Tariffs Catch-All

  • Thread starter Thread starter BubbaOtis
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies: 2K
  • Views: 26K
  • Politics 

Well then tell us how your orange god is helping the economy. Prices are up, predictions as high as 60% that we end up in a recession, trade suffering, uncertainty and his stupid unnecessary trade war are all hurting the econ I my and the markets. He's hurting both the material and labor supply for housing, as well as his uncertainty is making the federal cautious about rate changes, at a time when housing is a considerable problem in America.

So tell us how he's helping the economy?

You keep sniffing that shit filled jock of his and telling us it smells like roses, the rest of us will continue to look at reality.
 
Last edited:

China Wanted to Negotiate With Trump. Now It’s Arming for Another Trade War.​

Communication between Washington and Beijing is at a standstill, raising the prospects of a long cycle of tariff retaliation. ‘Trump and Xi are locked in a paradox of pressure and pride.’​


GIFT LINK 🎁 —> https://www.wsj.com/world/china/chi...93?st=QBovro&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink


“…The lack of communication between the two sides shows no signs of letting up. What lies ahead is likely to be a cycle of tit-for-tat retaliation, making it hard to even start negotiations in the near term.


Beijing had been cautiously optimistic in the Trump administration’s first days. Xi Jinping dispatched a top envoy to attend Trump’s inauguration, a move that was seen as an opening for fruitful communication. While Trump had threatened to hit China with tariffs when campaigning for president, he held off on Day One. His only mention of China in his inaugural speech, about wresting the Panama Canal from Chinese control, raised no alarms.

Trump had indicated that he was open to a deal with China, and Beijing hoped to explore one centered on what China was willing to offer, such as more Chinese purchases of American products and more Chinese investment in the U.S.

But in the following weeks, wherever senior Chinese officials tried to engage the new administration, they found only closed doors.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi sought a meeting with Trump’s national-security adviser Mike Waltz in February while he was in the U.S. for a United Nations meeting, according to people who consult with senior Chinese officials.

Wang, who had hoped to revive a line of communication he had had with Waltz’s predecessor, Jake Sullivan, got nowhere with the Trump team. …”

——
Waltz keeps showing up in the most unflattering stories …
 
“… The full-blown trade war during Trump’s first term had strengthened Xi’s resolve to fortify China against a new Trump-like assault. And yet, in the absence of contacts with the Trump team, Washington’s most formidable adversary settled on a wait-and-see approach.

… Then came the shock of the extra 34% tariffs Trump slapped on China on Wednesday. That brings the average U.S. import levies on Chinese products to 76%, figuring in the previous 20% tariffs and levies that predate Trump’s second term, according to Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics—more than 20 times what it was before Trump launched his first trade war against China in 2018.

“That amounts to a declaration of ‘strategic decoupling’ with China,” said a senior economist in Beijing, using a term from Trump’s first-term trade czar, Robert Lighthizer. “Can we find a pathway toward negotiations under such maximum pressure? The lack of communication between the two sides might make it difficult.”

… Some foreign-policy and trade analysts say Beijing was smart to wait it out as Trump has also significantly bumped up import levies on traditional allies and other big trading partners, raising the specter of a global backlash against the U.S. that could benefit China.

… If Xi engages too soon, Singleton said, he risks looking weak.


The current Chinese ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, has tried in vain to engage with Trump adviser Elon Musk, according to the people who consult with Chinese officials. Beijing had hoped that Musk, whose company Tesla makes half its electric vehicles in China, could help counterbalance the China hard-liners on Trump’s team.

Other U.S. business leaders, such as Wall Street financiers that Chinese leaders have often turned to in periods of trouble, now see little upside in acting as a go-between for Beijing. “Who wants that role?” said a senior American executive. “No one.” …”
 
“… The full-blown trade war during Trump’s first term had strengthened Xi’s resolve to fortify China against a new Trump-like assault. And yet, in the absence of contacts with the Trump team, Washington’s most formidable adversary settled on a wait-and-see approach.

