“But if we lose those Chinese and Mexican markets, it will be hard to get them back,”
These markets will be much, much easier to get back than the clean air and water that Mr. Scott approves of undermining.
10
These people knowingly voted for someone who hardly paid his bills, who stiffed his partners, and filed for bankruptcy four times. What did you expect?
17
Only an ignorant person would think that Mr. Trump's broad approach to tariffs would be good for all industries. One need not know much about economics to understand that higher prices usually mean fewer sales and, often, lost jobs as well. We will also see lower foreign investment in our country as consumers are squeezed.
I predict that many more who voted for Trump will be unhappy with these tariffs as they take effect. I take no pleasure in that, because often they are the ones most in need of relief from higher prices. I can only hope that they will then understand that Mr. Trump has no notion of what he is doing with his claims of unfair trade practices in most cases.
11
“Man, you are messing up our market.”
Does it occur to any of these folks that he is messing up their market on purpose? That he’s not totally incompetent? That his intention is to weaken the American economy? Would anybody be surprised by that? Who, after all, put him in office, and whom is he helping? Cui bono, as the lawyers say. And he’s getting away with it because everybody is afraid to say it. Yes, of course, that’s all ridiculous because in fact he doesn’t owe anybody anything. Sure. If Barnum were around he wouldn’t say there was a sucker born every minute. Looking at Trump’s followers, he would say every second.
16
I keep reading about people who voted for trump who are upset with his trade policies. It’s hard for me to have much sympathy; he’s doing exactly what he campaigned on in regards to trade. What did they expect?
12
Follow the money … who benefits financially from Trump’s policies … who possesses the savvy and know-how to publish his tax records and those of his family and associated … who can effectively unravel his monied links to foreign governments and business interests.
Way above my pay grade and knowledge, skills, and abilities.
6
Be careful what you vote for you just might get it!
It’s good to see the people and industries that supported DJT get burned. It hurts all of us possibly but it is the only way some learn.
The only way to truly understand the incompetence of DJT is to feel it- in your wallet!
The majority of voters did not even vote for DJT. It’s no surprise he is as much a failure in politics as he has been in business.
Resist and vote.
15
All of us will feel the pain of the toddler trade wars.
4
“A lot of these groups benefit from broader policies — all these groups benefit from the tax cut and regulatory relief.” So what groups are going to benefit? I get it...I’m sure the person, and their families, losing, or never getting, that $28 hr. job (or a soybean farmer) (or an auto worker) (etc.) will be overjoyed with these tariff policies and the tax benefits provided to the fat cats that pull 45’s strings! Why some of these same working people still place their hope and trust in 45 while he throws them under bus blows my mind. I can only hope that by 2020 some of them recover their sanity.
11
’Mr. Scott voted for Mr. Trump, and he approves of administration efforts to roll back environmental regulations...’
Let his business be punished - Trump is doing what everyone expected him to do. It’s karma that people who helps destroy the global environment are being punished economically.
18
Good. I hope it hurts them terribly and when they come running and asking for help they should be told no.
10
Trump may as well used the well-worn cliché, "Hi, I'm from the government and I'm here to help you." However, he may be incapable of even such a cliché.
If I'm supposed to feel sorrow for all of these people, it's back-firing, folks. Every single one of you who voted for Trump is getting exactly what you deserve. You won't get any pity from me; maybe you can still redeem yourself by joining the Resistance . . . give it some thought.
21
This does not surprise me . Trump is a GOP and a careless one. In 1932 Smoot and Hawley were GOP congressmen who stirred up trouble for our allies and business by creating tariffs. They were kicked out of office the next year. Since 1945 there has been a GOP induced recession in every one of there administrations. Last week Wall Street said Trumps is on the way. Why the GOP supporters can't see how much of a failure their leaders truly are is sad. Now you know how bad they are so stop voting for failures.
12
Pure incompetence!
3
The Supreme Leader is pleased! Trump now finally gets to use the phone booth for what it was built for - daily check-ins with Putin.
6
Does anyone, especially the people that voted for this clown, need another scintilla of evidence that he has no idea what he's doing?
3
Trump is an oligarch and does not care about the harm his ruthless decisions cause. He is a Putin wannabe. The more his outrageous pronouncements and lies are accepted, the more dangerous he becomes. The checks and balances that the three branches of government employ are being systematically reduced by Trump, leaving no challenge to his obscene rule. P.F. Sloan's "Eve of Destruction" comes to mind.
3
What did anyone expect? The man is a lier and a con man. Is anyone surprised he's taking this country for a ride. But don't worry, Trump and his family are making lots of money.
13
What a sad joke. So it turns out the traitor's "pledges" are just more lies? Is anyone surprised, even the most rigidly supine supporters of this incompetent fake president?
If Congress would exercise their actual power (I realize how dumb that sounds), directly refuting claims of "national security", and interjecting reason into this tariff war, we might be able to get out of this mess relatively whole. The traitor has so damaged relationships with our ex-friends, that he's seen as a very dangerous clown on the international stage, not anyone to be admired or courted. Disgusting, depressing, shameful. He's taken the joy out of this country.
17
I would like to tell the people who voted for the president, "Man, you sure got fooled by a swindler. Have you figured that out yet because you sure messed up our country!"
7
Trump`s Policy Decisions Undermine the Industries He Pledged to Help
My first reaction is, put a moron in charge and what else do you expect?
More diplomatically...
Lets be honest with ourselves. Everything Trump has done is what he promised he`d do. Why is everybody so surprised?
9
The Trump cultists will be told they are being saved from "socialism," and they will nod in obedience. Chumps!
5
what a suprise...not!
1
Trump, man ,you are messing up our lives!
1
Why are they frustrated? They voted for a liar and bad businessman. Everyone paying any attention at all knew this guy was a charlatan and a scoundrel, a poor business thinker who wasted the money his father left him so that he had far less than he started with AND thus left him open to taking money from the Russian mob perhaps or at least Russians. He's a cheat and a liar. And, I have no sympathy for anyone at all who voted for him. Hope they suffer.
14
Unfortunately, all American will suffer, not just those who voted for Trump!
1
Problem: Anyone who was dumb enough to be part of the cult that elected this monster is too dumb to know what’s hitting them now and in the future. They will never put the blame where it belongs - on the cult and the cult leader.
13
Many of his supporters knew they were electing a liar and cheat, but now they are discovering that they elected an incompetent liar and chief. Anyone who seriously vetted Trump is not surprised by this. Trump is seriously demented. Erich Fromm in his book The Sane Society, wrote that "Nationalism is our form of incest, is our idolatry, is our insanity. 'Patriotism' is its cult. It should hardly be necessary to say, that by 'patriotism' I mean that attitude which puts one's own nation above humanity, above the principles of truth and justice; not the loving interest in one's own nation, which is the concern with the nation's spiritual as much as with its material welfare - never with its power over other nations. Just as love for one individual which excludes the love for others is not love, love for one's country which is not part of one's love for humanity is not love, but idolatrous worship." Donald Trump is mentally and spiritually unfit to be a leader of the free world.
15
UTBG wrote:
"Where Bill Clinton's catch phrase was, "It's the economy, stupid", for Trump and the Republicans it is, "It's the culture wars, stupid"."
Actually the Repubs mantra is just "We're Stupid"
5
Put a monkey in a china shop, hand him a baseball bat, and tell him to swing free. Results? Something is going to get broken. A lot of stuff is going to get broken, smashed to bits. For those of you who voted for this incompetent imbecile, what did you think would happen with him at the helm? I would much prefer "Low Energy" Bush than "No Brains" Trump as POTUS any day.
24
I hope Trump nation likes the consequences, while I don't want to see a trade war and see people hurt, I want them to realize that their simple notions of economics don't work, that Donny the Brawler isn't going to bring jobs back to the USA by waving his fists and yelling, and that likely many more jobs will be lost due to his stupid moves then will be gained. With Aluminum and Steel companies they already have jacked up prices, and I am sure their quarterly reports are gonna look great, but anyone want to bet they hire very few new workers, and that worker raises there don't go up? Probably won't matter, because if newspapers and such report that the tariffs only fattened the pockets of executives and stockholders, the idiots will call it "Fake News", all the while complaining that they, cousin Ernie, Bobby Joe and the like can't seem to find decent jobs.
12
All the business leaders who voted for this con-man get what you deserve. Sorry, no sympathy from me.
4
There is a sucker born every minute. On Election Day 2016 there were a lot of sucker births recorded.
Too bad on those who couldn’t see this coming.
I pray the vail is lifted soon.
1
Elect a fraud, get horrible policies
8
The Times must be taking it easy on Trump. Here he is only accused of undermining some companies. A week or so ago he was trying to destroy the West (that was the actual headline). That's progress.
The cost of believing a chronic liar is beginning to show. Lots more to come.
6
"The only constituency the president is looking out for is the American people,” Mr. Shah said."
We'll see how well looked after the American people feel when the price of food, new cars, auto repairs, energy, and manufactured goods rises.
1
You know trade wars are easy.
Chancellor Trump told me so.
That's because sorghum is only available from US farmers.
Soybeans can only be purchased from American farmers.
American dead pigs are the best dead pigs in the world.
Trade wars are EASY!!!
time for a massive military victory parade!!
Unintended consequences are what happen when your "advisors" are actually minions, and your knowledge of the subject is minimal and false. But our hearts and prayers are with you...
I sincerely hope that EVERY Trump supporter has their life destroyed by his policies. Not that it will teach them a lesson, but it will be satisfying seeing them homeless and penniless without any safety net whatsoever and dying because they can't afford a doctor as a direct result of the policies they supported. #Darwin #ButHerEmails
5
You know trade wars are easy.
Chancellor Trump told me so.
That's because sorghum is only available from US farmers.
Soybeans can only be purchased from American farmers.
American dead pigs are the best dead pigs in the world.
Trade wars are EASY!!!
3
The only way that the toxic Kool-Aid, aka the current
disaster masquerading as an administration, can convince
a sufficiently large part of the cult's followers that they better
start getting their head around a different reality is for them
to get hit fairly, squarely, and fully in their pocketbook by the fallout from
these tariffs. That is the only way they might learn a lesson to
apply for the future. Nothing else seems to work. And if
will take a recession then so be it.
And when il duce starts blaming everyone else, I expect
there to be a sustained effort made to show how big and idiotic a lie that really is.
If you voted for Trump, why is this a surprise?
Many are cheering and taking apologist postures along with deflection in feeble attempts to defend the grifter who at this point in time has enacted policies that can't be defended.
Perhaps Trump is the smart one in getting his supporters to buy into policy that may cost them money or jobs, or both in the near term?
The White House has done a fine job of pitting one constituency against another in nearly every facet of American life. Whether it be race vs race, party vs party, religion, ideology or geographical lines, trump has done nothing to heal the growing fissures. In fact he’s given more Americans the temerity to publicly display their most selfish and disgraceful traits.
Businesses cannot hide either. Whether railing against the free press, hurting one industry to prop another or his ongoing quixotic obsession with Amazon, at some point all of America will be centered in his callous crosshairs. It’s “my way or the highway” in the current admin.
Even if it’s the highway to hell.
If you’re an American willing to receive benefit from his “sees only one chess move ahead” policies, while others are left scrambling, what does that say about you?
2
The giants of soybeans and aluminum (etc.) got precisely what they voted for. Most researched the candidate and found a remark of a since-deceased professor of the Wharton School - from where, Mr. Trump earned a BS in economics - both telling and foreboding. That professor said of Mr. Trump, that he was "the dumbest student he ever had in his teaching career." It's difficult to run gambling casinos into ruin and bankruptcy, or file bankruptcy x6, if you know what you're doing. Mr. Trump's personal history with vendors started and remained dark and dirty through his stellar business career. He ruined many, requiring they rack up legal fees in excess of what he agreed to pay for their services. Even a casual look at his presidency finds all-talk, storm'n'drama, decrees, but actions than cripple his fan base, who haven't yet felt themselves strangled: but certainly will. His business acumen and "plan" is as flawed, untruthful, and impulsive as every word out of his mouth. In the classic behavior of sociopaths, he causes problems and then reassures listeners that he (he alone!) can fix the mess. They're not to worry, he reassures them. "I will take care of you," are definitely the actions and words of a sociopath. You can't whine now, Voters: you got who you wanted and what you wanted to hear: an accomplished, lifelong, irresponsible, clueless, con man.
12
While I worked in finance and advising business clients for over 30 years, I do not have a degree in macro economics. I do know these things are interconnected in ways that may not be clear.
However, the US has been getting the shaft by many foreign countries for decade after decade with tariffs and exclusionary regulations that made our exports not competitive. Industries withered and died and/or moved off shore, while our gutless leaders did nothing but make excuses.
Trump, perhaps not as nuanced and subtle as he might be, is trying to level the playing field and these other countries don't like the turn-around. They've been screwing us for so long the consider it an entitlement.
Sure, some industries here will suffer some until this stuff gets straightened out. But instead of whining they should back the POTUS. Otherwise they are encouraging these foreign leaders to hang in while Trump is undermined at home – by the very people he's trying to help.
The left is so hatefully insane about losing in 2016 when they thought they were entitled to the White House, they will scuttle the country before they will life a finger that could help Trump in any way. They voted 100% against an immigration bill that would have actually changed the law and helped all these kids. They are crying crocodile tears.
Many learned experts would differ with you and discard this attempt in defending policies enacted by Trump that cannot be defended.
Second thought, in your comment, this thesis, you make grave errors that would cause you a failing grade in higher education-you introduced bias into the discussion without comparing and contrasting other administrations actions other than calling those presidents "gutless", and making allegations about trade that are blatantly false, unless spoken by one of the entertainers on Fox "News".
Lastly, you issue a admonition that we should all rally around Trump apparently without question, we should not express our dissent and those who fail to agree with you are destroying the country.
In writing a discussion piece, you should keep the bias out and stay with empirical evidence from more than one source. Otherwise, the discussion is meaningless.
4
I agree that the global economy is a very complex entity, and one that I don’t pretend to fully comprehend, but I must take exception to a some of your points.
First, tariffs were not nearly as responsible for American companies moving production offshore as was the desire to increase profit by finding the cheapest possible labor, thereby sending overseas what were previously thousands of American jobs.
Second, the only people whom Mr. Trump seems to be trying to help are those in his family, and they are certainly not trying to undermine him (not purposely, anyway...)
Finally, any ‘scuttling’ of this country has its origin in the present administration. The mentally (or maybe just morally) deficient right (I dislike resorting to invective, but you did call those on the left ‘hatefully insane’) seem unable to understand that they, too, will be hurt by this clown’s moronic policies.
5
So the US rolls back regulations on the auto industry, thereby reversing carbon emissions standards. Isn't the rest of the world working towards reducing emissions per the Paris Climate agreement? Won't that further reduce our auto sales overseas since our exports wont meet their standards? I don't know what the end game is with these changes, other than to get reelected and richer in the short term and screw future generations in the long term. None of it makes any sense. But I say let it all hit the fan. Let the people who voted for this charlatan feel the results of their folly. Maybe it will sober some of them up when they're in worse straits than before.
8
The losses in these industries are permanent. If you've been working in steel or aluminum and expect to get those jobs back, fuggedaboutit. The rest of the world will plan around the loss of U.S. steel and aluminum, while American manufacturers lose their market share, so your services won't be needed.
Meanwhile, other American industries will get dragged into the pit with them, losing their market share as well. And it will take decades to get them back. ( China wasn't built in a day.)
Even if some jobs do come back, they're hardly going to be the well-paying, middle-class jobs people need, because as soon as those workers start advocating for higher pay and better benefits, the price to buyers will go up and they'll start looking elsewhere. The top dollars will go the MBA executives who will be charged with trying to get the most production out of the fewest workers.
The world has largely figured out how to exist without U.S. manufacturing. In fact, so have Americans, which is why we buy all that stuff from overseas.
9
The sources of America’s problem runs deeper than Trump. Trump was elected, in part, because he clearly spoke out against what many see as the selling out of the average American worker. Between large corporations firstly serving their shareholders, the decline of unions and congress caring more about corporate profits than the average American worker- here we sadly are.
Each of us can point our fingers at whether Democrats or Republicans got us to where we are- but that will not solve the problems that elected Trump. Until someone, or party, starts to articulate in concrete, real and meaningful ways policies that protect workers and jobs- we will have not addressed how to fix the root causes that got us in this mess.
3
No one knew that tariffs would be so complicated!
9
Now, follow me on this abstract............ The wealthy individuals and corporations have always favored Republicans disproportionately. A corporation won the right to throw campaign money at their favored leaders. It was the "Citizen's United" Supreme Court decision. The wealthy flooded the Republican campaign coffers. The Republicans won what is now a monopoly government. The Republican Congress passed a Trillion dollar tax cut act and disguised it as a "Christmas Present" that went largely to the wealthy individuals and corporations. Trump lobbied for and signed the tax cut bill. Now the Republicans are trying to offset the 1.27 Trillion dollar deficit increase over the next ten years by instituting Tariffs on foreign goods. Those tariffs will tax the entire supply chain and consumers of our economy. All that tariff money will go to the treasury to make up for the tax cuts to the wealthy. In effect, the middle class, which received a meager tax cut, will now be taxed every day in every way to offset the fountain of wealth now going to the Wealthy because of the tax cuts. Summarizing; the burden of government finance has been thrust upon the shoulders of the middle class so the rich can get wealthier and the middle class gets poorer and assumes more debt, that the wealthy will make more money from.
6
every automobile sold in the US is a combination of many nations' design, manufacture, & marketing. the network of suppliers, designers, & engineers is utterly dependent of global trade.
I'm quite certain all complex industries are the same.
don the con has no clue how the world works and behaves like a 3 year old with a flamethrower. he needs a time-out.
wish a few more voters would read Barbata Tuchman's The March Of Folly - an excellent account of people acting againt their best interest and wondering why it turns out so wrong
5
Will not hurt Trump. The people who voted for Trump joined a cult, and like cult members everywhere they are will to turn over everything to the cult leader, including their livelihoods, homes and children.
10
Trump to Cheese producing farmers: No Whey!
5
duuuhhhh. (I know the problem , and I alone can fix it.) DJT
2
REALITY: German PM Merkel now agrees with Trump to eliminate auto tariffs
How many corporations, corporate executives, ya know, the smart people in the company, and workers supported Trump, praised Trump, believed Trump and now it is, well, time to reap those rewards, such as they are.
It take much for this old guy, me, to realize we had a con artist without peer and his lack of knowledge in global trade, in supply chain management, and just plain ignorance of the business of manufacturing (oops, I forgot about those enterprises that failed) and agriculture.
You, at least the corporate executives should have known better than to hitch your wagon to a lame donkey.
You, the workers, listened to Trump loudly proclaim to make America great (is it it grate) again by adding jobs, jobs like washing coal. You bought into his con artistry.
Normally I would say you broke it so you bought it. However, given the possible substantial damage his imbecilic policies may cause, I can't as most of us will be in the same leaky boat and suffer economically.
But, at least with the permanent tax cuts on business and the temporary cuts for most individuals, we can be rest assured we will be paying for those hidden taxes (tariffs) with our money we saved on income tax.
Oh the winning is fabulous.
8
Companies are now experiencing that grift and ignorance don't create good policy. Too bad they couldn't figure this out earlier.
2
Didn't Pruitt take meetings with natural gas companies over in Morocco? It wouldn't surprise me if they are ready to hurt US natural gas producers and get in league with.... gas producers in... hmmm, does that start with an R?
2
I guess every president needs a nickname. Allow me.
Trump will be remembered as "The Great Divider".
He divides us on issues of Morality.
He divides us on issues of Democracy.
He divides us on issues of Social Justice.
He divides us on issues of Crime.
He divides us on the issue of Truth.
And now he divides us on issues of Foreign Policy and Trade.
His "show" is getting old. It's the same formula. Create a problem, then try to solve the problem and take the credit.
Trump is like the kid so desperate for attention - who starts a fire in the barn and tries to look like a hero with a bucket of water.
But the barn burns down, the animals die and the family suffers.
The family is poorer and forever cursed with conflict and blaming.
Yup, "The Great Divider" divided up the money when he bankrupted casinos and specialized in humiliating people on TV.
That certainly qualifies him to negotiate trade policy and conduct international diplomacy.
In a future PBS history series ("American Experience"?) this decade will be called "The Stupid Years".
5
I distinctly recall the nauseating degree of fawning and brown nosing enthusiastically displayed by businesses and corporate chieftains, looking forward to the liberation from Obama's era "suffocating" environment. Deep thinking was and is clearly sorely missing, but hey, rejoice!
