to a friend, had to sell it in Canada.
I don't know for sure, but Tesla has 2 factories in the USA - Fremont CA and Austin TX. I'm assuming that's where all Canadian Teslas are created.
44,000 Teslas were imported to Canada from China as of 2023.
Yes!
Good point
Wow! This could very well be the reason. With Trump there’s always a grift, and since he does owe Elon his election, this may be how he’s repaying him.
Not Teslas, yet, but stand by. https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberal-leadership/article/chrystia-freeland-says-canada-should-target-elon-musks-tesla-in-a-tariff-fight/
The ev tariff was done by both Canada and the US. Teslas built in the US wouldn’t have any tariff restrictions sent into Canada. This isn’t about musk getting back at Canada, it is merely about an Authoritarian government acting out.
But wouldn’t the Canadian tariff help Tesla? Without this tariff the Canadian market would likely be flooded with BYD EVs from China not Chinese made teslas.
Aren’t the Teslas sold in Canada made in US plants?
Teslas sold in Canada come from Tesla's factories in Shanghai, China and Fremont, California. The source of a specific Tesla depends on the model and the manufacturing date.:
Model 3
Tesla has imported Model 3s from both Shanghai and Fremont to Canada. The VIN for a Model 3 made in Fremont starts with 5YJ.
Model Y
Tesla has supplied Canada with Model Ys made in Fremont. Giga Shanghai is building a refreshed Model Y with new wheels and ambient lighting.
Tariffs:
In October 2023, Canada imposed a 100% tariff on electric vehicles (EVs) made in China. This tariff was in response to the tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese EVs. (Canada and US are friends then)
Manufacturing location:
Customers can request the manufacturing location of their Tesla from the company or by using their vehicle identification number (VIN).
Informative!
Bear in mind, it isn’t just tariffs on entire vehicles; even if they are assembled in the US there will be tariffs on parts that have to be imported in order to assemble the cars. No matter what, they will cost us more, and not hurt the Chinese in any meaningful way.
Canada imported 44,000 Teslas from China in 2023. I don't know the number made in the US (in whole or in part).
Interesting! Sound theory then.
We are now living in the United States of Tesla.
Well not exactly. But it is pretty annoying. I pity people who have them because they were trying to be environmentally responsible.
They still can be. The just need to recycle them.
Here in Seattle they are a frequent target of vandalism now
More like Twitter just after the hostile takeover. Same MO, now applied to the US Treasury and Office of Personnel Management.
Good thought
And plus the enormous Shanghai "Megafactory" site for Tesla batteries...Elno's business interests are massively entwined within US and China, and you bet he's claimed real estate in tRump's ear to warn him off daily against angering the PRC with stupidly punitive tariffs.
Yes, but I hear the fentanyl will be duty free.
Because Trump looks strong when he stands next to Canada and weak when he stands next to China.
Personally, I think he looks weak no matter who he stands next to.
I fervently hope Canada takes an aggressive position.
I will say this, FOTUS has managed to unite a lot of Canadians. At this time, I have never seen so many pro Canadian advertisements. Boycotting all US goods, etc. It is unbelievable. Most of my friends are not going to the US. Many people from other countries are not spending one dime in the States. The tourism will suffer. No more shopping trips to LL Bean or grocery stores. Some businesses are putting US Products in the back of grocery shelves, etc. This is happening all over. Ontario is threatening to withhold the hydro . Canadians are PISSED!🇨🇦
Yes, but it's easy for us to wish for them to take a huge economic hit by fighting back. We won't suffer the job losses and damage if they shut off sales of oil to the US.
They're better off being quiet and subservient, then finding new buyers for their products and getting as far away from us as possible. We aren't reliable.
Trump is violating the trade agreements that he supposedly set in place.
The rhetoric from Canadian politicians does not sound like they are felling subservient. Since our own politicians are bending over to kiss his ass, I can’t presume to tell another country what to do. But I hope they tell him to shove it. No one wins.
1. US put 100% tariff on cars from China.
2. Tesla stopped shipping cars from China to US. Shipped only Chinese Teslas to Canada.
3. Canada put 100% tariff on cars from China to match US (Canada and US have an integrated auto industry since 1965 Auto Pact).
Eventually the truth will emerge—it almost always does— and Musk may be indicted as an unregistered foreign agent.
He should be deported regardless. Along with the whole Murdoch clan.
