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Trump / Musk (other than DOGE)

  • Thread starter Thread starter nycfan
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lawtig02 said:
It also makes sense in terms of shortening our supply chains, and minimizing reliance on China for basic products and services. But the fluffing of the Fuhrer makes it hard to take the good parts seriously.
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It would make a lot more sense if we weren't actively threatening and antagonizing the countries we're trying to use to shorten the supply chain.
 
StrangePackage said:
It would make a lot more sense if we weren't actively threatening and antagonizing the countries we're trying to use to shorten the supply chain.
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Completely agree. Which is what makes it classic Rubio. He knows very well how counterproductive Trump’s foreign policy agenda is. But he still can’t help but slurp the guy.
 
We could make everything we use in America. It would cost twice as much. But we could do it.
 
uncmba said:
We could make everything we use in America. It would cost twice as much. But we could do it.
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I recognize that you're not advocating closing up shop, but there are important raw materials that we have to import - lithium, uranium, titanium and heavy crude among others.

There also is a large quality cost to productivity - over time, our goods will become less advanced and competitive if our manufacturers don't have to compete globally.
 

Venezuela Agrees to Accept Migrants in Deal Paving Way for Deportations, Trump Says​

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country’s economic conditions and repression in recent years​



“… The deal was negotiated with Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro by Trump adviser Richard Grenell, who made a rare visit by a U.S. official to the capital, Caracas, on Friday. Grenell returned to the U.S. Friday evening with six Americans who had been detained in Venezuelan prisons.

… The agreement will help Trump deliver on a campaign promise to deport millions of immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization. Accepting deportees is a reversal for Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro who has long refused to allow deportation planes from the U.S., where more than 600,000 Venezuelans had migrated in recent years and received special protected status allowing them to work temporarily.

… Earlier this week, the Trump administration revoked a Biden-era decision that extended this status, meaning Venezuelans could be eligible for deportation as soon as April.

No financial or other concessions were promised to Maduro, apart from the prospect of improving the relationship with the U.S., Grenell said. …”

——
A lot of these people were fleeing Maduro, who by the way retained power in an effective coup after losing the last election — returning some of them to Maduro may well be signing their death warrants at the hands of the Maduro regime, but we may never know for sure as no doubt enemies of Maduro will be labeled as Tren de Aragua before being disappeared…

So the Trump Administration is doing business with an anti democratic left wing authoritarian and legitimizing his illegitimate retention of power.
 
Continued

“… Grenell’s visit helps Maduro claim legitimacy, even as most governments in the region don’t recognize him and he faces U.S. federal indictments on charges of drug trafficking and corruption. His office heavily publicized the meeting with Grenell, releasing photos of them shaking hands and smiling.

Around eight million Venezuelans have fled the country’s economic turmoil and political repression in recent years. …”
 
nycfan said:

Venezuela Agrees to Accept Migrants in Deal Paving Way for Deportations, Trump Says​

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country’s economic conditions and repression in recent years​



“… The deal was negotiated with Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro by Trump adviser Richard Grenell, who made a rare visit by a U.S. official to the capital, Caracas, on Friday. Grenell returned to the U.S. Friday evening with six Americans who had been detained in Venezuelan prisons.

… The agreement will help Trump deliver on a campaign promise to deport millions of immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization. Accepting deportees is a reversal for Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro who has long refused to allow deportation planes from the U.S., where more than 600,000 Venezuelans had migrated in recent years and received special protected status allowing them to work temporarily.

… Earlier this week, the Trump administration revoked a Biden-era decision that extended this status, meaning Venezuelans could be eligible for deportation as soon as April.

No financial or other concessions were promised to Maduro, apart from the prospect of improving the relationship with the U.S., Grenell said. …”

——
A lot of these people were fleeing Maduro, who by the way retained power in an effective coup after losing the last election — returning some of them to Maduro may well be signing their death warrants at the hands of the Maduro regime, but we may never know for sure as no doubt enemies of Maduro will be labeled as Tren de Aragua before being disappeared…

So the Trump Administration is doing business with an anti democratic left wing authoritarian and legitimizing his illegitimate retention of power.
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I bet the American citizens of Venezuelan heritage didn’t expect Trump to cooperate with a leftist dictator like Maduro or to ship their Venezuelan cousins back into Maduro’s hands.