1
My heart bleeds for the people in the Midwest. Break out the violins for them. They voted for Trump and put him in office. The blue states will survive because they can adjust. The red states are going to take the biggest hit in 50 years. All their own fault because they hated some female politician. I'm laughing up my sleeve.
16
Clearly, Trump's understanding of economics is worse than his understanding of good business practices. His "scorched earth" mentality / approach to so many venues and at so many levels serves to underscore just how demonic and ill-advised he is. Dare I also say "dangerous"?
8
What a mess the corrupt Trump administration is making of the economy. I have a 14 year old car, but I won't be buying a new car until he's out of office and his bad policies are reversed.
7
Yep, it is time for Trump supporters to wake up and smell the coffee.
2
This president has no real policies, no real loyalties except to himself/family and no moral compass. His only real consistency has been to be against any and all thing Obama. The ill informed voters who thought otherwise are now finding out that the man has no real plan, he likes to "wing it" and has to have a boogeyman de jour as red meat for the deplorables who decided to foist this madman on the world. I can't feel sorry for those who voted for him who become his latest cannon fodder, they deserve it.
4
Where this article goes wrong is in assuming that rump wanted to help someone else when we all know that trump only wants to help himself.
10
OK, so destroying the environment is fine but getting fleeced by trump is not. Got it.
3
Trump's lack of actual business experience is clearly on display. Moving real estate deals that involve money laundering and cheating people as much as possible to make a profit don't bear any resemblance to what most American businesses do. The concepts of research and development, long term investment, treating labor like something more than just a line item on a commodity spreadsheet - the engines of modern business and America's long term primacy in the world economy - don't have a place in DT's small brain. People will feel it and the glow will fade. Can't come soon enough.
9
Anyone who has ever been in business knows that once you lose a regular customer it is REALLY hard to get them back...or generate enough new business to make up that loss. When US foreign markets find new trading partners...well we know what will happen. While trying to make America first, we are actually making America last.
5
The last time America made a big economic push based on tariffs, it lead to the Great Depression..There aren't enough of us left who experienced that result to emphasize how amazingly ignorant are those pushing the approach..My dad, who had been highly successful in the 1920's lost everything and worked two barely paying jobs every day..seven days a week, for years and we had nothing..I worked nights starting when I was a little kid sweeping out stores..the broom was bigger than I was..and made 20 cents an hour..Our jobs haven't been lost through trade..they've been lost through automation..You know what will be left shortly..sweeping out almost empty stores..but there will be competition for those jobs..when I was a kid, i competed with old men for my sweeping job..
6
I'm not surprised American farmers are concerned about Trump's blundering around NAFTA, something with wehich he lnows nothing. American fatrmers did remarkably well with the treaty, which is more than I can say for Mexican agriculture.
1
From Reuters today:
"In the latest sign that the risk of penalties is hitting trade, a vessel carrying U.S. coal and heading for China was diverted on Wednesday to Singapore."
There you have it, West Virginia.
8
When will business leaders' "frustration" lead to overt calls to oppose the Administration's policies?
When will workers' fears about their livelihoods lead to overt calls to oppose these policies?
When will citizens in states carried by Trump rise up to vocally oppose these policies?
The answer appears to be "never" or "after the damage is done".
I am so sick of tepid, timid, deferential murmurs. When will these business leaders, farmers, employees rise up and unequivocally say "NO!"
1
"“The only constituency the president is looking out for is the American people,” Mr. Shah said."
I beg to differ. The only constituency the president is looking out for is himself.
Yet, it doesn't work. If everything is going so well, why is this man always scowling?
2
Trump's disastrous trade wars resemble a doomed train careering along the tracks heading for a wreck. Parts of that powerful poem so loved by Churchill springs to mind:
"Who is in charge of the clattering train?
The axles creak, and the couplings strain.
Ten minutes behind at the Junction. Yes!
And we’re twenty now to the bad—no less!
At every mile we a minute must gain!
Who is in charge of the clattering train?"
"A hundred lips are babbling blithe,
Some seconds hence they in pain may writhe.
For the pace is hot, and the points are near,
And Sleep hath deadened the driver’s ear;
And signals flash through the night in vain.
Death is in charge of the clattering train!"
2
Politicians, by and large, are lawyers and talkers with limited sophistication in any area of science, technology or business and how systems, subsystems should be organized. The permutations and consequences on trade deals are borderline infinite. The least sophisticated of all politicians is the current President along with his 5000 earth years old Bible Thumper adherents. This is not solvable in a 1 hour Realty TV arena or for that matter any arena. What we have is currency manipulation by traders on Wall St, that doesn't adjust for trade imbalances and incongruent economies and cost structures around the globe that haven't been unaddressed. Hello, anger, conflict, insecurity and ultimately war with some very nasty weapons.
2
The whole economy now is based on short-sighted greed. Even the soybean farmer says he voted for Trump get rid of EPA restrictions, presumably because they barred him from using harmful pesticides and interfered with his productivity and profits.
The country functions best when its goals are to benefit all of its citizens, not just for personal, self-interested profit.
Trickle down economics are a scam. Universal prosperity that includes the least of us benefits the most. The rich needn't worry, they will still get rich, because a healthy economy will reward them. It might just take a little longer.
4
With 90% approval rating among Republicans, he must be doing something right. There must be some well educated people in that 90%, all cannot be racists and motorbike riders. Trump certainly shaking up the apple cart, may provide opportunities in the future to reshape the policies to the benefit of America, eventhough they appear at present as random ramblings with no defined policy.
1
It looks like his plan is to deliberately damage the US. Maybe there is no specific reason for this.
3
In a game where Trump should be playing chess, he's not even playing checkers - he's playing tiddly-winks. This is how you break an economy: have no plan other than your own self-aggrandizement.
5
Well, well, there seems to be a whole herd of oxen being gored around the country as the president continues on his path of scattershot executive directives. He loves to sign his name; notice how proud he is of his signatures. We now live in two parallel universes: Trump's and the rest of the world where everybody else resides.
3
This is what you get when you hire someone without any experience building any products or service, and claims to have become a billionaire through unpaid services and tax breaks. Haha, we deserved a con man.
4
Trump's immediate goal is to destroy a rules-based trade order. Enabled by his cultish followers and a spineless Congress, all his chaotic non-policies will accomplish is the creation of more bilateral trade between Asian countries, and between Asia and the EU. The soon to be ratified CPTPP--which includes Canada, and Australia in addition to Japan and other Asian nations--is a prime example of how the world is planning to move into the 21st century without us. After only a year and a half of this inept regime, we already a much weaker country.
3
It is amazing how much corporate executive staff is like the rabid Trump supporter. They fell in love with a candidate who had a big mouth and no plan. As a much wiser man once said: "Be careful what you wish for. It just might come true."
4
We are witnessing what happens when we elect a man woefully unqualified to be president. Donald Trump is a polemic, a real estate developer, and a television personality. He is not a president, at least not of the United States. His policies make no sense because he has not philosophy, apart from self preservation, guiding anything he does. Beyond animalistic tribalism, he does very little to reward the true conservatives left in the GOP. He confuses "birtherism" from Burkism.
The idea that one would erect high tariffs is so asinine that even contemplating doing so before Trump would have been a waste of time. Dating back to the Depression years, with Hawley-Smoot, most everyone concluded that isolationist trade policies simply do not work. Even the union-friendly Democrats have realized as much.
One can hope the GOP in the Senate, filled with Republicans who know better, or at least should, may try to stop Trump on tariffs before we enter a full scale trade war. But their behavior, thus far, has amounted to little more than speeches and bromides. We need more.
6
Perhaps his base is beginning to realize Rex was right after all.
4
This is a man who solves economic problems by declaring bankruptcy. He leaves economic devastation in his wake. He did not care about the lives he destroyed then and he does not care now. His "policies" are costing Americans dearly both economically and in terms of America's place on the world stage. He is turning the United States into a country that will have no more influence than a third world nation.
4
Congress has obviously forgotten or is ignoring the meaning of the term"criminally incompetent"?
3
Will Trump's tariff war strategy compel trading partners to comply with Trump's demands? Probably not but who really knows?
It is a fact that going bankrupt is proof of a failed business. Usually it indicates bad decisions and bad luck resulting in a losing situation from which no recovery is possible. But four or five bankruptcies indicates a lot more going on than bad decisions by the business owners who filed for bankruptcy. The creditors failed as badly as the debtor because they went into business with someone who had should incompetence or deliberate misrepresentation of intentions. I say this because in a small number of cases, people design their businesses for bankruptcies and deliberately shift money out of the business into unrelated entities in order that the assets become unavailable to creditors nor the court when bankruptcies are filed.
In any case, Trump going bankrupt five times indicates that he needed creditors dumb enough to lose money with him to do so. That indicates a rather calculating kind of businessman -- used to using guile and misdirection to get what he wants.
3
By turning back Obama's fuel ratings you are exposing us to the potential for foreign car makers to surpass us in MPG and capture future sales. This would have American car makers crawling to a future President for more tariffs to even the playing field to which they would respond by again raising their own car prices as they did before Gerald Ford left office.
1
We picked a guy as president with a business background who has declared bankruptcy four times. Not to be critical of anyone’s vote but Americans deserve what they get for electing a guy like that. Next time maybe people will reread some of their civics lessons that may have been forgotten.
10
Has the auto industry had the reduction of tariffs on exported cars to Europe high on its lobbying list? Have the European tariffs been a prominent talking point of the UAW? I don't think so. Perhaps the Administration could have consulted with the car makers and their workers before presumably trying to help them out with a problem they don't think is very critical.
6
We will know that things are bad for business when the Chamber of Commerce admits that it made a mistake in backing Trump. Global trade is a complex web that is not easily unraveled. Suggestion for the Trump Team -- more the war back to the right venue -- the WTO. Ask for changes in the WTO rules that will apply to all members that countries in chronic deficit, like the US, must charge a 10% ad valorem duty to all imports, and countries in chronic surplus like Germany and China must add 10% to the export price of all their exports to the world. A slow, adjustment without rancor or choosing winner and losers is the only way to insure that global trade imbalances are gradually reduced.
3
Many commenters are bashing and blaming Trump, and rightfully so as he is the chief breaker of things that were normal.
However, we need to look at ourselves and ask, why is there so many products from China? Simple answer is we wanted lower prices everyday and manufacturers in this country could not compete, so, to satisfy the retailers, off to the lands of low wages the manufacturers went. And the Wall Street croupiers went wild at the prospect of high returns on stocks.
However, this is only one part of the issue. The trade balance and imbalance between the countries. Again, who is at fault? Trump blames previous administrations, namely the smart president that Trump took over from. But, it is back to the low price thing and the Wall Street casino's need for high returns. And regardless of Trump tantrums about tariffs it will never change as long as we seek the low prices, always and Wall Street needs their "fix".
Some foreign manufacturers have attempted to work in this country and now face onerous tariffs on the raw materials needed for their operations here and may fold their tents and decamp to the lands of low wages leaving their former U.S. workers standing in soup lines.
So, in closing, is it proper to go to the WTO when we the people and Wall Street are a good part of the problem? Both needs are at fault-the low prices, always and the casino magnates on Wall Street.
2
Whatever is said about Mr. Trump, the US dollar is strong and the overall economy thriving as seen by the financial numbers.
For now. You do realize there is a lag time on the economic indicators and we may still be feeling the affects of the economic policies of the previous administrations, you know, the one with smart people.
16
In two years or so, not only the leaders of business but much of the populace will probably feel differently about tariffs and other trade initiatives currently under consideration, as prices and inflation climb, interest rates rise correspondingly, home sales and stocks decline, credit tightens, and recession looms.
11
Your prediction has merit. However, Trump will still blame Obama for the imbecilic actions of an ignorant con artist, himself.
2
"The assault on the American auto industry is over," said Trump, neglecting to mention how President Obama was instrumental in a federal bailout of GM and Chrysler, and neglecting to mention that increases in fuel efficiency standards help US automakers compete in other markets.
25
I believe Trump began a new assault on the auto makers given the warnings from GM and BMW concerning downsizing manufacturing which will result in job losses, and BMW decamping for other countries, possibly Trump's nemesis, Mexico which also will result in job losses.
So, any gains by GM and FCA since bankruptcy may be for naught.
1
Trump does think that trade showing a deficit means the side with a deficit is losing. The tariffs will be leverage in negotiations to change the trade imbalance because the U.S. is so important. Economists explain that he is wrong but he will not believe them.
6
Canada is the only country where the US has an overall trade surplus. So how can he use that as leverage? But he keeps naming Canada as "bad" & even "brutal". I know that the reasons are in the "propaganda" still aimed at his "base".
Too much to get into in a single Comment.
Did everyone else figure out the impossible: the administrations’s answer is that it’s good for the country over all, even if it hurts individual industries? Yet the only industries it was helping at all were steel manufacturing and coal. There is no way on earth steel and coal profits make up for the losses in auto manufacturing, gas, oil, soy beans, aluminum and all the others on which tariffs are being levied. Two industries helped, dozens damaged or ruined forever (which is what the Trumpette soybean guy alluded to but cannot fully admit to himself, because he cannot allow himself to believe he voted really badly and that what is happening to his and others’ livelihoods is their fault, and that the markets once gone are gone will be their on them.) Once again the ill- prepared and unknowledgeable president and Administration fumble, then scramble and lie and lie.
17
or, the blind leading the blind.
If the US ends up with two different standards on auto emissions, you can be certain that we will go out of our way to buy our next car in a low emission state. If that becomes an y kind of trend in the highly competitive auto market, you can bet that auto dealers will be screaming to be in a "low emission" state.
In today's world, the individual has less s and less opportunity to influence policy by voting. However, every day we can choose how to spend our money and make a difference.
23
Likely the US auto industry will go with the California standards and have a 50 state care. At one point there was a two tier standard, there were cars certified by the California ARB and then cars that met federal rules that covered the other 49. They eventually went with the California standards, its market was big enough that it paid to standardize on it, rather than have 2 tiers. The irony to this will likely be that other states will likely follow California's lead on standards, and because those states likely will be relatively high income states that buy a lot of cars and trucks, the car makers will build to the higher standard because they can't afford to ignore these places, and the EPA rollback will be meaningless. Among other things, redneck nation thinks if they roll back emissions regulations cars will suddenly cost what they did in 1965, because Faux news has told them all the ills are caused by EPA regulations.
1
What we have is a clueless trade dilettante that is going to create so many bad unintended consequences that Trump's successor is going to have to go around the world trying to walk back Trump's trade war mess. The fact that Trump can with executive fiat make electricity producers buy coal is so counter what a good business leader would do.
28
I'm old and retired, living on a nice pension that I paid for myself and is safely sitting in the big Canadian Bank. I truly feel sorry for Americans who, because of their president (I can't even stand to say his name) will never have the security I have. They have to mortgage their house to have a simply operation. The poorer of these citizens will soon learn how much they are going to lose in welfare and food stamps because their president decided the military need funds to increase in size. Now he's fooling around with tariffs against his Allies who have always come forward when the States decided to start a war. Sara Sanders called Canada not nice because we were forced to retaliate with equal tariffs. If voters don't vote the Republican Congress out in November I'm afraid the States will be all alone, like an island.
51
Your facts are a little off. Most people here either have health insurance or are on Medicare or Medicaid, so they don’t have to mortgage their house. Canada has had ridiculously high tariffs on dairy and other products long before Trump. Dairy farmers in Upstate New York went bankrupt and some even committed suicide, but Canada First! I guess. BTW, we already have more America-haters in this country than we need right now so your criticisms aren’t really needed.
No one mortgages their house to pay for health bills? Really Ed? We're the only first world country where people go bankrupt due to medical bills. Insurance and Medicare/Medicaid help, but they don't cover everything.
I still do not understand how you could at all elect Trump as president. Some may say that it was only a minority that voted for him, but it makes no sense. How can a minority rule the majority in a democracy? It seems to me that you have a fundamental system failure and your problems (which spill over to us in the rest of the world) will continue and increase until you get it fixed. The trade war and the dismantling of organizations like NATO are enormous and devastating problems, but they can never be resolved without solving the real problem with your election system that led to this disaster.
43
Presidential elections are done state by state. In 48 of the 50 states the candidate who wins a particular state, at least in theory, gets all that state's electors. As you can imagine Hillary Clinton got a lot of votes in California but by winning California she got a fixed number of electors. Definitely broken. Also, see Russian interference in US presidential election, 2016.
16
Its complicated, but basically the US election law is based on a system that ironically was supposed to prevent someone like Trump being elected. A president isn't elected by popular vote, he is elected by the electoral college. The electoral college is based on electors from each state, the problem is it is anti democratic, in that each state gets 2 electoral votes no matter the size + the number of congressional districts (based on population). Not to mention that each state decides how to grant electors, and someone like Trump can lose the popular vote basically by the margin of the 2 votes given tiny states like Montana, Wyoming, etc. Add to that congressional districts apportioned to guarantee GOP voters are the majority, and giving electoral votes, not by popular vote, but by each district (so if a state has 7 electoral districts, each district will control 1 electoral vote of the 7), so someone can win the popular vote in the state and get few if any of the electoral votes.
He also won because very few people vote, and often the people that vote are the minority. Only about 42-45% of voting age people vote as a whole, among those under 35 only 19% vote, meanwhile old people who overwhelmingly supported Trump vote in huge percentages. If 70% or more of the people voted across the board, Trump would have lost handily, but they didn't, he won many states by margins of like 20,000 votes or less...
3
It seems it has all gone haywire.
A common lesson that people should learn, is that anyone that does business with or is associated with President Trump ends up going down in flames. Contractors that worked for him got burned, and never paid. Many of his staff, have been indicted or are facing indictment including his personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Those industries or business leaders that helped Trump should be under no illusions. If you were one of these businesses that needed help and you tried to advise President Trump, he wouldn't listen to you, because he's already figured out and knows from his "gut level" decision making, unencumbered by the thought process, on what to do.
30
The State of California enacted its strict auto emissions standards during the past two decades out of necessity: the poor air quality in its major urban areas. Auto manufacturers had to conform to the new standards set by the state because California is its largest single market in the USA! China, which has terrible pollution in its urban areas paid attention and...guess what? Instead of re-inventing the wheel, China began adopting CA emissions standards, as well!
It would be wise for the Trump Administration to encourage improving air and water quality in the USA unless they wish to go down in history as the Administration that "promoted the degradation of the quality of health and life in America."
23
So many things to comment on here but space is too limited & I don't know how to submit multiple Comments. So I'll focus on one thing - Aluminum.
US aluminum is dead, almost, it is on its last gasps. One US industry exec said "no one is going to invest money in rebuilding US aluminum plants".
Canada is the biggest single supplier of aluminum to the US - 36%. Aluminum production is dependent on electric power. CAD producers are concentrated in Quebec which produces an enormous amount of hydro-electricity. So CAD producers have very modern plants with a dependable supply of low cost electricity. US plants are old, decaying & can't get low cost electricity.
After Trump 'threatened' his tariffs. the price of aluminum on the London Metals Exchange jumped from $90 per ?? to $120 per ??. CAD producers increased prices at least partially to take advantage of that, but at the same time added 10% to their prices as a sort of offset to the US tariffs.
So CAD producers are enjoying greatly increased revenues & profits, while US importers who have nowhere else to go have to pay a 10% import duty (tax) on an increased price.
At this time it doesn't pay the CAD govt. to crow about it, & certainly not for the US admin. to admit it. So it remains as a buried detail, but thems the facts.
Canada is happy on this one.
27
But still.....Wilbur Ross will personally make money on the tariffs due to his American steel ties. And he was the one who recommended the tariffs for national security reasons.
1
For the life of me I don't understand why US business interests are allowing Pres. Trump's climate and trade policies to destroy then nation, their future profits and the biosphere of the planet we live on. How important can tax breaks be for people whose consumers are seeing their roads and homes flooded and their cars washed away. Yes, all car manufacturers should be making ONLY EV cars and require government subsidies. And all people should be given subsidies to replace their fuel cars. It should have happened 2 decades ago according to the world's scientists. Is there no political will left in America to survive?
24
Either they believe no permanent harm will be done, or they actually like what he's doing. High-tech neo-feudalism, anyone?
LBJ convened a special scientific comittee around 1967 or 68, and the entity of man-influenced climate change became clear ... 50 years ago ...
1
In the past week, I've heard a good number of Trump supporters interviewed -- a coal mine owner, some ranchers and farmers, some factory workers, a trucker -- who are all at risk of losing their livelihoods. It brought me great joy.