… Then came the shock of the extra 34% tariffs Trump slapped on China on Wednesday. That brings the average U.S. import levies on Chinese products to 76%, figuring in the previous 20% tariffs and levies that predate Trump’s second term, according to Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics—more than 20 times what it was before Trump launched his first trade war against China in 2018.

“That amounts to a declaration of ‘strategic decoupling’ with China,” said a senior economist in Beijing, using a term from Trump’s first-term trade czar, Robert Lighthizer. “Can we find a pathway toward negotiations under such maximum pressure? The lack of communication between the two sides might make it difficult.”

… Some foreign-policy and trade analysts say Beijing was smart to wait it out as Trump has also significantly bumped up import levies on traditional allies and other big trading partners, raising the specter of a global backlash against the U.S. that could benefit China.

… If Xi engages too soon, Singleton said, he risks looking weak.


The current Chinese ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, has tried in vain to engage with Trump adviser Elon Musk, according to the people who consult with Chinese officials. Beijing had hoped that Musk, whose company Tesla makes half its electric vehicles in China, could help counterbalance the China hard-liners on Trump’s team.

Other U.S. business leaders, such as Wall Street financiers that Chinese leaders have often turned to in periods of trouble, now see little upside in acting as a go-between for Beijing. “Who wants that role?” said a senior American executive. “No one.” …”
“… For now, whoever is in the driver’s seat of U.S.-China relations, it’s not Beijing.“
 
The current Chinese ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, has tried in vain to engage with Trump adviser Elon Musk, according to the people who consult with Chinese officials. Beijing had hoped that Musk, whose company Tesla makes half its electric vehicles in China, could help counterbalance the China hard-liners on Trump’s team.

Other U.S. business leaders, such as Wall Street financiers that Chinese leaders have often turned to in periods of trouble, now see little upside in acting as a go-between for Beijing. “Who wants that role?” said a senior American executive. “No one.” …”

Musk Says He Hopes Europe and U.S. Move to a ‘Zero-Tariff Situation’​

The billionaire adviser to the Trump administration appeared to part ways with the president in a videoconference appearance with Italy’s far-right League party.


——

“A battle Elon won’t win”: Musk takes on Trump’s trade guru Peter Navarro​



“… Musk, who has largely stayed out of the growing debate over Trump’s decision to go all-in on tariffs, responded early Saturday morning to a post from an X user praising Navarro, a longtime Trump aide and key architect of the president’s tariff announcement.

The Tesla co-founder argued that “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing,” adding that Navarro hadn’t “built shit.” …”
 
Ah I remember it well. --- With the Dow currently at 44,451, it would take a 12.5% run-up for it to reach 50,000. Considering the slower-moving nature of this old, stodgy index, that's probably a ways off.Feb 12, 2025
 
“… The full-blown trade war during Trump’s first term had strengthened Xi’s resolve to fortify China against a new Trump-like assault. And yet, in the absence of contacts with the Trump team, Washington’s most formidable adversary settled on a wait-and-see approach.

… Then came the shock of the extra 34% tariffs Trump slapped on China on Wednesday. That brings the average U.S. import levies on Chinese products to 76%, figuring in the previous 20% tariffs and levies that predate Trump’s second term, according to Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics—more than 20 times what it was before Trump launched his first trade war against China in 2018.

“That amounts to a declaration of ‘strategic decoupling’ with China,” said a senior economist in Beijing, using a term from Trump’s first-term trade czar, Robert Lighthizer. “Can we find a pathway toward negotiations under such maximum pressure? The lack of communication between the two sides might make it difficult.”

… Some foreign-policy and trade analysts say Beijing was smart to wait it out as Trump has also significantly bumped up import levies on traditional allies and other big trading partners, raising the specter of a global backlash against the U.S. that could benefit China.

… If Xi engages too soon, Singleton said, he risks looking weak.


The current Chinese ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, has tried in vain to engage with Trump adviser Elon Musk, according to the people who consult with Chinese officials. Beijing had hoped that Musk, whose company Tesla makes half its electric vehicles in China, could help counterbalance the China hard-liners on Trump’s team.

