What's the end game here?
the craziest thing is that it’s not even very clear what Trump wants to happen. the fentanyl thing is obviously an excuse, the flow of Canadian fentanyl into the US is insignificant. so what does he want https://t.co/3ijwJUa0xr
— Armand Domalewski (@ArmandDoma) February 2, 2025
Trump doesn't want anything. He just want the tariffs. He's convinced they can raise vast sums of money that will let him enact tax cuts later this year, and he likes that. That's it. There's no theory of the case. There's no underlying rationale. There's no 4-D chess. He just wants the money, and he either doesn't know or doesn't care that he's raising it from Americans, not foreigners.
And why Canada, Mexico, and China? For the same reason Willie Sutton robbed banks: because that's where the money is. Those three countries account for nearly half of all US imports, so they're the ones that got held up.
There's no need to overthink this.
Yes, it’s all about his economically illiterate self wanting revenue for the government to finance tax cuts for the wealthy.
Trump really is shockingly bereft of knowledge regarding public policy. And he’s obviously impervious to appeals to sanity from his advisers, if they even dare point out his errors, which seems unlikely.
Wharton should revoke his degree -- unless they enjoy being embarrassed by association.
I'm sure Penn grads would welcome such a development.
I understand he graduated in the top 92% of his class.
i.e. He finished the bottom 10%.
So, there were 8% who were even dumber - or were they the ones they simply didn't finish the program? At least one of his Professors described him as the worst student he ever had.
Thanks! Made me laugh, on a day when there's not much to laugh about.
Well if they didn’t do it before, they certainly aren’t going to do it now. Not when Trump and his minions have control over things like “none of your students are getting their student loan money transmitted to Wharton anymore” and “it’s time for the IRS to audit your books, Wharton” and possibly even “the US government needs to eminent domain all your buildings and land, Wharton.” All with supine congress and court system that will do little to protect Wharton from the retribution.
I am no economic expert either, but if this is the plan, would I be wrong to think we would be better off if he cut taxes under the old trope that tax cuts will supercharge the economy rather than doing both tariffs and tax cuts?
(Though I tend to think the tariffs may have more with the idea that Trump wants others to grovel at his feet and tarriffs are one of the few things Presidents can do on their own pretty much.)
Yep, his been listening to Putin...
The nice trick, though, is how he’s imposing 25% tariffs on our hemispheric, democratic trading partners (one of which is a NATO ally), while the dictatorship across the Pacific only merits a 10% hit.
Like all bullies, Donald Trump isn’t too keen on the idea of taking on the strong. He perceives Mexico and Canada as being much less dangerous, for obvious reasons.
A couple other things. First, I think Trump is sensitive (for want of a better word) to being accused of "breaking promises." This is because his power hinges largely on having conned people into voting for him because "he says what he really thinks." So because he said he was going to impose tariffs, then By Satan he is going to impose tariffs. Second, it's another form of dominance over the rest of the GOP. Supposedly his new Treasury Secretary is a "normal" Republican, a guy from Wall Street who understands shit. SO do you think this newly minted SecTreas, who SURELY understands that these tariffs are economically nuts, is going to say what HE really thinks and join the ranks of former Trump officials who were humiliated in Trump's first term? Not a chance. So this way Trump has subjugated a guy who had (past tense) the respect of other GOP bankers and econs, and who now will rely on Trump to keep his job.
The 'normal' just violated the law and let Musk's guys access to the Treasury.
Meanwhile, Apartheid Clyde has seemingly taken over the Treasury vault: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/elon-musk-doge-treasury-access-federal-payments.html
Maybe we should be focusing on that instead of the tariffs. Not that the tariffs aren't bad and almost certainly illegal, but they pale compared to what looks like a slow motion coup.
I just wish I agreed with the “slow motion” part of your post. Because the coup seems to be happening pretty fast.
Yeah, I didn't really mean that. Used the wrong words. It's definitely happening quickly, but it's happening on the apparent sidelines instead of front and center.
Don't for get he FBI and DOJ. That is the most dangerous part.
Trump doesn't want anything. He just want the tariffs. He's convinced they can raise vast sums of money that will let him enact tax cuts later this year, and he likes that. That's it. There's no theory of the case. There's no underlying rationale. There's no 4-D chess. He just wants the money, and he either doesn't know or doesn't care that he's raising it from Americans, not foreigners.