26
The image President Trump is 'leading' us to is his refection in the mirror of history. There has been a long line of oligarchs for him to compare himself to, however, he of course regards himself incomparable. People, truth, and facts are inconsequential. He will make up a reality he alone understands. He has added tariffs to his casual chess pieces. He covets the mandate he has created for himself. I feel like I am watching a Stanley Kubrick adaptation of Moliere's 'The Misanthrope.' All the misplaced laughter in America is being replaced by misdeeds.
10
All this makes more sense if you understand that nearly all of Trump's economic positions are frozen in the 1970s and 1980s before NAFTA (1993) or the rise of China to the second largest economy in the world.
He thinks that if we can't buy European or Japanese cars, we will buy those 100% American made Fords, Buicks, or Chryslers, not realizing that many of these cars are made abroad or with parts from abroad. Honda Accord is one of the cars with the highest American made percentages.
Plus as the owner of a Chrysler 300, the firm is owned by Fiat and called Chrysler/Fiat. My car was about 66% US made, with the remaining being from Mexico and Canada. Next year the only autos made in the US by Chrysler/Fiat will be Jeeps SUVs and Ram pickups. The market has spoken and business listens.
Now the best bet is the price of all cars will increase because the differentiation between imported and domestic went out with disco and big hair.
18
And thus an unintended consequence: less cars will be sold overall.
4
Trump's obession with muscular, manly heavy industries like steel, motorcycles, coal mining, cars, etc. harks back to the 50s.
he never mentions more traditionally female, less sweaty segments in the forefront of today's economy, and science and the arts do not even exist in his world.
meanwhile, he alienates our friends and cozies up to dictatorial foreign adversaries who are bullies like himself. in that way he dwells in the world of the early 1930s.
Trump is foisting his heavy psychological and emotional baggage on the rest of us, yet we are too weak and cowed to declare the emperor has no clothes: Trump is a delusional, willfully ignorant nutjob unable to fulfill his obligations as President and he should be removed for that reason alone, if not for all his malfeasance.
2
The Establishment and all its acolytes were selling out America and getting rich while they were doing it.
Trump is putting a stop to it.
1
Trump is putting a stop to the selling off of America? Now that is some deeply delusional thinking.
1
Yeah, and he’s putting a stop to any chance this nation will be anything but a middle-class quagmire, full-on oligarchy and international laughing stock for at least a generation. Wake up, my friend. Unless you’re already a billionaire, you’re screwed.
1
Trump is selling the USA out to Putin. He is a traitor.
1) With a trade deficit of approximately -$566 billion in 2017, it is easy to understand why US politicians are concerned about this amount of money leaking out of US monetary flows and into the global economy, instead. If the US ended all exports and imports tomorrow, why wouldn't the US economy gain this $566 trade deficit immediately back, and be at least $566 billion dollars better off?
2) But, when US businesses import goods as product components, why wouldn't they want to report import prices at the highest possible amounts? After all, the higher the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), including import components, the lower the profit reported for US corporate income taxes. Similarly, since exports represent a revenue stream, why shouldn't exports be under reported by management in order to report lower sales, and a lower corporate income tax liability?
3) Overall, briefly and in sum, based on US income taxes, shouldn't imports be overstated and exports understated to lessen US corporate income taxes.
4) In comparison, Europe has a VAT. And, with this value-added tax on the additional value added to a product by each intermediate company, it is vital to track marginal value additions by each intermediate firm to precisely allocate value-added tax accountability. But, without a VAT, and a consequent lesser need for inter-firm accountability, US firms probably enjoy larger leeway in recording export and import transactions.
[7/5/2018 Th 1:11pm Greenville NC]
So long as those who foolishly, and thoughtlessly, voted for tRump are the chief victims of his "policies," I will not complain.
6
Trump saying "I can fix this..." reminds me of a story ( possibly urban myth, but I digress) where the late Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, while attending a game early one season, nearly all the crowd bundled up, and there's Kuhn in a short-sleeved shirt, saying, "Who says it's too cold? It's a
perfect night for baseball!"
5
My recollection of this true incident, however, is that it took place while playoffs for the World Series (or perhaps the Series itself) were occurring on a frosty October night, not "early one season." It was Kuhn's way of resisting complaints that the baseball season had been pushed until too late in the year.
As DB from Chapel Hill, NC, wrote: "This is the price paid when you elect someone for what you want them to be instead of who and what they truly are."
I would add to that: I unfortunately know for 30 years several trump voters who feel it was inconceivable to elect the opponent. Their negativity (hatred) runs very deeply. When they informed me of their vote, their faces were quite blank, like I was from a different planet. These are people of above average intelligence, but raised to nicely hate when necessary.
I'm not sure who has the more difficult decision and task... it is demanding and certainly not a work for drones... must be done.
11
They always talk about Trump/Clinton, but they chose Trump from 16 Republicans. They can say that they had no choice but to vote for Trump, but they are lying.
What do expect from an ill-informed, former reality show host who has bankrupted five plus companies, stiffed contractors and settled lawsuits for the failed Trump University. Not to mention the other egregious tales of woe from the Trump playbook. The depth of his hubris is immeasurable as he boosts his ego with one lying tweet after another. How much more of this can we take!? Please Mr. Mueller, bring it on!
19
Why did (does) Anyone believe that Trump has any ethics, any policy, or any convictions other than that which personally benefits himself, or which satisfies his immediate, short-term need for chaos or gratification?
It’s painfully clear that Trump is ignorant in a way that only be manifested by the double curse of pathological narcissism and functional illiteracy. He’s making it all up as he goes along, based on an internal logic that makes sense only to him, and possibly a few close advisers. Country, economy, the world... none matter, as long as his needs are met.
The only real and important question is: how much more damage will Congress allow Trump to inflict before they finally wake up and remove him through the 25th Amendment? The illiteracy alone is more than reason enough. America deserved a literate President back in 1818, let alone 2018. We don’t have one now - and it shows!
7
This doesn't surprise me. Trump is NOT as smart or as educated as he wants people to believe. I have long thought that Trump cannot read or write and slowly that truth comes out. This has got to end or he will destroy America little by little or a lot by a lot. His whole idea is putting his name on everything around the world that he can while selling the US to Russia. We deserve SO much better than this guy, SO MUCH better!!
16
If we deserved better we would have elected the other candidate.
Hes exactly who we deserve unfortunately. A man like him wouldnt have even gotten close if we truly "dont deserve him."
Not to mention the self regulated lobstering communities in Maine who formerly sold a lot of lobsters to China. Since many fishing families are immigrants, or their parents were T’s evil and mean policies and actions will I hope turn them toward Democratic candidates.
As I’m sure others have noted The T man does only what he thinks will be good for his own rapacious businesses. When everyone gets that he’ll lose his job, but not till then.
2
Dear Trump supporters:
You have been schooled.
Non-credit course
from
Trump University.
Tuition is free.
Costs and fees a-coming.
18
For a guy who consistently claims to "look out for Number 1," this President and his enablers sure do continually "step in Number 2" a lot. There exists no roll of paper towels (tossed in Puerto Rico or not), nor can of Lysol, large enough to wipe off this mess.
6
Please, I think everyone has forgotten what our fearless leader told us. Trade wars are easy to win.
10
let's make sure it's cancelled after the first "season"
The most fascinating part of this story is the folks who are hurt by Mr. Trump still love him dearly. Kentucky bourbon makers, gas line workers, hog and beef farmers--none of them can admit to themselves they voted to bring this on themselves. It will never be their own fault. It's Obama's fault! It's Crooked Hillary. Anybody but Mr. Trump and those who sail with him.
11
Physicians, attorneys, accountants, bank presidents, University administrators, etc. deal with a wide range of human/people/rich/poor/educated/uneducated every day. Anyone with this kind of experience pegged trump as a blowhard, bzht artist from day one.
17
If they don't like it they can go mine coal, right? What a bunch of whiners. Why do they hate America.
2
Thoughts and prayers...
7
The Deplorables may finally be waking up. Trump’s “reality show” is suddenly becoming all too real.
16
Hire an incompetent, get incompetent work. In any other field Trump'd be washed up inside of 90 days.
6
What is truly disappointing are the sycophants who echo his nonsense even as they must realise that it is lacking in economic forethought on the effects and consequences. And even more disappointing are his supporters, who are too weak to admit they made a mistake.
13
Trump voters did not make a mistake: they got just what they wanted, which is a powerful voice for their ideas and positions, validation of their hopes and dreams... no matter how wrongheaded they are.
it's like giving a six year old the keys to the car and directions to the ice cream factory. what could go wrong?
6
'The only constituency the president is looking out for is the American people," Mr. Shah said--with a straight face?
Trump only looks out for himself and his--that's his constituency. His only policy is Trump First and Foremost, in everything he does--domestic and international--that's the animal he is, and always have been. A "MeOnly" one-trick pony. He belongs in the Trump Organization, not in the White House.
Read Mencius, the Chinese philosopher who counseled rulers (kings) about benevolence and righteousness versus self-interest/benefit--Trump is not fit to rule.
5
We need a rich diet of schadenfreude. Which of these people voted for Trump? Reporters and editors, do your duty.
11
Just for a moment, let's forget about the huge trade deficit that the US has been running for decades, because, after all, the political establishment and its lackey mouthpieces see no relevance in trade deficits - $811 Billion is just crumbs. Instead, let's cry over the plight of soy bean farmers like the rube from S. Dakota who is just ekeing by on the inadequate farm subsidy programs that barely finance that new F-250 Power Stroke Diesel every two years. With Trump screwing up his market, he may have to drive that Cowboy Cadillac until he needs new tires or an oil change - oh, the horrors. Forget the fact that when China and Canada look around for new sellers of soy, they'll find that market demand is saturated and Brazil doesn't have piles of beans laying around waiting for hungry Trump busters to come calling. Nope. Brazil will have to buy soy beans from South Dakota to ship to Ottawa and Beijing, and everybody will be paying more for those soy beans. So, soy bean farmers will all benefit from the fruits of those huge US trade deficits that have no relevance except to that stupid Trump who thinks that fair trade implies that the US ought to get in on a little of the "fair" part of trade.
5
Bot Russia and Brazil have offered to substantially increase their soy bean production. It is just a matter of time when they will not need to buy additional crops from the US to fill the gap. The US will simply lose market share, and it remains to be seen if it will be possible to regain it. Given the "reliability" and "credibility" of the US anyone considering doing long term business with the US will think twice.
Global economic development means that eventually the U.S. proportional share of economic activity will diminish. The population of the U.S. is 5% of that of the world. China and India when developed similarly to the U.S. would likely be the biggest participants in the global economy by far. When that is a fact, the U.S. will need to sell affordable goods and services to them to remain prosperous. It it tries to keep it’s economy at home, eventually it will just stagnate and become a poor country.
2
when you can't make a killing selling commodities or manufactured goods, and you stifle the export of intellectual and creative products, the obvious ploy is to move onto vaporous areas of dubious worth but enormous profit potential,such as financial services.
at each step, fewer and fewer head of workers is required for each dollar of profit, but who cares about workers, right?
our economy is heading toward a day when a few thousand people will work and make loads of money and everyone else will be superfluous... or dead.
Trump and his minions are just helping us along a road we chose long ago.
EU tariffs on US auto exports likely to adversely impact roll on -roll off (RO/RO) operations at Georgia Ports Authority terminal near Brunswick, GA - and auto assembly plants at West Point, GA and Montgomery AL where many of the 250,000 or so auto exports are assembled. This won't affect Trump Organization operations or profits. Just ordinary citizens trying to make an honest living. Congratulations Mr. President! Another Trumpian success.
7
While this may cause a little change in my 401k, the idea that there is some disruption in the market will, I believe, in the produce long term benefits.
Those of us who are corporate employees know very well the focus on quarterly results and margins and recognize the complaints as the same old short-sighted response.
The corporations and people in Wall Street need to figure out more sustainable models that include better growth theough innovation and new products. Too often they're trying to milk the same results with little concern for developing more/better. Without the Trump disruptions we won't see quite as much innovation.
“In [one] of conservatism’s founding documents, “The Wealth of Nations,” Adam Smith argued that trade barriers and protections offered to dying industries will not, in the long run, serve the interests of the people. On the contrary, they will lead to an ossified economy that will splinter in the face of competition. President Trump seems not to have grasped this point. His protectionist policies resemble those of postwar socialist governments in Europe, which insulated dysfunctional industries from competition and led not merely to economic stagnation but also to a kind of cultural pessimism that surely goes entirely against the American grain.” (Roger Scruton, July 4, 2018. )
4
Smith was probably not on Trump's reading list at Wharton.
release the transcripts! release the tax returns!
both will show this emperor has no clothes.
It is easy to throw rocks at a rock-throwing President, in particular when the opaque and sometimes incoherent policies are hurting your business. Take Trump's approach to eliminating tariffs. He knows the biggest problem is China, but protectionism exists in almost every bilateral trade area. So he decides to treat all roughly the same; friend or foe. Perhaps he thought the"friends" would jump aboard quickly and their acceptance would lever the less friendly. Had it worked out that way he'd be the hero and a coordinated effort to stop the bad neighbor of China would have a better chance of success.
Unfortunately, international relations aren't as simple as business relationships. His leverage, while it may still be working behind the scenes, appears to be resulting in blowback that is damaging the areas he was trying to help. Whether he's right or wrong in this approach, he's the only President who has attempted to fix the inequities and bias against the US. He's willing to risk temporarily damaging our own market participants to reach the longer term goal of equity.
Would a less confrontational approach work better? Maybe, but it hasn't yielded a solution to date.
Will Trump's approach succeed in the long run? I believe it could as most countries consumers will see benefits of elimination of tariffs and trade barriers. Key though, I'm glad to finally see a leader who looks beyond the quarter, year, or political term. I hope he succeeds before causing too much damage.
1
You get what you voted for -- forgive me if I lack sympathy.
40
Trump's love of chaos and headlines trumps any 'effort' of coherent policy. It's all about him all the time.
21
The President is playing to his base, to ensure his re-election in 2020. Consequences of his policies will be blamed on the Democrats, and his base will believe it. The Democrats are in disarray, with no coherent message. So, he can't lose.
5
This is what comes of running a country as if it were a TV show. No long range consequences, just go for the ratings. You can always write people into or out of the script and change the story as you go along. Our only hope is for this stupid sit-com to get reined in this November and cancelled in 2020.
30
I have very little sympathy for the business owners who voted for Trump because they like the idea that the elimination of environmental and safety regulations and reduction of taxes would help increase their profits. Now they are whining that tariffs are neutralizing these effects. I hope the soybean farmer quoted in the piece reads it and has the intelligence to recognize the absurdity of his point of view. Indeed, it would be cosmic justice for these businesses to have to close up shop after they supported policies that will have negative effects on the lives of the rest of us. It is unfortunate though that we will suffer through this too.
31
Ah, but trumpites don't care about tariffs, trade, deficits, trillion dollar tax cuts for the rich, or rolling back Dodd-Franck, environmental protections, affordable health care, destruction of labor unions, affirmative action, voting rights, and soon to come in their neighborhood, the right to abortion.
Nah, they don't care about all those empty promises their windbag idiot in chief pumps out in between his silly lies and more lies, because they are mesmerized. They love him. There is no accounting for taste and there is no explaining the perversity of the trumpites.
I almost want, perversely, to see a trumpite recession. All those things they make in fly-over, deep red places targeted by the socialist EU for stiff tariffs. Banks topple again. Real estate collapses again. We can have our era's very own Love Canal! And it will be the worst disaster in the history of the world trust me.
Nah, even then, they will love him. It's just nuts because there is no rational explanation.
23
but, there are plenty of irrational, emotional explanations...and it's much easier to present this type of argument to the poorly educated who Trump professes to love so much. and why not? they buy his line when others won't.
there's about 60 million of them born every minute, it seems.
The only constituency the president is looking out for...is himself. There, I fixed it for ya Raj
21
I believe Trump is a symptom, and that his base serve as our scape-goats. Let's see what big business really does about this mess, since they are actually the ones in control of our collective trajectory. Are they going to extract US to death?
6
Wasn't it just a few years back that conservative Republicans in Washington decried federal activism as "picking winners and losers" in the private sector?
22
It's only wrong when Democrats do it!
18
Let those who helped install America's least qualified and most dangerous President simply to annoy LIBRULS, enjoy their reward. They can now eat their MAGA hats.
28
As though his penchant for authoritarian dictators wasn’t bad enough, the two years he spent as an undergraduate transfer student at Penn Wharton half a century ago were clearly not enough to have taught him that arbitrarily imposing border taxes will doubtless bear unintended consequences.
9
The only way this country and the world can be saved from a madman is to lock Donnie up, for treason etc etc etc. The list is - very - long indeed.
Mr. Robert Mueller, keep on doing what you're doing and deliver the ultimate final blow. Many people are counting on that.
21
The President has shown great initiative in seizing the leadership of the "assault on the American automobile industry." (his words). Way to go, King Donald, betraying your base.
A modest request to the Times. Have your talented researchers check for evidence that Trump voters in the agricultural and manufacturing House districts damaged by the Trump tariffs are recognizing that the President has abandoned them and their livelihoods to satisfy his monumental ego. Will his modern version of Smoot=Hawley cause the scales to fall from the eyes of his base?
10
Thank you "old Growth." Apart from your wonderful characterization of the President, there is the fact of insatiable consumerism where Americans who comprise approximately 4.7% of the world's population consume 25% of its production. There is simply no way Americans can feed this appetite without help from the rest of the world. The only logical result is a trade deficit. Tariffs only raise prices and increase hunger for goods that are increasingly unaffordable. Seems to me the consequences of the President's actions quite predictable and clear.
4
I don't care at all about the impact of a trade war on Trump's supporters. The trouble is he's dragging the rest of us down them.
19
A blabbermouth is hellbent on imposing his half-baked ideas, expecting miracles to befall the Americans. Trump's tax cuts have not, apparently and contentiously, benefited the downtrodden. And yet his second fiddles continue to be acquiescent, wholeheartedly. One wonders what his stooges are waiting for to oppose Trump if he perniciously prevaricates, which he does almost non-stop. Do they need an afflatus? One hopes not.
Trump's boisterous bamboozles, and cacophonous callithumps, have had little effect on his base, as substantiated by random focus group interviews, and his casuistry continues, rampantly. Dems., instead of caterwauling about his misdeeds, are well advised about propagating stern and cogent messages to voters, to garner votes, during the midterms.
As a charlatan, Trump has no qualms and scruples when he charades self-praises and maintains his bumptious behavior, in a contumelious manner. Lord help the voters!
11
His supporters following him down a destructive path no matter how much it adversely effects them. Here in Washington State his immigration rhetoric and his direct effect of Trade Wars that are adversely effecting the economics of our agriculture (Primarily Fruit Industry) seem to have no impact on their support for Trump. Today, in our local paper it states how industry knows his immigration and trade policies are having a big adverse effect on them but then goes on say they still support his policies. I guess he will just somehow blame Democrats and they will believe because that is what they heard on Fox News. Basically, Trumps plan is to enrage and disrupt to get all attention on him no matter what it cost our country, and his base will jump off a cliff if he says they all will become millionaires. Truth and common sense have left the country.
11
I'm fully aware of the hit the Steel industry has taken. As President it is your job to balance trade decisions. Trump is out for himself and wants to show he Tough. Tough is fine but The President of The U.S. must care for all Workers. If U.S. Workers are let go do to this Trade War that Mr. Trump says are easy to Win ,will he lose sleep over that ? I don't not. Mr trump has the mentality that someone once said to me "If you want to make an omelette, you have to creak some eggs" My response was Not when those eggs are People.
5
Cry me a river. You asked for a non-politician with no experinece to run the country, you got one - so whats the problem?
23
Yes, but the U.S. didn't get who it voted for. Clinton won the vote, the Electoral College elected your non-politician with no experience idiot.
3
The point of Trump’s tariffs and trade bluster in general is his and the GOP’s version of yelling “squirrel!” to scapegoat and distract us from the powers that be running the show in DC.
9
Here is the thing... Trump is not actually basing his economic edicts on any historical, mathematical, or scientific data. Trump is imposing economic edicts based on the unfounded mythology of his followers, which consists of scapegoating the government for whatever they dislike about progress.
11
So, if the auto industry is trying to navigate a confusing situation regarding emissions standards, why NOT just aim to make all their vehicles very efficient? It would harm no one; it would help both customers (who’d pay less for gas) and the environment; and it’s not clear that it has any down-side.