Trump's justice department will probably do the indicting. Musk already gets far too much attention to suit Trump.
You're giving Trump too much agency. Musk and Putin are calling the shots. Trump's only real domain is retribution.
We’ll see. If it comes to a point where Trump doesn’t feel he needs Elon anymore, yes then it might be the Trump justice dept. that does the indicting. Although I imagine SpaceX is a key player in Trump’s grand plan to inhabit Mars, claim it as part of the US. The great state of Mars!
Not to mention Tesla - and no doubt X-man's other companies - source a lot of raw materials from China. He wouldn't want that supply summarily cut off.
That is why the tariff is only 10%
Exactly.
Because bullies target those they think they can push around.
Its the corruption. He is cruel to Canada because China is paying him more ( buying more $Orangeman meme coins)
His merch is made in China. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/thousands-of-trump-bibles-were-printed-in-china-as-he-campaigned-against-trade-practices
It’s like his licensing deals. Get paid a lot for doing nothing really, except making cruel threats to both. Who pays him more ($trump meme coin) gets the lower tariff.
I'm not accusing him of thinking correctly.
As a Canadian maybe I am a touch paranoid when ignorance is the actual reason. BUT the right wing sees our mostly progressive, healthy nation right next door as a threatening model.
Yes. I think that's true. Trump hates Canada because it's a functioning liberal democracy. He's also a bully.
Well, that and the come-hither looks Melania has given Justin...
I hear many Americans travel to Canada to purchase affordable pharmaceuticals. Maybe that's the sort of drugs flows that's Trump really hates.
Kind of like one of the reasons why the Kremlin hates Ukraine.
True.
He is a petulant child, and is mad that Canada and Mexico are both verbally defying him. He cannot allow this so he turns to retribution on anyone who opposes him. In other words, he is having a hissy fit and tantrum just as a child would do when they do not get their way.
Canada isn't even defying him. He hasn't asked for anything. He hints at crazy reasons: little fentanyl and "migrants" head south from here. Canada is making a show to solve the non-problem.
Meanwhile, a large percentage of gun crime in Canada involves guns illegally smuggled from the US.
Canada needs to build a wall and make America pay for it. Mexico needs to help build America's southern wall. Make America Small Again.
If I was Canada or Mexico I would impose tariffs on the US until it stopping the sending of guns across the borders.
The problem is that many guns are smuggled across the border. Still, it's a counter that is not heard enough: USA, stop that illegal traffic!
Professor — you left out that one of his largest megadonors, Jeff Yass, has a major stake in TikTok. Their meeting is likely the primary reason for President Trump flipping his position on banning the app after signing an executive order in his first term attempting to ban it. https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/jeff-yass-donald-trump-truth-social-pennsylvania-politics-20240322.html
Precisely,
China doesn’t play by the rules of the WTO
( world trade organization)
Trump doesn’t play by the rules of the US Constitution
A perfect match.
Isn't most of the fentanyl produced in China? While Trump goes on about Mexico and fentanyl a lot of it is brought into the United States by our own citizens. Would be nice if some day we here some factually based arguments out of Trump and his minions.
According to the Congressional Research people (if they still are employed today), most is made in labs in Mexico from precursor chemicals made in China.
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10400#:~:text=At%20present%2C%20most%20U.S.%2Ddestined,from%20certain%20countries%2C%20including%20China.
Thanks for the clarification.
No can do. That would be tantamount to confessing to a multitude of crimes.
I'm increasingly of the opinion Trump's ludicrous obsession with tariffs is mainly about money for the government: Trump really, actually thinks tariffs are a great tool to drive more revenue. Which he knows he needs if he is to simultaneously cut taxes, increase defense spending, and avoid inflation—especially as he's unwilling to touch Social Security and Medicare (and even if he were willing Congress isn't). So, he probably asked his people who our biggest trade partners (ie, targets for tariffs) are, and they told him Canada and Mexico.
The other part is his generally troglodytic views on trade. It seems clear he really is an unreformed mercantilist at heart: buying from foreigners is bad! Trump seems to think if we but tax imports with sufficient vigor, we'll enter a new golden age of prosperity and balanced budgets.
So, with respect to Canada, at least, the Fentanyl thing was just a ruse to justify his lunatic trade policies. The whole thing is bonkers. And as for going light on China? That's easy: Trump's a bully, and like all bullies he's afraid of picking on the strong. He figures hitting Mexico and Canada hard won't result in much blowback. I suspect he's about to find out he's wrong.