FAFO.
 
Well Trump did what he said and attacked the US's greatest ally.

25% on all goods except energy which is 10%.

At this point Canada should just withhold petroleum/ uranium sales to the US. If Trump is goign to show that energy is a weak spot, then don't let him have any of it.
 
Trump is delivering on a campaign promise to seek retribution from countries he claims are "ripping off" the U.S.

By doing so, he is ignoring data that indicates the Canada-U.S. trade deficit is largely driven by American demand for cheaper Canadian oil. When oil exports are excluded, the Americans actually have a trade surplus with Canada, according to Canadian government data.

Trump has cited wildly inaccurate trade deficit figures in the past, claiming at different times it's anywhere from $100 billion to $200 billion. The U.S. government's own data suggests the trade in goods deficit with Canada was $55 billion US as of November 2024.

Trump has also said the tariffs are to punish Canada for being lax on drugs and migrants even as the U.S. government's figures show less than one per cent of fentanyl and illegal migrants are coming from this country.

Figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show the agency seized just 19.5 kilograms of fentanyl at the northern border last year, compared to a whopping 9,570 kilograms at the southwestern one.

CBP data shows the number of people sneaking over the border into the U.S. last year was 24,000, a drop in the bucket compared to the surge coming in from Mexico.

The president teased for weeks that if Canada did more to crack down on the border, the country might get a reprieve from his trade actions.

The Canadian government delivered a billion-dollar border plan, but it wasn't enough. Trump said Friday there was nothing Canada could do to avoid the tariffs.
 
If Canada really wants to eff with us, they can just put tariffs on toilet paper and wood pulp...Americans will empty the shelves at Costco and lose their minds.
 
TarSpiel said:
If Canada really wants to eff with us, they can just put tariffs on toilet paper and wood pulp...Americans will empty the shelves at Costco and lose their minds.
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That would require an export tax, not a tariff. But yes, they could do that. Or they could close their oil pipes.
 
uncmba said:
We could make everything we use in America. It would cost twice as much. But we could do it.
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Define "make". Are you one of those who believe the Made in America bs from car companies and many others? Assembling bits and pieces most of which come from other countries is not made in Amurica. Can we mine all the minerals needed here in the USA? Doubt it. We could cobceivably wean our tit from this country or that over time? Yes. And in a sense bring some manufacturing back to our protective cover.

But let's not fool ourselves. It's a global supply chain in today's world.
 


“… Trump declared an economic emergency in order to place duties of 10% on all imports from China and 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada — America’s largest trading partners — except for a 10% rate on Canadian energy, including oil, natural gas and electricity. The tariffs would go into effect on Tuesday, setting a showdown in North America that could potentially sabotage economic growth.

A senior administration official, insisting on anonymity to brief reporters, said the lower rate on energy reflected a desire to minimize any disruptive increases on the price of gasoline or utilities. That’s a sign the White House understood as outside economists have warned that the import taxes if sustained could dramatically increase inflation, a possible problem for Trump as he promised to tame inflation after public unhappiness with price spikes under former President Joe Biden.

… The order signed by Trump contained no mechanism for granting exceptions, the official said, a possible blow to homebuilders who rely on Canadian lumber as well as farmers, automakers and other industries.

… The White House said Trump’s order also includes a mechanism to escalate the rates if the countries retaliate against the U.S., as they have threatened. Both Canada and Mexico have plans, if needed, to impose their own tariffs in response. …”
 


“
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave representatives of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency full access to the federal payment system late on Friday, according to three people familiar with the change, handing Elon Musk and the team he is leading a powerful tool to monitor and potentially limit government spending.

The new authority follows a standoff this week with a top Treasury official who had resisted allowing Mr. Musk’s lieutenants into the department’s payment system, which sends out money on behalf of the entire federal government. The official, a career civil servant named David Lebryk, was put on leave and then suddenly retired on Friday after the dispute, according to people familiar with his exit.

The system could give the Trump administration another mechanism to attempt to unilaterally restrict disbursement of money approved for specific purposes by Congress, a push that has faced legal roadblocks.

Mr. Musk, who has been given wide latitude by President Trump to find ways to slash government spending, has recently fixated on Treasury’s payment processes, criticizing the department in a social media post on Saturday for not rejecting more payments as fraudulent or improper. …”
 
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