6
That’s exactly what’s done now. It’s not CA and the the other 49. It’s just all cars meet CA regulations. And they’ll do it for whatever CA decides on. The only way it makes any sense. In reality it’s not the mileage regulations it’s the competition. If someone else decides to build to Obama’s regulations and it works for them then they all do it. Can’t image Trump demanding all vehicles get lousy gas mileage (well he could...) Not to mention suddenly electric cars are a viable option (for some people anyway) and there’s actually a real choice to choose from.
3
Putin got his rat determined to undermine western Europe, the U.S. can become the paper tiger Asia always knew us for beginning with the American War in Vietnam.
5
This is all about getting even. Despite his undeserved good fortune, the president feels that, for all his life, everybody has been unfair to him with things like laws, rules and regulations. Now it's time to get even on a colossal scale. And what about things that really are unfair, like theft of intellectual property? He can't do anything about it. Anyone who thinks China will backdown for any president, let alone this one is truly a Trump voter.
20
"The steel tariffs, the aluminum tariffs, the auto tariffs, have the potential to put people to work in industries like steel production,” said Jeff Ferry, the research director for the Coalition for a Prosperous America, a nonprofit group that advocates closing the United States trade deficit. “The electorate is no longer buying the theories economists are peddling about free trade lifting all boats,” Mr. Ferry said. "
While he is right about economists claims, what he is leaving out is the steel and aluminum plants that are in the US are not labor dependendent, many of them are heavilty automated and can scale production easily without hiring many people. As far as auto tariffs go, that makes no sense,many of the 'foreign' cars we buy in the US are made here, so Tariffs won't help that, and Tariffs on foreign cars isn't going to do anything. Trump is selling a fantasy that if we just try to recreate the 1950's everything will be great, and you can't. Rather than focus on the future and creating real jobs, this is about propping up the past.
7
As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” Vlad is certainly getting his money’s worth.
19
I thought of commenting on the fact that lower environmental standards and regulations will ultimately cost Americans (and the rest of the world) much more due to the destructive effects of climate change and global warming. I also thought I might comment on how a trade war will negatively impact American's standard of living as well as the rest of the world. Then I thought why bother as no one who supports Trump and his policies actually cares much about the environment or likely even reads this newspaper.
23
Trump has no "Policies." Trump has rhetoric meant to appease and boondoggle his supporters who he figured out long ago will believe or agree with anything he says...Trump has no respect for the rule of law or precedence, hence his comment during his campaign, he could walk down a street in New York and shoot someone and no one would care.
At least now some of the more thoughtful of his voters are finally appreciating the consequences of words without thought or analysis. Hopefully, Trump won't destroy our economy and status in the world before he's done, but there is little hope for a person who doesn't think things through, doesn't rely upon knowledgable and independent advisors and cares only for his popularity ratings among his friends and voters.
The world and the US economy are very complicated and the relationships between different & disparate parts of each must be understood and appreciated. Long gone are the days when we all lived in little self-sufficient communities. We are all now dependent upon the whole and everyone must compromise for the good of the whole. Sometimes one segment will benefit, other times another part, but each individual element must learn to adapt if it is to survive and grow...punishing others in hopes it will benefit you won't work.
12
It's not a case of the The law of unintended consequences, Mr. Newell. This is a case of the law of not thinking through the possible consequences.
13
Sounds like many business owners and corporate execs voted for Trump because they always vote for lower taxes and fewer regulations...they assume it'll mean more profit and more money for themselves. They ignored Trump's corruption and incompetence because they figured he would be a useful idiot. Now the idiot has run amuck.
18
Does Goldilocks work with economists or soothsayers or other harlequins like himself or alone? Again, no guts GOP and Dems responsible for this chaos. He is right: he has a license to kill.....and kill he will; you wait.
5
During the 2016 election, farmers in southern Delaware overwhelmingly supported Trump. Big 4' by 8' foot Trump signs dotted the roadways next to these farms along Coastal Highway.
Soybeans alone generate about $60 million in revenue in Delaware and are considered its 2nd largest crop.
No telling where the tariffs will lead to regarding these farmers, their support for Trump, and the potential to have soybean prices drop up to 13% when the tariff is fully enacted.
15
Talk about stupid, farmers voting for an isolationist idiot who thinks 2 way trade is a losing proposition. Tough luck farmers, maybe you'll think next time if you are still in business.
19
This is not a buying and selling activity within the US. It is beyond that - we are dealing with exports and imports,with countries abroad. If we impose tariffs on our imports, we cannot assume that the decision will not impact our exports. This is where the problem is. Our president is of the strong view that his decisions, which for the most part are unilateral, will not be challenged by our trading partners. It is Mr. Trump's view of the world that does not simply align with our national interests. For a moment, we forget that in today's world, we are not alone, and we are not indispensable. We are learning about this very quickly. All those countries which were strongly established markets for our goods and services, are now exploring other markets. It is a tit for tat exercise. In what way does this help our exporting industries, and our economy?
Trade and Foreign Policy have always gone side by side, with our standing on the world platform. Now, we see, one is impacting the other. our image and leadership is on the challenge. We really do not know where this is all leading to.
2
We DO know that it will lead to disaster for the average American....!!!
1
Dear NYT's. You should change the masthead of your paper to The Trump Times. Everyday, the newspapers entire front cover is pasted with Trump stories and most of them not flattering.
1
And you’re point is? I say if the shoe fit’s...
11
During the eight years of the Obama presidency, the Times never had to discuss ONE Obama scandal. Today, it’s scandals per day. They must be revealed...
4
@BO Krause
There are no flattering stories about Trump. At least George W. Bush had a dog, liked to read, and had a wife and kids he liked and lacking acceptable policies these other things can provide some relief if one is so inclined. We got nothing here with this one.
2
WHAT! They are losing faith in the greatest money man on earth - how can that be????? Idiots for believing him in the first place.
9
Trump is relying on each industry and individual worker to be so focused on their own problems that they don't notice his overall plan to destroy all democracies including ours. Trump isn't trying to bolster U.S. trade he's trying to build a new world order with Trump, Putin, and Kim at the top. Trump knows the meeting with Kim was a sham and he doesn't care. WE are blinded by our trust and habitual belief in our ingrained beliefs in democracy. Farmers and Harley Davidson workers keep thinking Trump has some benevolent masterplan. Trump knows tearing apart the EU is only good for Russia and ultimately for Trump. He knows that destroying our auto industry/farmers/races/immigrants will pit people against each other allowing him to dominate. Wake up and stop giving this would-be dictator a leg up so he can crush you under his boot heel.
19
THIS is what you voted for, Mr. Scott. OWN IT.
16
To all the DT voters who are now being hurt by the idiot’s trade policies : Reap what you sow.
Please vote to undo all the damage that has been done - not just to industry, but to everything that DT has touched which has turned to worthless garbage.
20
While the focus here is appropriately on big industries and broader national policies, the uncertainty felt there, like everything else unwanted, rolls down hill, eventually coming to rest on Main Street. While not immediate the most devastating effects will eventually be felt by small businesses like mine. We too face difficult decisions based on long term plans and costs. The way things stand today my advice would be hold on to your hats, there's an economic storm comin' and it's gonna be a whopper!
5
These may be Trump's "intended" consequences. Undermine the economy and then say again that he is the one who can fix everything (just prior to the 2020 election). If you believe his lies, you deserve what he gives you.
6
As Trump continues his deliberate assault on Western economies and alliances....
Ask Yourself:
If Trump is a compromised stooge of Vladimir Putin, how could he best serve his master?
Then read this article again.
11
Trump is a man who believes he is king. If this isn't enough to remove him with the 25th Amendment, what is?
9
Oh rust belt, karma's a cruel mistress, ain't she?
15
trump complains that trade deficits are unfair to the US.
But the US has a substantial trade surplus with Canada (ie ... unfair to Canada), so why is he punishing Canada with tariffs?
Simple question he won't (ie ... can't) answer.
7
I suspect that voters support Trump, not because they expect policy improvements, but because they believe his,"heart" is in the right place.
1
Dear Heckler,
Then I would have to assume that his supporters have their brains in the wrong place.
16
Apologies to everyone who had a brain in November 2016, but I started boycotting US products and services a few weeks ago; the New York Times being an exception. I've always admired the US, but right now it's a nightmare and I need to somehow act and apply whatever little pressure I can. I hope the US economy doesn't suffer too much and contracts aren't permanently lost. Most nations have elected a lunatic at some point. It's just a big deal, when it happens to a large economy like USA, Germany, Japan, Great Britain or France. It will have passed by 2020 and the world will hopefully be more vigilant for a number of years afterwards to avoid another madman from taking office. Best of luck from Europe.
22
Thanks for the wishes of good luck Tommy. We can certainly use it.
Just a note- technically, we did not elect DT since he lost the popular vote to Clinton by 3 million. It was the electoral college that voted in DT. This is an outdated election mechanism peculiar to the USA that manages to subvert true democracy from time to time- usually with terrible consequences.
7
"Mr. Scott voted for Mr. Trump, and he approves of administration efforts to roll back environmental regulations, “But if we lose those Chinese and Mexican markets, it will be hard to get them back,” he said."
What? A Trump supporter who is selfish? This is shocking, said no-one anywhere.
18
Keep it up, Mr. Trump. I'm counting on a "Trump Recession" to rid ourselves ASAP of the most dangerous of all world leaders. He must have at some point read and assimilated the mindset and tactics of Edward Abbey's Monkey Wrench Gang without understanding that the novel's characters were bent on "preserving wilderness, wild spaces and ecosystems."
Mr. Trumps narcissism, pathological lying, and bullying reflects our species' worse aggressive behaviors . . . and invites retaliation in kind. Confronting his minions in restaurants or refusing them service, as deplorable as it is, reflects restraint thus far. But for how long before escalation from both the right and the left?
6
Trump is under investigation for treason, money laundering obstruction of justice and collusion why is he still making policy? And why os he picking the next Supreme Court Justice- its the fox protecting the hen house. Come on America! Stand up for justice, stand up for babies locked in cages and get rid of this guy and his band of criminals
16
" its the fox protecting the hen house. "...Or is it FOX protecting the hen house?
1
Trump US rolls back vehicle emission standards, mean while Swedish auto maker Volvo committed to an all Electric vehicle fleet by 2021. Net Results: poor folks in the rural America driving 5 gallons per mile Chevys with more smog and pollution, while the wealthy in New York and LA drive 0 gallons per mile Volvos and Teslers with no pollutions. Yeah that will teach that Obama guys who is boss.
11
Amazing to not overview deeply troubling environmental protection dismantlment, all at the behest of the most bizarrely flawed Scott Pruitt. The long term cost of these "deregulated" industrial behemoths is to poison and heat our struggling planet for the short term gain of a handful of investors.
The hottest week on record last week..
5
Trump only knows about deals involving his personal interests and his targets. More sophisticated thinking required by a leader of our country needs a more nuanced and well-informed understanding of how decisions impact others. Trump neither knows or understands this, nor has he the capacity to step out of his self-interest into service for the common good. He can broker deals all right, those that bring him money and what he thinks of as prestige (ego-gratification) including stiffing contractors when that serves him, but more than that? C'mon, people. See who he really IS. What he's capable of for YOU, for US? Destruction and if there is a good outcome for you or us, it's not his first priority and is incidental to his ego/bank accountS.
7
Well, all I have to say to the soybean farmers is that you reap what you sow. I have no sympathy for Trump voters who greedily waited for him to implement policies that would put the international economy into a tailspin. You're going down with the rest of us now.
16
We are all going to suffer for a very long time because of this administration and America will probably never recover.
The people who voted for Trump will be negatively impacted way more than I will and I don't care. I have gotten to a point that I don't care what happens to them. It's sad what pure, unadulterated hate can do, even sadder than destroying the environment, health care for citizens, the social safety net, alliances, and norms of civil behavior.
You get the hate you give so I personally will never forgive Trump supporters and plan to simply offer fake "prayers" when they lose the farm, their jobs, and health care. Too bad, so sad.
16
Anyone that has taken a high school economics class could have predicted the unintended side effects of Trump's trade war. Alas, our president doesn't have even that level of understanding.
12
It's good to have an experienced, stable genius at the helm. Let me know when we get one.
19
Once again, when everyone asks the now age old question as to why Trump is doing this it makes no sense whatsoever, inevitably, the answer is "study his history" and there you will find everything you need to know. Trump knows nothing of the policies or so-called executive orders he implements, his sole purpose in his "alleged" mind is "winning", the collateral damage is irrelevant. He has been bloviating about his unfair trade deals since the 1980's, of course, trade agreements of which he knows absolutely nothing.
When an individual comes strictly from the world of "dog eat dog, winner take all" at any cost, goes through thousands of lawsuits and multiple bankruptcies, stiffing contractors and investors out of their money, he knows no other way and as President, he is consumed by the power of it all which, of course, along with his like-minded inner circle, makes it extremely dangerous.
The ultimate problem here is that we are talking about an extremely insecure individual, who assumes he is never wrong in his decisions, will not take direction or listen to alternative points of view, is very thin skinned hence does not accept criticism constantly lashing out at those that do it.
Add it all up, I cannot think of a more "perfect economic storm" and meltdown that will needlessly occur and it is up to the legislatures to think of the country for a change, not just getting re-elected, and stop this clown in his tracks. This is a horror movie, but, it is real!
26
It is a horror movie: "The Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue"
1
Our #45 forgets that he is not selling Real Estate anymore.
This is the big time. There are people who are a lot smarter than he is.
17
There are single-cell organisms that are a lot smarter than Trump!
9
And they are in places like China, North Korea and Russia to start.
1
Forcing energy companies to buy coal is terrible. I hope they will fight back and states will demand cleaner natural gas.
11
Trump is a lot like having the Three Stooges in charge of economic policy. And, come to think about it; just about everything else, too. It would be hilarious, if it wasn't so sad. He always was a knucklehead.
12
That's the kind of fun you get with a democracy:
Voters will vote for the person they feel is closest to themselves.
And if the majority voters are the product of decades of a declining education system and TV shows like Fox&Frends, the will vote for someone like Trump.
Trump is no accident, he is the logical conclusion of decades of neglected education systems and primitive TV shows, he reflects his voters.
So what could possibly go wrong?
Nothing, he has done exactly what his voters voted him into office for.
He executed their dreams and the results .... well the results are what the others always warned about.
Or, to put it the undying words of Luis de Funes:
Noooo!
Yess!!
Ooooohhhhhh...
And that, in a nutshell, is what now happens to the businesses of those, that voted for Trump.
You get what you vote for, as long as you are the majority....
5
I supposed the voters in Singapore get what they deserve. 30 lashes for graffiti and voila, the problem is gone.
A little primitive but effective I presume.
Yikes.
1
Actually, thanks to our idiotic electoral system, the minority gets what it votes for and controls the government. About three million more voters chose another candidate.
12
You do know that the majority of Americans did not vote for trump, right?
1
US Car makers failed to make more small affordable fuel efficient less polluting cars and car sales are down while the Japanese cars sales have not seen a decline. US car makers have had no problem flooding the US streets with gas guzzking SUVs and trucks that sooner or later the gas prices were going to go up and Americans got wiser and searched for fuel efficient cars. Farmers can try to promote their produce to American food processing industry and while Trump's policy decision may temporarily hurt some industries will force innovation and creative business models to ease the backlash against Trump's bold tariffs. In the long term free and fair trade will prevail and the same industries which may have difficult times now will benefit. No need to panic, it will be challenging but not the end of the world. In the meantime, our government and governments will have a revenue source that they did not have before.
2
Do you know why US car makers failed to make fuel efficient cars? Because conservatives have their hands in the pockets of fossil fuel and gave them bigger tax breaks. And do you know about Trump's attempt at regime change in Iran by stopping its sale of oil driving up the price? Things are not as cheery and simple as you make it.
5
Opinionated READER from Salt lake city. For whatever reason the US car makers did not make fuel efficient cars, they do not deserve the sympathies over tariffs.
I don't know how anyone can support loosening environmental regulations when so much is on fire. When we're having crazy heat waves. It's a bit mind boggling. I mean, how many acres have burned this year due to the dry winter? I can't read the news without becoming thoroughly depressed about the future of our country.
16
OK, let me get this straight: Trump starts a tariff war, and his supporters blame the countries who retaliate, because they can't admit that they voted for an idiot who is being used by Vladimir Putin. They would rather blame our trade partners than blame themselves for not knowing enough about global politics in the first place.
In the meanwhile, Putin -- whose long-term political plans involve separating the US and Britain from the EU, breaking up NATO, and ultimately breaking up the EU and possibly even the US in retaliation for the breakup of the USSR -- is salivating over the trade war.
It's all going according to Putin's plan. Through his Trump puppet, he's got the US and its oldest allies at each other's throats. He's got Americans at each other's throats. He's got people questioning democracy as a system. He's got Americans turning against democracy and calling for an authoritarian government dominated by big business, backed by religious right-wingers and nationalists -- just like his own coalition in Russia.
And Americans keep falling for this. Putin sows the seeds of destruction throughout the country -- covertly donating Russian money to Republican politicians and organizations like the NRA -- and Americans eagerly water and tend these seeds, just for the pleasure of poking a sharp stick in their neighbor's eye and seeing a liberal get angry.
We are a bunch of idiots if we continue to allow Putin and Trump to manipulate us like this.
39
This is a smart and comprehensive description of what is actually going on. Trump isn't a dummy (he's immoral and selfish) -- he and Putin know exactly what they're up to.
2
NOTHING that Trump does or bills that he signs are ever thought out. His attention span is about 10 minutes, and I'm surer he never reads new bills over 5 pages. Then, of course is his way of not listening to the experts. Also, he and the Republicans are a mean-spirited group, who lack respect for former presidents, and anything that the Democrats have enacted. His modus operandi is vindictiveness and an imagined vengeance for ridding anything that President Obama and the democrats have enacted through Congress and the Senate.
14
For those who voted for Donnie the disaster is on you. It will not get better, but getting worse. About 60 million persons decided he was a risk worth taking. I don't even feel sorry for them. Now deal with the consequences.
12
His voters couldn't see that Trump is a reality tv liar and they didn't research his failures in real estate. They deserve what they get.
9
The Trumpet has no clue..... The more he talks about making America great, the more we realize he's in over his head. Who knew?
When did the Trumpet ever get involved in heavy industry, mining, agriculture, or energy production? Bet he hasn't even read a child's book about how these industries operate.....
O Lord, for how much longer must we endure the Trumpet as occupant of the White House? Congress, are you dead?
9
I know my 401k is going to tank because this president ruins everything, but I like the idea that his policies are likely to also hurt those who put him in office.
6
The farmers are reaping what they sowed. Trump’s an incompetent egomaniac who only cares about Trump.
4
Meanwhile back at the ranch the EPA is being gutted, the CFPB is being dismantled, Dodd–Frank is being compromied, huge chunks of public lands are being sold off, and the FBI is being disemboweled.
16
You're not trying to imply that the stable genius doesn't know what he's doing are you?
7
There is an increasing population of retirees living on fixed incomes. As the prices of goods and services go up due to Trump's unwise trade and other policies, the retirees will have no alternative but to roll back their non-essential spending -- triggering a slowing down of the economy.
Tax cuts for this group, which are rather small, will not compensate for the increased cost of living. The euphoria generated by the "massive" tax cuts, as Trump hubristically likes to call them, will eventually evaporate.
Down the road, due to decreasing tax revenues, we’ll be staring at a rapidly growing national debt and inflation as the country lives more and more on borrowed money.
Tax cuts and unwise trade policies will spell Mr. Trump’s doom.
Trump lovers, have you reckoned the cost of Trump’s Presidency?
19
And letting all the illegal aliens come in, that want to, is going to help this how? Drive down wages? Overtax the Social Services departments?
Refugees are not illegal aliens.
Talking about illegalities, ever taken a minute to look into Trump’s business background?
9
Your reply is a red herring. It has nothing to do with Davenport and Swanson's article or with ALM's comment.
2
Tarrifs are taxes. Trump raised taxes on American Manufacturers who use steel and aluminum, making importing finished goods cheaper than importibg raw materials and manufacturing them here. This is not complicated.
5
The question now is whether America can recover from Trump.
16
Buyers' remorse from Trump supporters? Cry me a river.
11
And how is this Making America Great Agian ....Again? Job loss and the stock drop, just like that Great White Shark "will swallow you whole!" Captain Quint...Jaws. Trump has taken the swamp, turned it into Jurasic Park and cut the power!