If you read Project 2025, neither SS or Medicare are sacrosanct, either from DT or GOP congresspersons
indeed, those are also major targets of Freedom Caucus types.
I did read it, and also did searches of the PDF. On what page do you see SS being at risk? I can’t find it, and only some references to raising the retirement age. Please provide the data for your comment. If it’s true I want to reread the document and need the pages referenced. Use the document page numbering not the PDF page numbering as they are different.
True.
We shouldn't underestimate his ignorance. I read that he ordered the Army Core of Engineers to release water from Central California dams to get water to LA. He doesn't understand there's a huge mountain range between them. The water that should be saved for farmers in the summer is/was being flushed out to the sea.
Massive ignorance is bipartisan. The billion dollar fund for a high speed rail from Bakersfield to Modesto is crazy. Again, there's a big mountain range between the central valley and the LA basin. Take a billion dollars and set up a Pacific coast bus line like Mega or Bolt bus that they have back east.
I hope so!
It seems obvious that these "coins" and Trump businesses are merely conduits to receive bribes. The FBI purges are designed to make sure that these things are never investigated. Our constitutional system depends on having people in government with principles and integrity is not equipped to deal with the obsequiousness of an entire political party to this kind of criminality.
Democrats and Democratic PACs need to file lawsuits. Lots of them. Then we need to unite around Democrats in the midterms. It's the only way to stop this.
The ACLU is suing over 4 issues already. Hopefully they will sue over more.
In the past, Trump's strategy was always to keep things tied up in court until his opponents ran out of money. I'm afraid he will keep signing executive orders until nobody can afford to sue any longer.
That is a real concern. What else can stop him?
I assume you mean short of assassination?
Exactly. The grift is always the answer to every question about what they do and why.
Including all of his shell businesses created for money laundering and tax evasion.
Trumps rationale for this massive tariff on Canada is incoherent, and based on lies.
It is perplexing to understand an irrational actor.
So be it. America is now an enemy nation.
The tariffs help Elon Musk by making cars from Ford, GM, etc. prohibitively expensive.
I would at that some Toyota and Honda models for the US market are built in Canada
I think Musk is sock puppetting Trump now. In his last press conference Trump said two things he hasn't really said before. One is that he wants everyone to work in the private sector. The other is that there is nothing any country can do about the tariffs. These seem to be fed to him by Musk.
So I think that it's President Musk and Press Secretary Trump.
I agree. However Musk can be sued. He is not immune to prosecution. I admit it will be hard because of Musk's money and power. However Democrats need to go after Musk with all they have. And when these tariffs tank the US economy, that needs to be widely shared especially in competitive districts for 2026 midterms
I still can’t escape the thought that Trump has serious designs on Canada for the purpose of annexation. He has often noted that “Canada has water” for instance. His rhetoric about making Canada the 51st state has been stated too many times for it to be considered mere trolling . And his continued talk about the US subsidizing Canada also underscores the idea that in Trump’s mind, Canada’s resources should be available for free.
What was reported here in Canada regarding yesterday’s announcements was that Trump said the 25% tariffs will likely go up. In my view, this suggests a severe shakedown attempt coming for Canada, something that you would indeed feel was consistent coming from a criminal mind. To that end, I won’t be surprised if Trump retaliates further almost immediately after the Canadian response is made official.
Military annexation of Panama, Greenland & Canada will become more likely the more obvious it is how much damage Trump’s policies are inflicting on the average US citizen. The military action then becomes the rallying cry for a new national project in an efforrt to divert attention /hide the catastrophic consequences of terrible policies. This is part of the Putin playbook developed from studying authoritarian governments over the past 400 years.
I'd like to think that the top brass and American public opinion would both turn against him if he actually tried to attack a fellow NATO nation.
Will it matter once he purges the military?
Maybe not. But as someone else pointed out Canada, unlike Mexico, is a predominantly white nation which is very difficult to 'otherise'. More likely he will try and ferment domestic unrest in Canada. Which is why is vital Canada says united and calls out any traitors who would sell out their nation.
Ukraine proved not too difficult to otherise by their Russian brothers and sisters.
I agree, and I feel it is about more than water, it is about control of northern shipping routes, mineral resources, agricultural land, and energy to run the power-hungry AI and crypto industries.