Amen.
I don't think he cares about the revenue all that much. It certainly didn't bother him to blow a huge hole in the budget for his last tax cuts. Everyone knows that deficits only matter when Dems are in the White House.
I think the bigger factor is that Trump just has to be the big dog. This is a dominance display. Next thing you know he'll be peeing on the border stations.
I agree; what he wants is to look tough, and to get an outcome that he can spin as a win, because these impress the MAGAts.
"Dominance display"
That is correct but only partial description. it is also "moat building" (cld below), and distraction from his power grab in the FBI/DOJ and the rest of the federal administartion.
What he's doing is building a moat, cutting off those closest to the US, and within the US, from being able to challenge his dictatorship. It's a scorched Earth firebreak around his throne.
+1
He's throwing a hissy fit because people have told him that hisUSMCA was the result of his team getting hoodwinked by Canada and Mexico, resulting in the trade deficit growing with both countries.
His initial rhetoric re Greenland was because a billionaire friend told him about the mineral rights the US could gain. I bet if he were on TV, you would have seen an actual light bulb go on inside his head. When the Danes mocked and criticized the idea as stupid, it pissed him off. That's where his puny brain is stuck on, getting revenge on being insulted.
He ain't no strategic thinker. The dumbass only responds to what's dangled in front of his nose or to being insulted. He contradicts himself constantly because his brain is only capable of narrowly focusing in on what's right in front of him at the time. He didn't run for a second term because he wanted to lead; he ran because it was the only way he could avoid prison.
Mr. Lard Brain keeps nominating people he sees on TV. Why? Because he sees them on TV. He's the Fucktard of all Fucktards.
A person who thinks the MoCA test on cognitive decline is an IQ test is a dumbass. That's all there is to it.
THE CONVICTED FELON TRUMP IS A DUMBASS
+1
"You don't know anyone as stupid as Donald Trump. You just don't." --Fran Leibowitz.
If there is any strategy here it's to throw out as much chaff and smoke as possible to obscure the fact that a foreign born nazi and his private employees have just taken over large parts of the government.
No shots fired, no crisis response, not even any headlines really. It just happend and we will all move on pretending that it's just another week and nothing has changed. Let's focus on zany Old Man Donny and his tariffs, his flooding of California, his warnings of the DEIs and scary trans girls, etc....
+1
Power, money and a hotel in Moscow.
maybe Canada should kick out Murdoch businesses and tell the us to find another sucker?
I have read that Canada has their own problems with far right goons trying to take over the country.
Every country has far right goons, but Canada doesn't have nearly enough of them to be a factor. Canadians generally are pretty sensible.
The trade imbalance is called a deficit, therefore it must be bad, and by God, Trump's gonna fix it.
The guy is mafia. Straight up. One of the papers called it his "NY real estate business approach". 🙄. The guy is a kingpin and requires fidelity through kissing the ring and money. The tariffs are a shakedown to those who were not loyal enough to him. Watch and see who has their tariffs dropped first. It is always about him.
Mafia, NY real estate business - tomahto, tomato.
He wants military conquest of Canada and Mexico.
Seems possibly significant that these tariffs don't take effect until Tuesday. Means Monday day we see how the stock market reacts and Monday night Trump might reverse himself.
Guy loves being the center of attention. I wouldn't be surprised.
"And why Canada, Mexico, and China? For the same reason Willie Sutton robbed banks: because that's where the money is."
We have a perfect moron in the White House who operates on the Willie Sutton principle. If H.L. Mencken were around he would say that democracy has been perfected!
What is he's just a demented old narcissist who wants to wave his johnson around? Or he's merely the demented old narcissistic front man who's doing whatever the puppet master wants?
Canadian observers believe the Administration sees tariffs as a weapon in order to remake the world economy.
Trump is jealous of his buddy Vlad and wants desperately to add to the territory of the US. Remember those maps in US history that showed how the US grew over the course of history? Trump wants a new map with his name on it showing his conquests. He will get us into a shooting war with one of our allies over this. It is a guarantee at this point.
The rich don't derive their income from taxable wages. They are much more interested in wealth, which will be negatively affected by the tariffs.