7
Folks...there’s a few reasons we’ve never seen his tax returns and one of those is the reality that Trump isn’t even a very good businessman - just look at his bankruptcies alone. He’s using the same leadership in his Presidency. While I don’t want to see our economy take a downturn and am embarrassed by the way we look in the global marketplace, Trump supporters deserve everything they’re getting. This is what happens when you feast on a diet of Fox News propaganda. Unfortunately, the rest of us have to live through it as well.
15
Trump doesn't know what he is doing.
15
Best comment!
Minimalist.
“Says it like it is “....just what Trump’s “people “voted for!
3
What did you expect? Electing a moron who ran his casino business into the ground, defrauded investors, stiffed contractors, and settled $25 million in claims against a fraudulent 'university'. And you think this malevolent buffoon can run a country?
We are all of us going to suffer because of the gullibility of the 'under-educated' nativists and the greedly/selfish who knew he was a moron but voted for him anyway -- abetted by the GOP who continue to support him in Congress.
To ice the cake and add a cherry on top, they are stacking the courts too, to completely undo our system of checks and balances. Despicable.
17
A NYC friend tells the story of his colleague - a gilder - who crafted Trump's golden residence. The first invoices the gilder presented were honored, but the last and final invoice - the biggest one that paid his employees - went unpaid. When the gilder met with Trump to demand payment, Trump told him ... too bad, and added that if the gilder wanted to sue ... get in line with all the others.
Here is Trump, thumbing his nose at America. From tax returns, to grabbing women, to sticking taxpayers with Mara Lago bills, to screwing the environment, to stiffing industries, to our allies.
You don't like it? Tough. Get in line.
27
Lacking public service experience, Donald knows things in two ways: his personal experience or that of people he associates with.
Neither source is unbiased. Donald knows Chinese steel is cheap because he used it in his buildings. He knows about banking from Jared and Wilbur Ross and the Russians.
When you elect a person with no public service record, his entire worldview reflects his personal experience.
15
A five-time bankrupted, failed businessman with the power to affect the entire world's economy. What could go wrong?
28
I think he only went bankrupt four times...
3
Sounds like the monkey who put the fish in the tree to keep it from drowning.
11
Mr. President: You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency.
10
Sorry Mr. Scott but you’re getting exactly what you voted for. President Trump has said from the start that he wanted to do this. You should have realized how it would impact your livelihood before you voted for him.
13
Watch Trump and his mis-administration explode and implode at once, a feat in physics I hadn't even understood to be possible. Already in progress.
17
It's Obama's fault; he handed Trump a lousy economy that had created 16.5 million jobs.
16
Trump is banking on one issue in this global trade war that he singlehandedly unleashed. If the other countries are essentially without seeing any other viable alternative where do they go? Whom else can Mexico send its fruits and produce but its Northern neighbor? Whom else can Canada send its logs, dairy products and automobile parts? What other choices European Union have other than USA?
He knows the current trade practices are not sufficiently pliable. He is taking advantage of the system he finds, and he thinks he would be successful. However, can America retain her “greatness” without strong bi-directional trades and mutually benefitting political links supporting each other?
Again, if he could see deeper through it he might realize that a successful bidirectional trade policy may be the correct answer to America’s immigration problem coming from down South. What if Central America’s and Mexico’s economy today were much stronger with more investments from USA, Canada, and from their Southerly neighbors, instead? Is it possible that regional violence could then be reduced sharply with good rates of full employment in Central America and in Mexico? Could that then force overall decline in political asylums from these countries given their much improved economy?
9
Hmmm ...
1. the world is large and there are a plethora of trade relationships to explore. Australia is proof positive that trade is possible when you aren’t living next door to anything.
2. Trump continually lies about the Canadian trade balance with the US, in fact he lies so blatantly and stupidly about most everything that it is quite impossible for any other nation to trust a single word that flows from his mouth. How can any nation forge agreements with such a mercurial liar?
3. The US relies on her foreign relationships to maintain her military presence in the world. Were US bases and encampments throughout the world to disappear, the US would be isolated geopolitically.
3
We need to stop entertaining intellectual curiosity items about trump and hold him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it daily. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
34
We elected a condo salesman - what could any fool who voted for him really expect other than he was not Hillary
9
I suppose that's a chunk of the problem. A large portion of the population who can't tell they are being duped by a psychopath.
5
I don't like tariffs, but I like less being treated like a patsy by others. over a long time. Rather than the criticism, how about proposing actions you would suggest to redress our current trade situations - with the table tilted towards others.
1
Simple - buy less goods made in China as a country and you will lower the trade deficit. Cut up credit cards. Eschew Financing plans. Decide what you really need and consume no more - do you think we as a nation can do that?
6
Even if can make the case that what he's doing make sense, how do you justify his blowing up multiple things at once? Wouldn't it have made sense to stick with one or two items to show that we're serious rather than attacking multiple partners before even coming to a single agreement to prove that it's a reasonable approach?
5
Do what Germany has been doing for decades. Invest in infrastructure, invest in education, invest in small businesses (tax cuts won’t do it), invest in precission, automation machinery and innovation therein, make American economy rely less on consumption and more on high tech manufacturing.
Simple.
10
Q: What does the New York Times call the trade policies of the past few administrations that created enormous trade imbalances, caused the destruction of entire American industries, and led to the loss of tens of millions of family-sustaining jobs?
A: The Good Old Days.
And, perhaps there were for the cultural and political elites which occupy the same milieu as Times editors and writers. But not so much for the rest of us. Trump is attempting to do something to address that imbalance caused by a couple decades of political lassitude which was ignored or applauded by this newspaper.
Will his policies work? It is WAY too soon to tell. But this relentless barrage of attack pieces that started before the policies have even been implemented is not journalism -- It is simple political partisanship.
3
actually you can see his train wreck coming... doesn't need any kind of "superior intellct" to see that coming. the trade imbalanaves that appear to affect you (or someone you know) are part of corporate America looking to increase profits by using materials/labor overseas to decrease costs (don't see you screaming about that)... and the "millions" of family supporting jobs? how's Walmart working out in creating family supporting jobs... that bastion of conservative values... don't see you griping about that. so you wholly support a party that is consistently aligned with big corporations, the very same who are directly responsible for the looks of these "millions" of jobs... and now you think this dope's policies will change any of that? you know, the Dems, while not perfect, actually do fight for protections pf the working class .. maybe something you want to look into.
6
First, there isn't a trade imbalance with our allies, there's a trade surplus with Canada and Mexico. And I assume you know that Republican Mitch McConnell is responsible for blocking every family-sustaining job effort that Obama ever made? Republicans blocked forward-thinking industries such as clean energy which not only yielded the highest job producing manufacturing industry in the U.S. but would have kept us competitive with China, which is leaving us in the dust on technology. Republicans also attempted to block regulations for banks stealing from the middle class; Democrats passed laws under Obama to limit America's CEO's pay increases now 333 times higher than workers', and Trump's corporate tax breaks for the wealthy will increase our national debt to a back-breaking $17 trillion. How long would you like us to wait around to see if Trump is remotely interested in a middle class in this country -- I mean before we have to start a revolution?
1
Good! It's journalistic malpractice not to ask who they supported in the 2016 elections.
I bet that every one of these "Masters of Industry" got the president that they wanted...and the results they deserve.
Where's Charlie Chaplin when we need him?
19
I’m sorry to agree that they are getting what they deserve. Every thing is about “me” rather than “what’s good a for the most” hopefully we’ll get back to common sense.
6
"They also warn that policies designed to aid one group will eat into someone else’s business in ways that policymakers should have anticipated."
What were these business executives thinking? Did they honestly believe Mr. Trump knew what he was doing?
As I recall, President Obama went out on a limb and saved the auto industry back in 2009. Back then, Bush and the Republicans were more than willing to let Detroit die. What do they care now?
All these execs are more than willing to support Trump when he tells them that their industries will benefit, that they will get an advantage at the expense of the environment. Making a deal with the devil is easy when he promises profits and power.
Trump is a moron!
Now, I'm beginning to think that ANYONE who listens to and/or believes ANYTHING that Trump says is a moron too.
... Maybe we all should test our water for lead.
29
Yes, we should all test our water, our food, and our bodies. Not just for lead, but for the neurotoxins Pruitt - with Trump's gleeful blessing - is continuing to be used in agriculture. The nerve gas derived pesticides have been found in the umbilical fluid of 87% of pregnant women living near large-scale farming. Think about that for a moment. The chemical is associated with a host of developmental health issues, including autism and ADHD. Ever wondered why these are on the rise? It is in your body from the foods you eat and the beverages you drink. The Obama Administration had required that it be phased out. "Stable genius" Trump overturned the order.
7
Basically, every alteration trump makes to a trade policy, every treaty he scraps, every change he makes he thinks will get him another notation in the history books. He is making sure that his name will never be forgotten.
My question is the Industries that he is destroying: When are you going to have had enough of this vociferous idiot?
21
oh, history will certainly not forget this idiot's name... now if we as a nation learn something from this experience is a different matter altogether...
3
Trump and his mis-administration already are coming apart. He never will recognize his failure. Egomania protects him, but not our nation. We must take whatever political steps we require to prevent him from doing more lasting damage to our nation and people.
13
With his all-out trade war Trump has not only choked the supply line feeding the rust belt industry, which he claims to champion, and forced a large scale lay-off of workers but also invited a retaliatory action by the US trade partners which is sure to put the domestic industry, consumers, and the workers to great difficulties. Trump's trade tariff war is suicidal and catastrophic for the world economy.
16
Addressing only proposed changes in regulation of pollution and fuel economy and the difficulty automakers have with multiple jurisdictions and the extended legal contention over the changes. No one is proposing requiring manufacturers to build less fuel efficient vehicles that pollute more. They can agree to accept the current legal limits as required among themselves. So long as they equal or exceed whatever the various governments require there is no problem.
The cognitive dissonance of so many supporters will prevent them from admitting the damage that Trump has done to the U.S. economy. He is running around blaming the rest of the world for the problems that he has created. Prior to the last recession hit, U.S. companies were pushing for jobs to be created in the U.S. - negotiating terms in their contracts for bi-level pricing depending upon where the work was done (higher for that in the U.S. due to the higher cost of those employees); when the recession hit, the U.S. companies basically threw out any on-shore requirements and said just give us the lowest prices.
The problem is that consumers want to pay the lowest prices, while employees want to be paid the highest wages for their work - companies move their manufacturing to the lowest cost regions (e.g. textiles that started in the Northeast, then went South and finally left the U.S. as companies pursued the lowest costs they could achieve). The jobs go away, the people stay and the goods must be imported - the costs of the tariffs are transferred to the consumer, stockholders/owners are happy because the companies are maximizing profits. Who benefits? Not the average family.
9
I would not blame employees for wanting higher wages, especially considering that wages have been stagnant - at best - for decades. (Thank you, Ronald Reagan.) How about blaming American CEOs whose salaries vs. those of labor are the highest in the world? If cuts could and should be made anywhere, that is the place to start.
11
The Trump / McConnell - GOP Axis has destroyed so much of the United States government and its laws, standing, morale, morals, etc. - that it will take decades to make it "American" - "normal" again.
Book it.
19
The problem is that Trump when declares he can walk on water, his supporters believe it. When he can’t prove he’s actually capable of walking on water, it will be Fake Media news, the Clintons, and essentially everyone else’s fault he can’t. (Not Putin’s though, he’s a great guy). And all the Internet memes masquerading as information today will support and reinforce that.
17
Trump supporters being hurt by his idiotic and uninformed policies? Bring it on. They hoped he would only hurt us "elitists" with college degrees. Too bad for them--a rising tide of sewage floods all basements, and theirs will soon be neck deep. But to be fair, who could possibly have known that running this wonderfully dynamic country in a modern world could be so complicated? Once they see the extent to which his policy-by-snit causes them financial and personal harm, they will change their chant to "lock him up."
17
This is not just Trump. This is in general simplistic conservative approach to economy. Just lower taxes and everything will be fine. Forget about skyrocketing debt, we will blame it on liberals. Same with tariffs, raise them on items we think are sold at unfair prices, and voile, done. Well, the other side does exactly the same thing in retaliation, and we have trade screwed up royally.
Now, in Trump case, he hired the stupidest economists there are out there, there is no one more ignorant than Larry Kudlow and his cronies. They assumed that no one would retaliate. Guess what, in real world there was never doubt they would.
Same goes for NK negotiations. Trump and his idiots assumed Kim Jong Un would fold all by himself. In real world there was never doubt they would just ignore Trump.
18
There's irony in this whole trade "fairness" episode with Trump. Here is a man who has made his whole business life from cheating and scamming others. More importantly, he obviously has not paid his own "fair share" (recent NATO rant) by not releasing his tax returns; which would expose what an empty liar, cheat and grifter and hypocrite he is. Exposure of his failure to pay his fair share of taxes to the US would be the last straw for his supporters,...maybe. To Trump voters: you screwed up, you didn't investigate the truth, you are forgiven. Move on!
7
I will not forgive!
3
Trade war...no trade war. North Korea our enemy...North Korea our about to be friend. Harley Davidson good...Harley Davidson bad. Etc, etc. etc. The ability to simultaneously hold contradictory opinions is the mark of a person with no analytical skills. A moron.
20
Please, not a slur on people with intellectual disabilities. It is far closer to the truth to compare Trump's black-and-white thinking to the developmental stage in which he is stuck: childhood. Luckily, most children outgrow it; this man never has, never will.
4
After trump and his Republican enablers in congress make an economic mess of things as they are prone, they will sit back blame it on the Democrats and demand that they fix it.
9
Trump is like Harold Hill from the Music Man, minus the charm, wit, or any sense of redemption. He peddled false promises instead of instruments to mostly good, but naive, folks who had likely never been conned before.
3
Re : Harley
From "The Economist"
6 days ago ... "Some think it may have been considering the shift anyway, and wanted to pin blame on the dastardly Europeans."
It is naive to take the industries pronunciation at face value.
Trumps' tariffs are convenient excuse for some. In particular Harley whose Thai plant for some time already supplies Southern Europe - Spain, Italy- with Harley's made at Thai wages.
But given its "All American" how to outsource more ?
Trump to the rescue
4
Whether Harley was already considering moving its plant or not, Trump's personal threats reveal his dictatorial approach to what used to be a democracy. Trump gives Harley a reason to leave and then blames them for leaving -- it's like the spouse who's affair just happens to be revealed as the house burns down and the couple needs to move out anyway.
26
I haven't the mental energy, emotional stamina, and precious breath needed to add any substantive points to the many lucid comments below. My only question: when is Trump's reckoning coming? Whether by Mueller, voters, or sudden illness, and for the sake of billions I hope it comes soon.
22
Trumps strategy is very simple bring back heavy industry so he can make war on the rest of the world. Anybody who doesn’t see that, is fooling themselves.
I don't blame Trump, I blame his primary adviser, Sean Hannity!
4
The fact is he has never tried to help anybody but himself. I also understand that those helping him are unhappy with his persoal and social behavior and smooching wth dictators like utin, Xi and Un and dueterte and.. He thiks dictators are the strong people. I will not be surprise. They are doing it because he is approving their narrow agendas like tax break for the rich and people who call temselves true believers in Christ but are shamefully using Crist to push their sexist/racist agendas. And then there are some people who really have problems because they lost their jobs, not to China but to American business leaders who took the work and technology to Chine to make their millions and billions. And they will continue to suffer. Same for the peoplr who undermoned American education in high tech and gve wok to low wage H1Bs. These profit mongers don't give a hoot to these poor peole.
5
Trump reminds me of that student in my class that
won’t read the the assigned readings, gets to class late or only
shows up to class on icream days at the cafeteria.
He’s the student that no one wants to group study with
when notes are reviewed, due to the fact he never took any
or thought he new them all ready. He tells everyone outside of class how well he is doing and claims to be an excellent student.
When quarter grades come out he whines and blames other in his study group for his troubles and when asked a question in class, he usually makes up an answer that is unfounded or
made up. Oh that’s Donald Trump!
10
exactly what I've been thinking since he started campaignjng.
3
He also never prepares for the final because he's sure he's so smart he can just wing it. His essay answers are full of improvised and irrelevant ideas, with a superficial and misleading coherence unrelated to anything either in the real world or in the subject matter of the course. Then he complains about my unfair grading system.
1
"Mr. Scott voted for Mr. Trump, and he approves of administration efforts to roll back environmental regulations, "
Well Mr. Scott want have those nasty regulations to worry about when he has no business
16
Trump supporters, within business and just clueless citizens, should be wearing I'm With Stupid t-shirts. Trump doesn't actually comprehend policy as being complicated and riddled with trade-offs because he doesn't do detail, doesn't understand the actual consequences of what he mindlessly and incoherently says and only seeks to make his supporters think he's on their side when everything actually all about him: supreme angry narcissist.
So he creates chaos and disruption so he alone is the center of attention. What he knows about macro and micro economic realities is...zero. He is an intellectually incompetent, inherently dishonest pretender who is always on the wrong side of every issue because he simply doesn't care. Except that you notice him regardless of why.
Eclectic Pragmatism — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
Eclectic Pragmatist — https://medium.com/eclectic-pragmatism
10
“The only constituency the president is looking out for is the American people,” Mr. Shah said.
Ha! How does Mr. Shah sleep at night?
13
Gee, who knew trade could be so complicated?!?! Answer: EVERYONE. EXCEPT the 'president.' Trumpers - you get what you deserve. However, we normal Americans wish you had not dragged us into your fantasy.
16
Econ 101
GM's biggest market is China (more car sales than US ), and it's fastest growing market is China (14.8% in Jan 2018) thus:
In any conflict between the PRC and the US , GM Motors will side with the Chinese Government.
It's just business.
--
1
GM, Ford and Chrysler's profit comes almost entirely on light trucks which are protected by a 25% tariff.
The Chinese consumer doesn't have as much experience with GM cars to reject them out of hand yet. They just got off of bicycles 25 years ago.
Capitalism like free speech is designed to have a big market of ideas and easy entrants to markets. It works very similarly to evolution. The strong good ideas survive and the bad ones go away. The bigger the pool the better.
The Republicans, through a perversion of our Republic, have allowed a minority of voters elect the majority of our Government. It's not surprising that our government is actually devolving back into primordial slime.
If we keep allowing the minority of voters to set the course for our country we won't have a country and we may not have a planet that can sustain human life.
Capitalism and democracy are good for the USA and the world.
6
Self-destruction via tariffs and consequent faltering economy is about the only way that Trump is going to be taken down. The base and most of the rest of the Republican Party love the white-power rhetoric and only when the paycheck stops will they MAYBE consider the alternatives. Especially with other critical issues facing our nation like transsexuals in bathrooms and football players taking the knee.
6
Trump doesn’t have policies. He just likes to break things.
And as for sympathy for people in the industries he is harming: they’ll have my sympathy when they start actively working against Trump and his praetorian guard. Because it’s not enough to oppose specific actions (e.g. the steel tariff); Trump will always find new ways to trash everything they are doing and everything they stand for. They have to take on Trump himself.
7
Trump is like a stupid Reagan (not that Reagan was brilliant) minus the decency and the charisma.
9
Long experience shows that clueless twits do very stupid things. That's all anyone really needs to know about trump.
5
This is yet another reason that the President of the USA isn't an entry level job. Or a reality show. There is no plan, never has been.
10
It's simply staggering that while this President continues to loudly and childishly trumpet himself as world's best ever deal maker and best ever American President,the reality to anyone with a modicum of intelligence is that Trump's understanding of foreign trade and the world market in the modern world and his understanding of foreign relations is limited to say the least.As in all things Trump everything is short term and headline based, in line with his skewed ideology and supreme vanity,everything done with total disregard to cause and effect but everything done to appeal and placate his gullible base under the frankly simplistic slogan of making America great again.
In reality the modern world requires a tad more sophistication in navigating and negotiating relations and securing deals, whether it's with friend or foe.One can only hope that its only a matter of time before it's universally accepted that the emperor does indeed have no clothes.
3
A very simple way to describe these "industries" he swore to aid and abet was described by PT Barnum, "There's one born every minute." and WC Fields, "Never give a sucker an even break."
2
"You can't cheat and honest man! Never give a sucker an even break or smarten up a chump!” -W C Fields
1
Fools who vote Republican get what they deserve.
7
Those who voted for an idiot deserve the tragedy they brought unto themselves.
6
A thinly disguised anti-Trump article in the Times...surprise. With interviews. How about that. No data though. Just assertions that all of President Trump's policies will hurt those he promised to help. No proof of course -- and lacking data or proof what does a good Times journalist do? They interview people who agree with their point of view.
And of course, the progs love it. So we get lots of anti-Trump comments. Great journalism boys and girls.
