He is using tariffs like he’s used every other l er of power he has—to hold people hostage until they bend the knee and agree to whatever he wants. Unfortunately for us it’s not clear that he wants the America we all know and love to exist anymore. He wants to go back to a time when robber barons owned the country and kids died of preventable diseases and malnutrition on the regular. He’s literally saying he wants another Guilded Age. Read up about what that period of time was like for the vast majority of Americans and you’ll see the problem.

Anonymous wrote:One reason I haven’t heard for why Trump imposed the tariffs is that he simply wants a regressive tax. Republicans have moaned for years that a progressive tax system is unfair to the rich and we should have a flat tax. Well, the tariffs are a tax on the poor and middle class so any tax breaks they get compared to the upper bracket just got wiped out.

Headlines should be reading “Trump taxes the poor to finance extension of his tax cut on the rich”.

Sales taxes are progressive. Consume more pay more taxes. Added benefit indirect subsidy of local businesses.

There’s not much to protect in manufacturing. For example, The vast majority of Toys and clothing havent been made in the U.S. since the 1970’s

I was at Costco today and overheard the security guy and a Costco rep talking about “how cheap stocks and bit coin are”. I wonder if we are going to get a pop in the market Monday.

My personal thought is that Trump wants to raise money without calling it a tax increase. The tariff increases are clearly going to make the middle class and poor spend more. It’s a regressive tax pushed onto them through tariffs. The Republican dream of a flat tax.
Factories aren’t going to open up here but it will certainly force buyers to negotiate hard and force down prices on manufacturers overseas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best answer is Trump is a total moron who doesn’t understand tariffs. He is tanking the economy and his dumb followers support it.

He thinks the economy will come back better and stronger after he's tanked it. It's like the pandemic of 2020, except on purpose. Sad!

No he doesn't, but he knows he will be in power to the day he dies with no repercussion.

I hate the arrogance of this administration. They assume that they know as much people who've dedicated their lives to creating appropriate and effective policies.

1) If he keeps tariffs in place, they are a regressive tax and can raise as much as $6 trillion, according to Navarro. 2) If they stay in place, they act as an incentive for businesses to move production to the U.S. (which wouldn’t work for a litany of other reasons). 3) If he plans to rescind them, they are a bargaining tool to reduce other countries’ tariffs and promote free trade. Or 4) he wants corporations and nations to grovel and supplicate personally at his feet.

There is no way to accomplish all four, and accomplishing 1) or 2) is nearly impossible. 3) is at odds with trump’s seemingly only core belief that has unchanged over the past 30 years - this guy believes in isolationism and protectionism. So I think it’s 4).

Yes, quite sinple. So that might be good for the grocery stores. I’m not clear how having much less disposable income to spend will be good for anyone else. Many people won’t be trading up, shopping for fun, or purchasing anything beyond essentials.

Anonymous wrote:The best answer is Trump is a total moron who doesn’t understand tariffs. He is tanking the economy and his dumb followers support it.

He thinks the economy will come back better and stronger after he's tanked it. It's like the pandemic of 2020, except on purpose. Sad!

Anonymous wrote:Yes, for sure. It’s sinple. Just another way to enrich his friends. Like eroding their ability to borrow money against their equity assets. It’s all part of an elaborate plan.

Great find OP!

+ 1.

All this talk about the tariffs being a “negotiating tactic” ignores the obvious: he’s tanked the global economy in the process.

Yeah, brilliant. Of course, this is par for the course when you’re talking about a “brilliant business man” who went bankrupt running casinos.

Anonymous wrote:The best answer is Trump is a total moron who doesn’t understand tariffs. He is tanking the economy and his dumb followers support it.

Trump may be a moron that doesn't understand tariffs, but he is surrounded by people that know very well what they are doing. This is a wealth transfer. When this is done, if you're lucky enough to have a job, you'll experience a kind of wage slavery we've only read about in our history books, and we're all going to experience/witness a kind of poverty that traumatized a generation during the depression. Hope everyone is working to perfect their gruel recipes!

The best answer is Trump is a total moron who doesn’t understand tariffs. He is tanking the economy and his dumb followers support it.

Yes, for sure. It’s sinple. Just another way to enrich his friends. Like eroding their ability to borrow money against their equity assets. It’s all part of an elaborate plan.

Great find OP!

One reason I haven’t heard for why Trump imposed the tariffs is that he simply wants a regressive tax. Republicans have moaned for years that a progressive tax system is unfair to the rich and we should have a flat tax. Well, the tariffs are a tax on the poor and middle class so any tax breaks they get compared to the upper bracket just got wiped out.

Headlines should be reading “Trump taxes the poor to finance extension of his tax cut on the rich”.