Other U.S. business leaders, such as Wall Street financiers that Chinese leaders have often turned to in periods of trouble, now see little upside in acting as a go-between for Beijing. “Who wants that role?” said a senior American executive. “No one.” …”
Seems it would be easy for the Chinese government to seize Tesla factories in China and just gift them to BYD.
 
Seems it would be easy for the Chinese government to seize Tesla factories in China and just gift them to BYD.
China rarely seizes assets. It would be real red line for foreign investment. The USA isn't the only foreign investment player in China - so it's doubtful they would seize Tesla's factory.

They might levy hefty fines and make operating the factory more expensive by revoking certain tax benefits. They could also levy special taxes on Tesla vehicles exported out of this factory. Tesla sells a decent amount of vehicles throughout Asia assembled in China. These could become significantly more expensive via export tariffs.
 

These are the consequences of the Pubs living in an alternate reality, fed by both their dishonest media sources and their unfailingly dishonest politicians. What Trump is doing makes no sense whatsoever in the real world. But when you’ve truly come to believe our economy was in the crapper and we were being taken advantage of by the rest of the world, you can get behind almost anything.
 

Here’s the iPhone. Here’s the iPhone With Tariffs.​

This is what Apple pays for components inside its bestselling phone, and how Trump’s China tariffs could raise the bill​


GIFT LINK GIFT 🎁 —>https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-t...a3?st=A78kDR&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink

IMG_6162.jpeg

IMG_6163.jpeg

“… How much would an iPhone cost if Apple were forced to make it in America?

In the $30,000 to $100,000 range… and no this is not a typo.


In fact, if Apple were forced to solely manufacture the iPhone in America, there is a good argument that it would not be able to manufacture any at all. And if they could somehow successfully make the manufacturing transition, capacity would likely be constrained to a just a few million units a year.

The issue here is not really about differences in the cost of labor. It is more about the supply chain and it is mostly about differences in the necessary skills required to manufacture hundreds of millions of iPhones at high-quality to satisfy current market demand.


As Apple CEO Tim Cook points out in a recent interview [1], the U.S. is sorely lacking in certain critical skills required in the manufacturing supply chain. One of these skills is precision tooling and specifically, tooling engineers.

… Tooling engineering is a highly skilled position that requires years of training and experience. It is an “analog” type skill that combines artisanal craftsmanship with precision engineering skills. And as Mr. Cook alludes to later in the talk, the Chinese have developed and scaled these skills over the last three decades while the U.S. and other countries have gone the other direction and de-emphasized them …

IMG_6167.jpeg
 

President Trump’s Tariff Formula Makes No Economic Sense. It’s Also Based on an Error.​



IMG_6168.jpeg
IMG_6169.jpeg
“… Now, our view is that the formula the administration relied on has no foundation in either economic theory or trade law. But if we are going to pretend that it is a sound basis for US trade policy, we should at least be allowed to expect that the relevant White House officials do their calculations carefully. Hopefully they will correct their mistake soon: the resulting trade liberalization would provide a much-needed boost to the economy and may yet help us stave off a recession.

IMG_6170.jpegIMG_6171.jpeg


…”
 

President Trump’s Tariff Formula Makes No Economic Sense. It’s Also Based on an Error.​



IMG_6168.jpeg
IMG_6169.jpeg
“… Now, our view is that the formula the administration relied on has no foundation in either economic theory or trade law. But if we are going to pretend that it is a sound basis for US trade policy, we should at least be allowed to expect that the relevant White House officials do their calculations carefully. Hopefully they will correct their mistake soon: the resulting trade liberalization would provide a much-needed boost to the economy and may yet help us stave off a recession.

IMG_6170.jpegIMG_6171.jpeg


…”
 




“BESSENT: Most Americans who have put away for years in their savings accounts don't look at the day to day fluctuations of what's happening”

——

That is generally true for many people but people tend to check during sudden sell-offs.
 
Back
Top