You don’t have to take the “biased” Times article as gospel if you don’t want to. Open up an economics textbook. Consult the experts of your choice. Or simply sit back and watch the results. Global trade, capitalism and economics don’t care what your politics are - the results will speak for themselves based on profit and loss
16
Arjun -- economists are notoriously wrong, dismally so. I suppose I could consult Krugman?
How about giving things a little time before everyone screams the sky is falling.
Even if Trump wins a trade war cause the US economy is bigger and stronger than the small countries he picks on, do you really think that whatever America wants to sell will have a market in those countries he disrespected to get his way? Right now 70% of Canadians are checking labels and avoiding anything American, and it will get worse.
10
Canadians - Keep checking those labels. Ultimately a boycott of US goods (and services) will, by destroying trump's base, benefit most US citizens as well as Canadians.
2
Unfortunately Trump has not yet learned what trade is about. Plain and simple it's about I got something you want and you have something I want, let's make a deal. It is not about I want to intimidate you to take something you don't want that will hurt your economy and make me rich. In other words, it is not real estate dealings.
4
so much for the idea of a "businessman" running the country. Then again, there is no evidence that trump was, or is a successful "businessman." However, there is plenty of evidence that he is a very successful con man. And now his marks are the American People.
Good luck with that. Especially the trumpers who think he is there to help them!
12
Republicans have simplified their values down to dollars and have consequently debased themselves into pure materialists. All other values merely serve their highest value, which is money and the power to get more money.
Since money is their highest value, it trumps every other value such as freedom for others, kindness, social progress, and concern for the environment and the future.
It's like they're ruled by an apocalyptic ideology and have decided to party like there's no tomorrow. Why else would they set aside pollution standards for a minor and temporary
material gain?
Simplifying decision criteria to an immediate monetary gain helps them accrue power as they grab as much as possible, as fast as possible. They are fanatically obsessed with money.
What's happened is that Republicans have let their inner pathologies take over, which explains their lack of humanity.
It's not just Trump, but all Republicans that must not be normalized - the Republican Party has become a death cult. Considering it a normal opposing political party is false equivalence.
9
What the red state folks in the industries that are being needlessly damaged by trade wars, of Trumpo’s own making, are hopefully learning is that the alternative universe magical thinking reality of Foxy News et al. regarding Trumpo’s messianic like powers does not comport with real reality, like where 2 plus 2 equals 4.
No matter how loudly Trumpo and his sycophants deny it, and how many times he posts the denial on twitter, and has it broadcast day after day on Foxy State TV, 2 plus 2 will still, and will always, equal 4.
Some red state voters will figure this out by thinking, others by feeling, like when your stomach is empty.
2
Trumps policies, and that is precisely how they must be described, have nothing to do with anything affecting the economic direction of national and international economic activity, unless the positive or adverse effect, directly impacts Trumps own economic wellbeing, and that of his closest confidants and entities which can share their own economic benefits with him.
To attribute any economic effort and or actions, to a desire to be truly altruistic, is the height of folly, and if actual benefit occurs for the disenfranchised, believe me its entirely unintended and accidental.
Trump is Trump, existing for Trump.
4
Beyond the self-aggrandizement of the crime family currently occupying the white house, the driving force of its mob boss is hate. Since there is no there there but the remnants of a single cell mutant, the driving force is inertia with no direction or guide to which way the force will burst in one direction or the other. His supporters do not like to be called ignorant or gullible but all the evidence points in their being just that with a goodly amount of hate trashed in.
3
With each passing day, it becomes less likely that Trump's destruction of Western economies and alliances can be chalked up to mere idiocy... (Not even Trump could be THIS stupid)
Ask Yourself: If Trump actually is a compromised traitorous stooge of Vladimir Putin, what would he do to serve his master?
Then read this article again...
15
Our allies have predictably responded to Trump's silly tariffs with retaliatory tariffs on, among other things, bourbons and other whiskeys. Those whiskey companies, with the help of NAFTA and our other trade agreements, have expanded with considerable success into overseas markets. Now those companies are giving us public statements along the lines of the following: "We had no way of knowing this would happen. We never would have expected this." That is hooey. Please recall that not a single credible economist was willing to endorse the trade and tariff proposals of Mr. Trump or, for that matter, the economic ideas of Senator Sanders which Trump borrowed. Trump's trade and tariff ideas are and always have been based on xenophobia, fear, nationalism, misinformation, and outright lies.
6
Res;ponsib le US citizens shopuld buy Candian whisky, Irish wisky and Scotch Scotch, and in doing so, bankrupt McConnel's miserable base.
1
Let's step back a minute. Countries facing potentially comparable tariffs are threatening to stop manufacturing in this country? Does this mean that Americans were subsidizing those foreign manufacturers here through the relatively higher tariffs we're already paying? And that without the advantage of higher tariffs, it's not worth their manufacturing here?
Tesla is on a precarious perch right now. It may become profitable and forge ahead as an E-car leader or it will slide into automaker mediocrity with a big market cap correction. Bad timing for them to be caught up in a war on international auto trade. Every global auto manufacturer is on the E-car bandwagon, for better or worse, and they are generally not on the financial knife's edge.
Tesla has yet to make a single penny in profit.
Design is awesome, craftsmanship impeccable, but it's niche market is limited to urban/suburban markets.
This brand needs to go away or provide a hybrid technologies to compete in the open market.
Possibly true. If the auto trade war gets some steam, your wish may come true i.e. that they will have a much better chance to "go away" as you suggest.
This is the result of incompetence associated with arrogance.
3
A little premature and hysteric article. We simply can not anticipate how other markets will react. And most likely, the result of increased tariffs will benefit the American economy due to economies of scale.
But to make this brief, the following questions need to be answered:
What must the U.S. do to protect herself from unfair trade practices? Should trade agreements be renegotiated?
We tried everything under the sun to make other countries to comply with trade agreement and still they continue to violate them. Furthermore, these trade agreements are wildly unfair against the U.S.
And regarding the protection of steel and aluminum industries, President Trump is correct, this issue also requires to be view under a national security prism.
U.S. steel and aluminum is vastly superior anyway.
Last, calm. the. hell. down.
3
"A little premature and hysteric article. We simply can not anticipate how other markets will react."......Brilliant comment. The soybean Market has gone from $10.50 in March to $8.25 today and that was perfectly predictable. And if China continues to tariff U.S. soybeans a lot of farmers will be going out of business.
"We tried everything under the sun to make other countries to comply with trade agreement"......We put a tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum even though we have a trade surplus with Canada. Of course there is the National Security issue, because you never know when Canada will fall under some evil influence.
Bottom line. Trump is a moron and his supporters aren't far behind.
18
We can sensibly predict that the "other markets" will react negatively.
2
Name on time Trump renegotiated a trade agreement. He just blusters and blunders as he tell the world why they are wrong. He never renegotiates. In case you haven't noticed, the rest of the world is creating trade agreements without the US. The end result is we're on the outside looking in while the other countries are working together.
5
Thanks for trying so hard to show a balanced picture, including examples of industries helped by Trump's policies as well as the relatively few that may not benefit.
And I especially appreciated the context -- the look at policies -- or lack thereof -- of the past few administrations that helped create a gigantic imbalance in trade, enormous deficits and a loss of millions of high-paying and family-sustaining industrial jobs. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and your articulation of the problem the administration is attempting to address was helpful. That's why we all trust you as a news organization -- a full look at the world rather than unrelenting partisan attacks.
If only once I could write a comment like that about the New York Times and not have it be sarcasm.
1
You could have twenty years ago, but the Old Gray Lady like the Democratic Party has become a shill for global corporate interests.
"How Trump’s Policy Decisions Undermine the Industries He Pledged to Help" ...
For other presidents this might be an important headline, but it seems down right petty as applied to the current administration. The far greater breach of trust is the way Trump undermines the U.S. Constitution he pledged to defend.
Hardly a day goes by without Trump (or one of his servants) stretching the bounds of executive power just a bit further; testing the waters to see how much farther they can go. So far the conservative wings of Congress and SCOTUS have already set the precedent that policies everyone acknowledges were born out of animus and bigotry are somehow permissible so long as that bias is not specifically stated in the text of an Executive Order. If Trump's legal team is to be believed, he is also *incapable* of abusing his presidential powers, no matter how corrupt his motives in exercising them (personal vendettas, trading pardons, obstruction, etc.). This is to say nothing of the wink and nod carte blanche he has given to every bigoted element in our country to do their worst.
Compared to that... the trials and tribulations of business owners are far down the list of grievances. They wanted their precious tax "relief" at all costs... well, this is just a small part of that cost. There's nothing wrong with running a business, but there are much more sympathetic "persons" who fear for more than their balance sheets.
3
To the farmers and others who voted for Trump and are now suffering under his policies: you reap what you sow.
7
You go President Trump.
And please go soon!
10
Before all you Trump haters make fools of yourselves again, you need to wait and see what happens. And stop taking all those "Hate Trump" pills.
2
I recomend you by a new flat screen television at Walmart before the price goes up.
3
Thank you for you astiute advice. My falimy I will no longer make fools of ourselves by buying Jack Daniel's whisky.
2
Putting other aspects of Trump aside for the moment, two things stand out. First his experience is in a largely domestic property business that is not overly complex as those companies trying to compete and manage global manufacturing and trading businesses. At best the hotel & casino property business is 2 dimensional in a 3 or even 4D global business world. Even then, Trump had to bend bankruptcy and tax laws to claim some success. The wider world does not necessarily play by the same rules he took advantage of, so he doesn't necessarily have a clue about how real businesses are run and what they think. Second, the President thinks he is immune to the law of unforeseen consequences. Everything any President says will have a multitude of impacts, many of which can not be predicted and many having potentially bad or even disastrous consequences. Trump's one dimensional approach doesn't allow for the unintended consequences to not just business, but the much wider world as well. Be it starting a trade war, walking out of treaties rather than reforming them and even his North Korea show he is likely to go down in history as a disastrous presidency. Trump is clearly a great business and president, but only in his own mind.
7
You need to realize that trump's base cannot even understand one dimensional chess.
1
SO WHAT’S NEW? It’s what he does. Duh.
2
I am just so disappointed, disillusioned with the GOP. I truly thought there were some intelligent, thoughtful legislators (not all of course) that would rein Trump in. Instead they are just gumbies, slaves to money and to scared to do anything. In my opinion there is no GOP anymore, there is just an extreme, absolutist party that just cares about the 1 % who can fund their campaigns and keep them in power.
Actions like these by Trump are very obviously bad. Trump is good at looting companies and driving them into bankruptcy just like he is trying to do with this country.
6
Of course this is not working. Trump is clueless about the economy and economists who might have some kind of framework for dealing with complex issues of industrial development have spent the past forty years preaching against any form of intervention or economic planning.
It is like expecting kids to have a good sex life when all they ever learned was heard was in the locker room or from abstinence education.
3
There is no doubt that the trade imbalances needed to be fixed but clearly this is an amateurish approach that will ultimately cause even greater harm in the long run. These red state farmers will be eating crow for years to come. The sad thing is once they get shut out of these soy, corn, pig, lobster etc markets, it will take years for them to get back in. Unless big government steps in and has to offer subsidies to help them regain competitiveness. One more straw that will push us into a recession
2
If you ask people in these industries whether they still support Trump, they'll still say yes.
3
They think he has some grand master plan, so a little suffering now will result in financial windfalls later. They don't want to accept that he's just a petty con artist who is screwing the people who need him most. When it gets worse (for some it is already really bad) due to his policies, they will cry that no one ever helps them. It will never occur to them that they could have helped themselves. There were 16 Republican candidates and they picked Trump. Good luck to them.
5
When are you people in the media going to STOP printing ANYTHING Trump says, no matter what it is. For God's sake do you realize how many lies and broken or unkept promises this miserable excuse for a president has fostered on us and the rest of the world? Okay, let's make it simple. If he makes any kind of a statement there's a better than even chance it's a lie. If he says he will do something there's a much greater chance he will not do it. Someday, maybe some day, the poor gullible people who trusted him will learn what a horrible mistake that was. And let's hope it's sooner than later because he's doing a lot of damage to the country and for some reason that seems to be OK with the Republicans so we're kind of screwed for awhile.
3
and those who are getting hurt - paying a price - will continue to support him and will vote for him again - so in a way the point is?
3
Trump's actions on trade represent pandering to his base, not actions based on basic economics, let alone concepts of free markets.
And they are definitely anti-consumer -- likely to raise prices for the goods and services we purchase.
Additionally, the cases cited here all appear to be actions that will adversely impact the climate -- including potential reduction in soybean farming (don't soybeans consume CO2?).
And probably worst of all, they are likely to reduce American international competitiveness and presence over the long run. Who thinks that the rest of the world is going to reverse directions on reduction of carbon emissions, higher mileage autos, or subsidizing some of their industries to gain market advantages -- not just vis a vis the U.S, but other countries as well?
Trump's American Unilateralism Strategy has low chances for long-term, let alone short-term, success. Looks like he cut a lot of (or dozed through) classes at Wharton.
2
Well, Trump's is an experiment, but a very poorly carried out experiment. His apologists, such as Thomas Pyle, who states:
“'On net, President Trump’s efforts to roll back regulations and create a better regulatory climate for all is better for these industries,; said Thomas J. Pyle, an adviser to the Trump campaign..."
have no data to back up their emotional arguments for Trump's actions. It's all hopey-changey. The simple-minded feeling, not an argument, is, we slap tariffs on these goods to force a rebalance in trade that puts people to work here. The naïve narrative results from poor education driven by the desire to manipulate Trump supporters.
No Trump supporter, including Pyle, understands what a risk analysis is. The Trump voter is taking on risk to implement Trump's tariffs. There is a high probability that his "strategy" will fail. Trump has a track record of failure and overly simplistic approaches to his businesses. This includes actions like having Michael Cohen pay off Stormy Daniels, and using laundered Russian money to bail his towers out.
One thing is for sure: trumpkins will be paying more for goods to support the Trump tariffs. They may pay with their jobs. What's not sure is Pyle's vision for.a more prosperous, equitable America.
3
Yes, change of any magnitude will bring unintended consequences. This happened and continues to happen with the ACA (Obamacare). Small steps in the right direction mitigate risk. But our 21st century presidents and Congress don't seem to care about risk and unintended consequences - only re-election. As far as those that have lost jobs and morn for the days of old - what they really want are the paychecks that went along with unskilled or low skilled jobs. Those abounded in the last half of the 20th century. Initially, because of amazing industrial growth in the US compared with the rest of the world (i.e. exports). Then, when competition from abroad increased, the unions forced concessions that were unsustainable in an effort to keep paychecks and benefits high for US workers, even though the market could not keep up. The auto companies, and other industries, could not keep up with the companies that paid their workers next to nothing by US standards (but a fortune by their standards). Thus, the middle class in the US shrinks and the middle class in developing countries grew.
2
Tariffs are taxes. Where is this windfall of tax revenue going?
The only "boom" in oil and gas seems to be in the retail price to consumers, and the profit to the industry.
Thanks, Bubba.
4
Trump's voters would still vote for him, though. And vote GOP for Congress to support him. Hey, look! Supreme Court.
3
Yet the cult still supports them. Good times.
4
And when you backed this horse what exactly did you expect the payout do be?
11
All these groups and individuals thought Trump would always hurt the other guy, never them. Stupid is asa stupid voted...
4
November beans are down $2/bushel just since end of May. Hope farmers sold against those May prices.
3
Trump is doing exactly what he promised on the campaign. It's why there is so little erosion in his base. And in keeping his promises It's also why he is so bad for the country.
And lets never forget that he was not a rogue but the nominee of the Republican Party. He is now the head of that party with majorities in both houses of Congress. The typical checks and balances have been sidelined for the Republican mission to stem the tide of demography.
This is a Republican government and Trump is its leader. Yo can not judge one without judging the other.
4
Well, JL, no: Trump did not promise a trade war. He promised were better trade deals. What he delivered was worse trade deals.
In the same way, Trump promised to improve NATO (He hasn't) and replace the ACA with something better (he then satisfied himself with a repeal). At best, he's just delivering on half of each promise, where he breaks the status quo and then.....stops.
1
This circumstance is and was predicted. Simple-minded solutions from arm-chair saviors, intended to save the world from things that irritate the savior, generally have a few 'shortcomings'. Modern issues of large magnitude have complex if not vexing solutions which are not easily assembled into populist campaign slogans.
In the current case, I think the world just has to suffer through the Trumpian period plus the subsequent repair period. Too many people fell for the promises contained in those simple-minded solutions.
9
This disarray in screwing international trade is what happens when there is a president that is clueless, and full of prejudices, fed by resentful aides 'a la Stephen Miller' abusing their station. And all this stupidity is at our expense, as we'll see soon enough, when the cost of living goes up for everybody. The difference is, the 'rich and powerful' can tolerate all this without losing sleep on it. But for the poor, even the middle class, will feel it alright. How long can the American people tolerate such a brutish incompetence...without an appropriate response? And this includes a pliant and coward republican congress, looking the other way (a dereliction of duty, to say the least).
5
Has noone noticed yet? When Trump slaps tariffs on Canadian steel and then congratulates the new Mexican President on his victory and also talks of future bilateral trade negotiations, isn't anyone taking notice? This article is clearly already out of date as NAFTA is obviously dead. Larry Ludlow said as much a few weeks ago when he said that the preferred strategy is now separate bilateral negotiations with Canada and Mexico.
1
He pledged to drain the swamp. Union workers and workers getting minimum wage (as well as those receiving SS, Medicare or Obamacare) are his swamp monsters. He intends to destroy any company that tries to do well without paying him or his buddies a kickback OR that treats its workers well. He likes corruption AND the North Korean prison work system. He was stealing children at the border, why? What vicious future does he have in store for the children of the people the racist hates?
He should have been impeached by now.
2
Steel Tariffs are beginning to raise prices on rivets. It may be helping our steel industry, by enabling them to raise prices, but these raised prices are affecting the prices of commodities like rivets, which are used to assemble many products manufactured in the United States. What is happening, the fat cats in the Steel Mills are getting fatter , & the consumers are paying more for products made of steel. This is nothing more then a tax on the consumer.It looks great in the Stock Market, but the consumer is putting less bread on the table.Eventually, this will catch up to the Steel Mills as the consumer buys less products made of steel. Tariffs which are in reality taxes,will cause a recession.In the meantime, the economy seems to be strong and the Factories hire more people, until the taxes slows up the Steel Industry, & we are back to where we started.The rich got richer & the Middle Class have more babies.
7
Time for a bill with a round of subsidies to bail out the industries that are taking the hit from the tariffs! Of course, any objections to using taxpayer dollars for business giveaways will be blamed on the Fake Democrats. Meanwhile the average citizen pays more and more for health care, college tuition, detaining immigrants, as our infrastructure continues to crumble... so much winning!
9
Many of comments focus on the absurd aspects and impacts of the Trump regulatory and economic policies, and rightly so. But the Trump presidency is not about sound governance and careful policy development. It is about gaining and holding power and wiping out the Obama period in our history. This is what Mitch McConnell meant when he said that his primary focus was to prevent an Obama second term.
As long as the Republicans in Congress fail to do their jobs and speak out, Trump will continue his shotgun approach to his presidency. He cares only about his reality show. It must be canncelled in November!
11
Unfortunately, forcing our allies to seek other trading and diplomatic partners will have long term consequences.
When it is reversed, the business will not come back.
Making America Small, Mean, and Last
16
I'm a Canadian who is committed to NOT buying US products.
The substitute items I've bought (French 70%-cocoa chocolate, Danish canned ham, canned vegetables from Europe, for example) are good and often cheaper than their US counterparts.
When the Trump Tariff Wars are over, I won't go back.
I expect that this will be true for others hurt by Trump's unnecessary tariffs.
1
Mr. Scott's approval of rolling back environmental regulations is about as deplorable as it can get. Don't care what happens to him or his farm.
12
It is because he is clueless at his best.
5
You'd have to be an idiot to believe anything pledged by this liar.
11
The opinions expressed in this essay seem obvious, yet misposed. The premise of the article is that we didn’t expect trade disturbances caused by our proportional response to foreign misconduct. This is incorrect. Disruption is to be expected. We are well suited to endure and prevail over such minor disturbances. It will be advantageous for our trading partners to end their misconduct and resume their trade with us. Part of free trade is, you know... both partners allowing trade to happen, not just one and the other one lying about it
How many times does it need to be repeated, Mr. Trump has and will lie to get whatever it is he wants.
He is a salesman first and a fraud a close second.
9
We will get a good look in November at how much Trump's follies have eroded his 'base' out here in soybean country. Republicans outnumber Democrats here about 2 to 1. Our governor isn't running for reelection so that's an open contest. Washington Democrats deep-sixed Al Franken over a groping beef, so his seat is up, too. Etc. Our local DFL seems fired up, but all we hear from the DNC is crickets.
5
November blue wave is inbound, unless those Republican members of congress who are now in Russia have other ideas.
Trump is not responsible for these screw ups. Its the people who voted for him who are responsible. It didn't take much of a genius to see during the campaign that this moron was a major threat to the nation. Sorry, you get what you pay for.
14
You mean ‘you get what you vote for.’
1
“'The steel tariffs, the aluminum tariffs, the auto tariffs, have the potential to put people to work in industries like steel production,' said Jeff Ferry, the research director for the Coalition for a Prosperous America, a nonprofit group that advocates closing the United States trade deficit. 'The electorate is no longer buying the theories economists are peddling about free trade lifting all boats,' Mr. Ferry said."
Is it just me or does it seem that folks readily slap the invisible hand and ask the government for a helping hand when they stand to profit, but not when it might help people outside their industries overcome systemic barriers to opportunity and success?
7
Trump often backs down on nutty policies he has implemented: zero tolerance, fire and fury, no tax cuts for the wealthy, great health care for all. Yet his tariff policy seems to be an exception. It is now being implemented, and other nations will respond. Will they back down if he backs down?
2
Trump didn't back down on his policy of better, cheaper healthcare for everyone because he never had such a policy. He never even floated a policy, let alone attempt to have it implemented. But, I guess it isn't his fault. Who knew healthcare was so complicated (I mean, except, practically everyone)?
4
Trump is going to do to the country what he's done to virtually every business he ever started --- run it straight into the ground.
7
When a POTUS "helps" an industry, he HURTS all Americans who don't work in that industry. Trump, Obama, Bush, Clinton - all the way throughout the history of America. Obama "helped" the "green" industry and saddled honest hardworking Americans who had zero interest in giving up hard-earned cash to despicable crony capitalists like the ones running Solyndra. Bush and Obama bailed out Fannie, Freddie, GM, the UAW - again taking money from honest taxpayers.
1
Feckless rule by a reckless fool.
Pity that we're *all* bearing the consequences, and not just the misguided souls who voted for Trump.
7
To my fellow commenters who feel Trump supporters made their own hammocks and they should lie in them:
Recall that we're all on the U.S.S. Titanic together with only enough lifeboats for top earners and those with inherited wealth. Since Midshipman Trump has insulted the captains of all our allied navies, I can't imagine any of them sending a vessel steaming to our rescue.
The deck is listing. A time may come when those of us in steerage have to swim from the wreck in order not to be sucked under as the big ship founders. Ironically, that will make us immigrants on someone else's shore. One wonders how well we'll be received.
11
I remain unsure about this President. Is he beholden to Putin and is following Putin’s bidding and directions to dismantle the Atlantic alliance and bring down America piecemeal, or is he just Putin’s useful idiot?
7
This is what happens when stupid people lead. We have all worked in organizations where the best course of action is to do the opposite of what the CEO wants in order to have a fair shot at success rather than face the certainty of failure. Trump is a simpleton. It is not surprising that his grand plans to make America great again (whatever that means) have greatly weakened the country.
10
For four decades, both parties championed the transitioning from a producer of goods into a "service industry." U.S. corporations exercised increasing control as they quickly but quietly moved production to countries to exploit cheap labor and lax environmental standards. Government now no longer regulates corporations--corporations regulate government and they regulate the news that informs people of what is happening. "American" autos are made largely of parts produced in other countries. Americans seeking to clothe and feed themselves with goods truly "made in America" are practically unable to do so. Tariffs cannot revive industries that no longer exist. The time for government to exert control over regulations in order to save America workers high-salary jobs and make a comfortable transition to clean energy passed decades ago. So did the time to inform Americans in order to help them organize to address the imbalance of who was regulating whom. Trump is a symptom, not a cause of the situation that Trump followers are also arriving decades late to realize their plight. Approaches that might have worked in the 1970s are only doing damage in 2018. We need to return to a government that regulates corporations and frees citizens from corporate manufactured news and corporate repression. That requires reforming our two corporate- controlled parties.
5
Everyone wants more money, even the richest person in the world. Leaders are supposed to see past everone’s Immediate greed and fashion a fair society where everyone gets to eat, breathe and have the opportunity to work. Trump isn’t that type of leader. He’s the guy who wants it all and is willing to fashion a world where all wealth comes to him, it’s what he's always been about - always, always, always. I am amazed at all the people that couldn’t see that. Why is he doing what he’s doing? To benefit the very wealthy and especially those who can best help him - namely those he owes money, then those who will further his business interests. No one else matters. He has been allowed to lie about everything. By not having to show his tax records he hides his true motives.
24
“I would like to tell the president, ‘Man, you are messing up our market,’” said Kevin Scott, a soybean farmer in South Dakota".....In March I sold beans for June delivery for $10.50 a bushel. Today, July beans are at $8.25. That is a drop in value of more than 20%, but if you include the cost of production, estimate $4.00 per bushel, that means that the soy bean farmer has already lost 35% of his net income. Further, the corn market has been significantly depreciated by the fall in soy beans. If the depressed grain markets continue into the fall harvest, a lot of farmers will be going out of business. Farmers pay a lot of attention to the markets because it is how they earn a living.
17
Mr. Trump cares about no one except Mr. Trump. It seems pretty clear at this point that he struck a deal with Mr. Putin, who used Russian computer skills to win the election for him; how interesting that no one will be privy to his discussions with Mr. Putin when they meet again. He weaves a confusing path in his communications, changing his opinions and his plans almost daily, so that he is never accountable for anything.
There are few certainties about his presidency: (1) he will exit much richer than he entered; (2) Russia, led by Trump's boss, Vladimir Putin, will be far stronger; (3) the US and our traditional allies will all be considerably weaker, politically and economically.
26
No sympathy for any Trump voter. I am looking forward to the day each one of them loses their job, car, house, and health insurance.
45
Trump's trade and tariff policies fit neatly with the GOP/libertarian mantra of every man for himself. Their America is a battleground of competing businesses. Do what it takes to win - get the profit.
If federal policy helps one sector, the others had just better suck it up and try harder. It's their fault anyway for not being smart or ruthless enough. It will never be Trump's fault.
Trump is fixated on being the tough guy at home and abroad. There are no more rules or educated policy. It's all about how Donald sees himself as a 'leader'. Remember that Trump has no more economic smarts than a bankrupt - 4 times - businessman.
16
A little learning is a dangerous thing. Our POTUS is a dangerous POTUS because he is the perfect example of a sophomoric individual who knows a little and thinks that is all there is to know. The only thing worse than having someone like Donald J. Trump as POTUS is knowing that there is a large minority of Americans who still think Trump and his administration know what they are doing and are going to make America Great again while they are actually busy tearing apart the framework of our economy our society and our morality.
18
Trump/GOP is motivated by power and money. Examine everything they do thru that magnifying glass and it all is clear. Destroying Government; rolling back regulations;tax bill for the rich; destroying ACA; killing anything Obama did. All the above gains Trump/GOP power. By the way; what secret deals are the Republican lawmakers making in Russia as we speak? Vote out GOP for any hope of change. Ray Sipe
16
My mind continues to be absolutely blown when I hear people say they actually like Trump and approve of what he is doing! "He's getting things done." "He's shaking things up." "He's doing what he said he would do and is keeping our border safe."
All I can say is, "Where is your Brain?"
62
There is a sucker born everyday and those suckers are his supporters. In Northern Westchester, we got our local GOP State Senator Terrence Murphy and GOP Assembly Member Kevin Bryne who continue to remain silent when it comes to why on earth they are still IQ45 supporters. Call, emails, written letters to their office are all ignored when engaging a conversation where constituents are pointing out that GOP policies, and their rhetoric has produced NO jobs, no new industries coming to the area and the cost of food & gasoline & housing has increased locally.
21
Putin does not want to help American industries so anything Trump does is just following orders.
11
Unfit for office and unable to govern, the Baby King chooses to remain in campaign mode. He loves the applause at his "rallies." Yet policy decisions require reading, learning, listening and making compromises. That he cares nothing for the consequences of his actions has been clear from the start. Free trade and advancing America's place in the global economy should be a no-brainer. Sadly, trump does not understand and chooses not to learn.
15
More bait and switch....I begin to think everyone is looking in the wrong direction....Trumps magicians tricks are working all too smoothly. Making you look where he points, not what he is doing behind his back...Especially now hes got the hang of it....don't look where he is pointing...to China, Canada (anywhere outside the US borders) look instead at the insider dealing he and his mates will be up to when the stock price of cars, motorcycles, and the future of soybeans tanks...they will be making millions. Martha Stewart went to jail for this....
13
"Mr. Scott voted for Mr. Trump, and he approves of administration efforts to roll back environmental regulations"
in other words, he voted for trump because he thought trump would hurt somebody else, but not him.
typical deplorable. sometimes, being stupid IS painful.
36
Bingo jeff. Farmer Scott wants to rollback environmental regulations. Which ones and why? To allow dangerous fertilizers or pesticides for his precious soybeans? Or does he want his kids to have clean water that the kids in flint (in the eyes of trump voters) don't deserve?
5
This article screams the following:
The idiots are in charge for now.
I had to laugh at the comparison of knowledgeable business executives who understand the nuance of their operations and the realities of the market vs the one or two representatives of think tanks or loose trade associations thrown in here for journalistic "balance."
The"pro fossil fuel" guy (works out of his bedroom perhaps!) vs the head of GM and other energy experts who actually understand the workings of markets.
But, good.
Let the "Trump Standard of Excellence" guide the policies of this regime.
The whole program will be as patently ludicrous as his personal forays into wine, casinos and his phony University. The dumber he looks, the better.
Seems, "The Music Man" in the oval office wants us all to buy into his slick talking hooey.
Sorry, reality intrudes, and the ending to this movie will have patrons leaving the theater angry and wanting their money (and vote) back.
13
Being born into one of the wealthiest, at the time, real estate, families (Fred Trump), and being given easy money, until it wasn't, and he declared bankruptcy in some of his companies, doesn't make him competent to understand or run anything. He is not, and people from outside New York, were ignorant, indifferent, and worse in not understanding this. His election has not been good for the country, or the fabric of our society, in more ways that just taking their jobs away.
11
While preparing for work this morning I listened to three news stories on the radio...one was on Pompeo's trip to North Korea to discuss their denuclearization, one was on the Border Patrol targeting Canadian fishermen and one was on the potentially catastrophic impact of Trump's tariffs on the U.S. bourbon distilleries. My first thought was how tired I am of every news cycle being dominated by this one individual and my second was to wonder how anyone this incapable of complex thought processes became the president of our once admirable country.
21
Trumps disastrous presidency illustrates both the weak and decidedly not democratic nature of our elections, and the myth of a system of checks and balances we were schooled in. We are on a runaway train, no doubt.
5
Maybe the editors of the NYT should read Trumps book, the Art of Negotiation. It would help them understand what needs to happen in order to have a successful negotiation. Clearly, Trump is only going to negotiate a deal if it is in the best interests of US citizens and companies. The bolstering along the way to a negotiated agreement is not significant from a news standpoint unless fake news is the objective.
Whomever wrote Trump's books never seemed to actually talk to Trump. Trump's policies will do substantial damage to American business and lead to the lay off on a large proportion of Blue Collar Trump supporters. The economy is global, not local. I own a Subaru that was made in the American South. about half of the components were made in a Asia. Those Trump supporters who work in those non-union plants in the South are going to lose their jobs as will millions of other workers in industry and agriculture. In California over 90% of the "Sushi" rice grown, a multi-million dollar market goes to Asia. trumps trade policies will really hurt American workers. It is sad that those workers who will lose their jobs are such ardent Trump supporters.
6
The Trump supporters I know are willing to take the hits, whether it is financial pain caused by tariffs or other pain like losing their health care.
As long as Trump keeps on urging draconian immigration policies, builds his wall and continues to traffic in bigotry, their support will never waver.
Hatred of immigrants and Muslims is what drew them to Trump and keep them in his corner.
45
Whites R Us 2018
"Free-DUMB !"
9
They were warned but they persisted. It was clear that Trump was going to cause harm, even to Soybean Nation. Yet, how many of these people voted for him, taken in by his ridiculous claims of deal making and his promise to push the "other" around? My sympathy is limited. Why do so many groups think they are somehow special and will escape the fate they wish on others?
15
I just heard a story on NPR about ranchers being hurt by the tariff on beef. Most of them voted for Trump, most of them are being hurt financially by Trump, most of them said they don't blame Trump. Unbelievable.
33
That's the recipe for #MAGA!
This is winning, Republican Style! The Championship comes when they rout Wall Street (again) and clean up your 401K! (Again!)
It will be a Reagan/Bush, W. Bush, and Trump THREEPEAT!!
Looks like a dynasty.
1
I’d gladly pay a few dollars more to have Trump supporters reap the consequences of their votes.
20
The people that supported Trump are wedded to him in a no-divorce contract. The more bad for business he does the better they like him. Tired of winning.
13
it's not just industry!
djt is undermining the very fabric of country.
from societal values to relationships between neighbors to foreign relations - he's tearing it all apart.
and WE THE PEOPLE, just are just letting him do it.
we really have become the DUMBEST COUNTRY ON EARTH.
43
Looks like the long term grooming of Trump by Putin has exceeded his wildest expectations. They will be meeting soon. Will Trump get a bonus, or a pay cut - the latter option a possibility as Putin may now figure that he overestimated the cost of something that was so easy with someone animated by pure greed.
14
Please don't let trump voters off the hook. Always remind them that they own this mess and they cannot pick and choose what President Obama's policies they want to take credit for.
For instance, this is still President Obama's economy.This unnecessary trade war with our friends is another example of American isolationism, and we will not have any friends in 2 years, well, except Russia. Scary.
Gas prices highest in 4 years? You own it trump voters. I hope your big truck takes a chunk of your paycheck to fill up.
72
To all those farmers who voted for Donald Trump and swallowed whole is con that he was going to be their champion, are you tired yet from all the winning?
You reap what you sow. You voted for the guy. Now you have to live with that shortsighted decision.
21
Yes, but you forget, the positive side; that North Korea, which is presently increasing their production of bomb making material, is no longer a nuclear threat.
4
Ha! Yes, W. A. Spitzer, how true. But I did touch on that absurdity in another post this morning. . .
Wish midwestern farmers the best of luck. Hope they realize they can't plant aluminum and steel as a replacement for soybeans.
11
If liberals are beginning to think that perhaps, just perhaps, economic hardships will open the eyes of Trump’s base, think again. Among the many stupid things Bill Clinton had said, “it’s the economy, stupid” is the worst. It’s never the economy; always the ideology. The reason why some people initially embrace communism, Nazism or Trumpism may be economic but once they adopt an ideology, no amount of economic damage to themselves and their families will change their minds. Do you seriously believe that mothers and fathers who blow themselves up in the name of the Caliphate do it to improve their economic situation? Or that teenaged boys who fought the Allied troops when Germany lay in ruins did not understand that the war was lost and that surrender was the only economically prudent option? Trump’s base will not abandon him even if the entire economy goes south. Democrats should start crafting a passionate message if they want to appeal to the slim group of the independent instead of counting on Trump’s disastrous policies to turn the tide.
28
Unfortunately I think you’ve nailed the problem.
3
Trump is a poor communicator. In his drive to being the kingpin making all the decisions, he does not ask questions, discuss his plans or even flesh out his directions with the people directly affected. He likes the “Wow” effect of his pronouncements. His “beneficiaries” do say wow but in terms of ‘what are you doing?’
13
"Trump is a poor communicator."
and that is one of his GOOD points ...
4
Trump never planned on winning the election, he only wanted to lose by no more than 11 points. In doing so- he got all the free international publicity he needed to further his business interests. He has nothing to lose by losing - because, as we all remember, he never used any of his own funds during his to Campaign. And, he was right...Hillary Clinton won by more than 3 million votes.....and he won the electoral college. I hope we never make that mistake again of electing a person who has not held public office - because by doing so, we don't know who he/she really are.
18
Tariffs are taxes. Imposing or increasing tariffs increases costs to businesses and, ultimately, to consumers. As prices increase due to tariffs, demand may suffer. In addition, as we see with Canada and China, the countries that are subject to US tariffs respond by imposing tariffs on goods shipped from the US thereby reducing demand for those goods.
The discussion of tariffs would be clarified if the term "tax" were used instead of "tariff."
16
Trump just doesn’t have the background to even ask the right questions. His ego is so big that he actually believes that his “gut” will give his the right answers, and of course he is never wrong. But he is always ready to find someone to blame, or divert attention by creating a crisis somewhere else.
But this is really about the GOP, and their support for a media focused TV personality. The Party of No only cares about maintaining power, and has no interest in bringing ideas and people together to govern effectively. Ever wonder why no laws have been passed to help prevent Russian interference? The GOP wants and needs more Russian help to win in November.
36
It's clear that in so many ways Trump leads with his gut. And we are left to stomach it.
5
The Trump Presidency is a con game just like Trump University.
Just like Trump University---
Make outrageous promises before you make the sale then give customers what you really should have talked about but failed to do because that might endanger making the sale. Not exactly outright lies but the classic scam strategy of only answering questions and not volunteering information or being forthright. All that counts is making the sale---not truth, not honesty, not personal integrity. Anything goes as long as you make the sale. That is not the kind of President I want who operates according to "ends justify the means" the Republican version of "by any means necessary". I didn't agree with BAM when they took the results at any cost position and I don't agree with Trump now. I don't want a loudmouthed bully and demagogue in the White House no matter what "results" Trump may get. The cost to America is too great and any Trump "results" will have a sure byproduct of serious damage to America's image and standing and the values we hold dear enshrined in the Constitution. Those values are too precious to risk on uncertain and dubious short term gains of questionable value that are flashy and glitter but will surely have unintended negative consequences ignored to make the sale. Trump's entire Presidency is a chaotic scam and con game that will ultimately benefit Trump the most and degrade America for short term gain. Beware Trump bearing deals from Kim and Putin.
34
No matter how much Trump the Con Man lies and damages our Democratic institutions, his supporters still refuse to see that they've been conned.
42
And all those farmers with Trump/Pence signs on their property are now complaining?
The man is a liar who has no clue what he’s doing. Now believe it?
23
I heard s report on NPR this morning about a cattle rancher who voted for Trump, complained about upcoming 25% Chinese tariff on American beef, said she doesn’t regret her vote and that there were just “larger forces at work”.
The lack of self awareness is astounding. Lady, your vote put Trump in office, and the Chinese tariffs are a direct response to his ignorant and capricious tariffs he initiated. I’m continually astounded by the ignorance of the voters and how they keep supported people and policies that harm them, without a second thought.
86
They would rather suffer than admit that they were wrong.
4
Actually, she's right. There are larger forces at work: idiots like her.
3
Mr. Trump has absolutely no idea what he is doing.
39
Oh, I think trump knows EXACTLY what he's doing. He's garnering favor with his followers while enriching his inner circle. The fact that his policies will hurt millions of people, especially his followers, means absolutely nothing to him. Saying that he has no idea what he is doing implies that he want to help people. He doesn't want to help people.
14
Life in Vulgaria will change BIGLY when the Rubes suddenly realize they've been punked . Might get ugly.
19
The Whack-a-Mole video or whatever it is called in newspeak is priceless!
6
Does anyone still believe The Con Don?
The article says, "The moment embodied one of Mr. Trump’s main political promises — to promote pro-business policies that unshackle industry and the economy."
He and his Robber Baron inherited/stolen wealth brethren care about nothing but themselves. He will, of course, keep his promise to them by trying to destroy everything good about OUR United States to try to gain more power and start WW3.
Promises to workers and we "little people". Never. He thinks we are suckers.
Watch out Con Don and friends. WE THE PEOPLE are coming for you in every election in the foreseeable future.
The PEOPLE'S agenda:
1. Take back the house and senate in November, 2018 - a few short months from now.
2. Block all Con Don nominees for every court.
3. Impeach The Con Don and his Robber Baron brethren
4. Take back OUR White House in 2020
5. Increase the size of OUR U.S. Supreme Court by two or three justices and pack it with progressive/liberal justices who will preserve/restore OUR United States of America.
NOW is the time. Now may be the only time for centuries.
16
Most Important once progressives and liberals get control of OUR government:
PASS THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT TO OUR U.S. CONSTITUTION
That is the only way to stop the constant catholic church based attacks on women choosing what to do with their own bodies and lives as their creator mandated.
6
Were going to burn more coal and have less efficient cars. Seems like a bright idea if you want to have the lowest tech cars and electricity production in the world.
This is a gift to foreign producers of both energy and cars.
I remember the first Japanese car I bought, during the energy crisis decades ago. Reluctantly I bought it because of the gas mileage. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't start rattling in 2 weeks and was running great 10 years later with solid resale value.
Whenever I buy a new car I research potential resale values and while I look at US carmakers I'm always reluctant to buy based on their terrible long term value. This is going to make it worse not better.
This is bad for US consumers and workers who depend on good management to make the products they produce a reasonable value to consumers. Without competition US management has proven to be sloppy, lazy who treat customers with contempt.
That's ignoring the fact that Global warming is real, science based and we are free riding on the same allies we are throwing under the bus for Russia and North Korea.
31
I would love to see Trump's Wall Street cabinet's mathematical reconciliation for the economic impact of a trade war vs. their increased income from deregulation.
Haha, just kidding, they don't care about economic impact!
15
As a small business owner of a US based company that manufacturers consumer electronics, I can attest first hand that shoot-from-the-hip tariffs are adversely affecting the flow of small business.
The issue is centered on "uncertainty". Uncertainty affects cost of raw materials, in my case raw parts and metal. Uncertainty affects consumer spending especially with respect to those that have gained the most from the recent series of tax cuts. The fact that those with the most, my customers, will have more to play with, doesn't alter the course that if they are uncertain about other matters that will affect their finances, they simply stop spending until the dust settles.
To be extremely clear, I know we live in a world of trickle-down economics and that uncertainty is the singular hardest of breaks that clamps down on this most critical consumer spending.
While not the greatest fan of the last president Bush, I still applaud him for encouraging spending after the national crisis of 9/11. Unlike his father that bought a pair of socks while hitting a mall in the midst of Christmas shopping, he knew better to encourage spending even during our darkest of hours.
While Trump is not adverse to spending our tax dollars for his benefit, he is clearly leery of spending his own money in the public eye. That is why he hides his tax returns. Like the first Bush, he is clearly underestimating the prolonged affect of buying a pair of socks.
7
Not mentioned here are the foreign auto manufacturers who build their cars in our deep south -- Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Nissan, Kia and more, plus the American car makers who also have plants in the South.
The foreign companies, at some expense, can go back to their countries of origin to avoid tariffs, and leave thousands of Americans out of work. If they stay, they pass the tariff on to consumers -- a 25% hike in the price of an auto.
There is no explanation given as to why auto makers cannot make lower fuel-consumption cars, or make electric cars, in general. My guess is that the petroleum industry has been vocal in keeping gas consumption high, and steel would have been lobbying against aluminum to keep the weight of vehicles high.
Can the U.S. do without foreign or domestically built cars because of tariffs? Yes. Good, electric public transit will do the trick -- manufactured by Americans. But, the oil rich Koch Brothers have squashed, city-by-city, building electric transportation. They frame it as a tax issue, when it's really a "keep our oil selling" issue.
Farmer Scott of the soybeans has a true "money over health" point of view, like Trump. The Chinese are now placing tariffs on his beans -- oh woe is he, but he's completely alright with air pollution.
Trump's trade war leads us back to the pollution of the Industrial Revolution, when coal was king, to American joblessness, to higher prices. So regressive...so unnecessary.
39
You are so correct in your analysis.
So well explained.
Noticed you are in Paris.
Image of stupid american administration and failed and cruel policies is known around the world. Our “allies” should be wary of trump lies.
The reputation of USA rests on blue wave change in Nov. Then Congress must wake up, restore climate and evironmental protections and repair relations with our allies.
If you are US citizen abroad VOTE in November!
6
To Joyce,
Absolutely on the voting. Although our lazy Congress, not paying attention to the Constitution or existing law, and our politicized Supreme Court really help the regressive movement in America, I can't let American voters off the hook -- the 42% who got Trump elected with the help of a biased Electoral College, which, if you read their role in the Constitution, has changed considerably since that time.
All three branches of government, who were supposed to serve as checks and balances, have become one. Educated legislators and judges seem to have lost their minds and fallen under the thrall of "the second coming", or else Trump just wears them down to the nub.
It's true that our European allies, even countries like Iran, China, Canada and Mexico, and more, think Trump is an idiot (that's the word they use here, or clown), but only the American voters can remove him, by voting at the mid-terms.
When your political platform is based almost exclusively on white spite, white supremacy and a Great White Knight in Twitter armor, the chances of economic success are nil.
Trump is nationally-assisted-suicide in a White Wonder Bread package.
The Party of Stupid comes through again with enough stupidity to cause another manmade Depression.
D to go forward; R for reverse....over a cliff of collapsed IQs.
111
It doesn't take a great IQ, just a little common sense, a little decency ("we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men were created equal" - though it took a while to include other races and women in that group), some honesty, and some observation of reality (not filtered through TV and internet).
Especially the environment-deniers - they should wake up and observe what is happening. We all need clear air, water, earth. Not a good future, and we all have younger friends if not kids.
7
In February 2017 (after taking office) President Trump reportedly "called his national security adviser Mike Flynn at 3 a.m. to ask a seemingly straightforward question: Is a strong dollar or weak dollar better for the U.S. economy?"
Just this one data point, like a picture, is worth a thousand words. Not the least of which is the question it raises as to the self proclaimed business brilliance Trump ran on during his campaign.
50
If the American people could see Donald John Trump's personal and family income tax returns and business records we would know for cerain that the only industry that Trump is not trying to undermine is the Trump Organization corrupt organized crime family.
Russia if you are listening please disclose all of this to us. Pretty please.
44
According to this op-ed piece, the transparency that you rightly call for can be restored (without Russian "assistance"!) if New York Governor Andrew Cuomo requests authorization for NY AG Barbara Underwood to initiate criminal investigations into these matters:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/opinion/trump-tax-return-public-lawsu...
Here the governor’s contact page, to ask him to do this:
https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form
3
Funny, I never read the story of how Obama hurt all of the industries he didn’t try to help. Oh well, it’s just the economy.
6
Obama had a clear strategy to help energy producers which emit less carbon dioxide. And it worked, hundreds of thousands of new jobs in gas, solar and wind, and only few thousands lost in coal mining.
With Trump it is quite the opposite, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost for a meager 2000-3000 gained in coal. No strategy whatsoever, just lashing out against Obama policies.
4
Saving American jobs in a trade sutation where globalists have been creating disorder and imbalance for twenty years is going to be hard.
President Trump is going to have a real tough time getting started fixing the mistakes of the past, but he seems to be off to a good start.
His early success against China led some to declare the process finished, and of course the politically corrupted media outlets have rushed to declare the entire process to be blowing up; both conclusions are wrong.
The world knows that Trump is serious about protecting American jobs, which is a 180-degree turnaround from the previous administration. But to say that it is all a mistake is like saying the NY Times only carries work by ethically independent journalists when the politically devoted propagandists like Susan Faludi hold sway here as they never did before.
And do you dispute the actual quotes in article from very worried business owners and managers about financial and job losses right here in the U.S., due to Trump policies? Or do you think you know all their businesses better than they do? And didn't you notice -- those quotes came from TRUMP SUPPORTERS, not Susan Faludi?! Read the article, for heaven's sake.
11
Did you ever read that American automakers don’t want any change in tariffs?
What Trump is proposing will simply destroy American automakers, period!
2
I don’t feel sorry for the soybean farmers etc. You voted to put this guy into office now you live with the consequences. Oh you can find a lot of bankruptcy attorneys listed in phone books etc that will help you out
46
Orator11: Trump can probably recommend a couple of bankruptcy attorneys himself...he's used them often enough...
2
I hope he succeeds in his plans to do away with NAFTA, destroy NATO and undo environmental rules and regulations and when his idiot base starts going belly up they can be told "I told you so". How the people of the midwest bought his "I feel your pain" schtick when he has no empathy for anyone outside his own family (and I'm not so sure about that!) and has no idea how the average American lives. All they had to do was google Trump and business acumen an d seen what a thieving con artist he is.
29
Trump is mentally ill, expecting any rational argument or decision from him is pointless.
He should be removed from office.
75
On the one hand, Trump seems to be (inadvertently) attacking the backbone of the Republican Party by hurting some businesses he claims to want to help. But who will the complaining business leaders vote for in 2020? If Soybean farmers are not so steamed at Trump they will vote for his Democratic opponent in 2020, all their complaining now is wasted breath.
5
When the tariffs on steel and aluminum went into effect, the Domestic Steel Industry raised their prices dramatically. End result??? Everything manufactured in the U.S. that was using domestic steel prior to the tariffs now cost much much more. End result??? More cost to us, the America taxpayers.
23
Great illustration: whack-a-mole indeed. If his punters can't see that they've been had by a shallow cowardly bully who transformed bankruptcy and got his money through a variety of dubious means, they are not only discovering how wrong they were, but ruining my country while they're doing it.
So the ugly braggart doesn't have a clue, doesn't want to know, and wants to be godkingemperor, no matter what it costs us all.
Who knew?
Democrats and the majority, that's who.
Now they're rigging the Supreme Court so the harm will live on. They will make it harder for people to vote, give away more money and power to the wealthy and powerful, and pat Putin on the back. Vote cheating: no problem! Why should poor people, people without cars, the elderly, be able to vote. They don't deserve the vote: that's for those who have privileges and property.
It would be a worthwhile lesson if it weren't so tragic.
52
While this conservative could never have voted for Hillary, I will fully agree that I think President Trump is handling trade & tariffs poorly. I am not a fan of tariffs, period.
It is interesting however that Trump flat-out proposed eliminating all tariffs in the midst of all of this. Notice how few jumped at the offer save for the German automakers. The US average tariff rate is 3.5% while Mexico's is over 7% and China's is nearly 10%. Funny how they complain about US tariffs while their average rates are 2x to 3x America.
It's not all bad though. A Wheeling Pitt steel plan that has been idled for nearly a decade is getting $500 million in capital upgrades and will be restarted. Some US aluminum smelting capacity has restarted.
China especially has free-ridden on Western and US Technology for a couple decades now. We have granted them access to markets, the US actually led the charge to admit them to the WTO and we have frankly done little to punish or stop the theft of intellectual property. Maybe it's time for China to behave like a responsible major country.
Give this a little time to play out.
1
I would have guessed Wheeling Pitt has been idle so long would not even be viable to restart.
3
If you didn't vote for Hillary, you effectively voted for Trump. Enjoy his impulsive, unconsidered gut-driven diktats. Your regrets will come later.
3
The US auto industry profit is almost exclusively on pickup trucks which unlike midsize and small cars are highly profitable. The US imposes a 25% import duty on light trucks.
A zero duty both ways would destroy the US truck market and the profits of Ford, GM and Chrysler. It would be a death blow for US managed auto's.
Germany, Japan and Hyundai would clean our clock if we went to zero duty both ways.
5
Why are people surprised by this? Trump drove his own companies into bankruptcy numerous times and he has no appreciation or knowledge of international finance. We are headed for another recession for sure.
43
So how long until actual republicans (real ones like John McCain - thank you for your service!...era GOPers) in congress are going to stand by the devil? They sold their soul and our well-being for power. This will ultimately come back to bite them.
What happened to real conservative policies? The DEBT, TRADE, Etc.? Is there a red line they've drawn when they will not allow any more of this insanity to continue?
Oh and being a conservative doesn't mean they have to overturn Roe v. Wade - that's not what the party is all about!
11
Trump thinks we can win a trade war but he is sorely mistaken. We may be able to win a negotiation but that takes time and patience to accomplish, not a unilateral tariff.
Trump senses his base is hungry for immediate action, which is creating a chaos meant to deflect other issues not favorable to him.
We are a global economy and Trump is driving us to isolationism. This is a direction that we cannot win. We are losing the trust the world has with our integrity to keep our word, which will make recovery from this fools errand much harder to correct.
We will not win a trade war, especially when it is us against the world!
18
Corporations don’t vote—not yet anyway. People do. Remember? He’s a populist. What do you expect? That he would cater to business and the Republican establishment?
It is interesting that suddenly the NYT remembers that corporations produce jobs. It’s just another way to jab at Trump by suggesting his tariffs are job-killing. Of course, the NYT was singing a different tune when it was complaining that the tax cuts would only favor business. To judge by the latest jobs reports, however, Pelosi’s crumbs have turned into loaves of bread.
One thing is certain. Change is in the air. Change itself is change. Obama was always afraid of doing anything, so we just sank by degrees, but to hear the NYT talk about it, this is still Obama’s economy, the good part, that is. It is curious, however, that Obama’s policies should still be having a salutary effect long after Trump has reversed them. The Titanic of bureaucracy and regulation created by Obama should be sinking. Instead, under Trump’s direction, it seems to have reversed course and dodged the iceberg.
1
The economy would be exactly in the same spot with unemployment numbers as we have now, if Hillary was the President. However, we would have less debt, less deficits and less drama.
3
So, boiled down for simplicity, it seems the big corporations are individually saying to the POTUS, “I support you but I just want you to get rid of pesky environmental regulations, unless it hurts my particular industry. And I want you to use tariffs to help my particular industry even if it hurts other industries. Oh yeah, and don't forget those financial credits and other incentives for my industry to develop new technology which is completely different than 'picking winners and losers” like Obama did with the solar industry.”
13
Yeah, and our business leaders have rigged the economy since this country was founded so they end up the winners and the rest of us ended up as lowers. The Koch brothers have been fighting against wind and solar power plus are working to fight against public transportation in all 50 states.
4
It is almost worth any economic loss I will suffer to see these Trump voters get what they deserve. Maybe the folks in the heartland could learn something from us “liberal elites” on the coasts. If they would let us, we’d work to make America better for everyone.
33
"Mr. Scott voted for Mr. Trump, and he approves of administration efforts to roll back environmental regulations. . ." Sorry Scotty, you and your farmer friends voted for this white elephant so now clean up after him. Meanwhile, as your soybean, cattle, hog and other ag commodity prices fall, we who knew better than to vote for short term gains & a return to filthy environment will enjoy a respite from increasing food costs.
51
I find it humorous to watch the reaction of Trump supporters as it finally dawns on them that Mr. Multiple Bankruptcies is actually quite bad at business. I mean, who woulda thunk?
36
Trump's business experience is all about fast deals and quick bucks, he dies not have the brain cells to understand even a slim slice of the national and internationally inter-dependent economy.
6
I find it difficult to have any sympathy for Trump supporters who are now seeing the reality and ugly side of the con they bought and voted for. Trump also thinks nothing of throwing his financial donors under the bus. If nothing else, Donald Trump is not discriminatory when it comes to his victims.
17
specifically on coal: I wonder if you added up all the money being spent if it wouldn't be cheaper for everyone to just give each work $30-40k per year. of course trump would give to Blankenship who would distribute 1 cents on the dollar to the workers...
6
Definitely, retrain those young enough and subsidize those who are older. They have risked their lives for the "bosses" and deserve help!
3
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
--- H.L. Mencken
America's racist, religious, Republican and rural retrogrades rose up and demanded an Electoral College idiot who could make their moronic dreams come true.
Enjoy, Republistan.
You built this Trump Toilet; have a good swim.
216
Wonderful quote. Even more frightening than the stupidity, however, is the acceptance of moral turpitude as you have so precisely stated. Is this what we truly want our inner soul to look like? Somewhere, in the great beyond, Oscar Wilde is having a field day.
5
Not only built this, but for the last 18 months, defended it to the end. Misogyny, racism, ignorance, arrogance, bigotry, the list goes on...none of that causes the Trump voter to renounce his/her choice. Maybe, maybe their pocketbook will, but I doubt it. This will end up being blamed on anyone but Trump.
5
Alas, Socrates, this rising tide will sink all boats - whether we voted for this idiot or not we're going to be swimming in the same commode. Much as I'd love to see the moronic denizens of Trumpistan drown, I'd rather not drown with them.
1
Trump is trying to fix a swiss watch with a baseball bat. A President doesn't necessarily have to be an economics expert. But he does have to have knowledgeable advisors, and what's more - listen to them. Trump has neither the staff nor the attention-span to listen to anyone but the voices in his mind. The voices that tell him what to say and do to inflame his base and neutralize his opponents so he can potentially grab more power.
23
Any stable genius would intuitively know that propping up the coal industry might not be good economic policy.
5
Trump cuts car emissions standards and GM complains that it could lead to states enforcing their own standards. We've been using California standards for decades. What changes are you worried about? Just make the safest most efficient cars you can and sell them and only them. Take a tip from Henry Ford, " they can have whatever color they want as long as its black." Maybe Gm should think more about our community and the people who live here and use their products. Also how about slowing down the cars in commmercials. The only people who zoom around NY are crazy under the influence or politicians in Brooklyn who like to speed through school zones.
17
Maybe Trump should think more about our community and the people who live here and use their products.
5
Trump would do well to follow the teachings of the great sage, George Constanza.
George encountered great success in life once he started doing the opposite of what he would usually do.
As his fellow philosopher Jerry Seinfeld put it: “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.”
37
I'm glad that this article points out the problems with Trump's policy decisions, rather than the typically outrageous and contradictory tweets from this guy. The tweet-version of Donald Trump is too easy to make fun of and is low-hanging fruit. From what I've read, when the press makes fun of his 'stupidity' it actually plays into the hands of his base. The base enjoys that he is upsetting the insiders and the intellectuals.
However, the most important part of these roll-backs of EPA rules, CAFE standards for cars, subsidies to coal and natural gas, is the impact on the environment. When discussing Trump's environmental policies, please include a mention of how these industry-friendly regulations will accelerate global climate change and eventually create a planet that will cause harm to millions of people around the world. Maybe include a link to your other articles about record-setting heat waves across the US, or the never-ending fire season on the west coast.
54
Your comment is so true.
I rarely see anyone commenting on this.
Just as the roll back in regulations regarding coal including the disposal of coal ash contamination of ground water that so many folk use.
The other rollbacks on regulations and the stripping down of Consumer Advocacy Agencies as well as the torpedoed EPA and other things geared to protect us may not have immediate effects but will show up in the future.
Gay Rights Planned Parenthood other protections for the betterment of lives are under attack.
I shudder at the outcome of all this.
17
Trump's base won't care that these roll-backs will accelerate climate change because they don't believe in the concept.
6
Ya know flyover country hates the coasts but the fact is I've adapted so many times to try to have a family in a globalized economy and never could and I'm 64.
2
A slow motion train wreck. There is nothing here to suggest Trump has any idea what he is doing.
40
I thought that as well reading this article. His experience in business involved many bankruptcies and then high loans from questionable sources. He did not work with a board of directors or answer to anyone besides himself and his family. He became famous not for his business acumen but for his TV and celebrity persona. So reading this article I'm thinking he's approaching his service to the US in much the same way: reacting impulsively without any 360 degree analysis and not caring what anybody else thinks or where reducing environmental regulations or coal regulations reduces costs in one area ends up increasing costs in areas of public health due to increased pollution or less safe cars, or reduced markets for so-called downstream business owners. He really doesn't know what he is doing. He doesn't really how business works or how systems work or why he should be thinking about the future of this country and working effectively with its allies. He just lives for the rush from day-to-day headlines and the blowback from calling people names. He had no background in running successful businesses other than being on TV or celebrity shows.
19
Trump’s actions on trade, negotiations with North Korea and his threats to Nato are so consistently destructive that we are left with only two possible reasons for his behavior. Either he is so colossally incompetent that he consistently makes the wrong choice in every policy decision he faces, or he is actually working hand in hand with Putin to destroy America. I have difficulty believing that anyone who makes a colosally bad decision at every turn could possibly get elected president. By Occam’s razor the only logical explanation left is treason at a level unparalleled in modern history. It is so unimaginable that most of America simply cannot yet see it.
13
Trump’s voters are getting their just desserts. They all were doing quite well, but they got greedy and fell for the Con Man’s easy promises to cut regulation. They discovered Trump is more of a destroyer than anything else.
I have zero sympathy for these dupes, and only wish the harm from the upcoming recession — in great part go be precipitated by Trump’s trade war — could only be felt by These gullible followers.
20
There seems to be this belief that President Trump is unable to make good decisions because these issues have a complexity that exceeds his capacity to discern consequences.
Nonsense. These issues aren't complex. Neuroscience is complex. Three-dimensional chess is complex. Modern baseball analytics are complex.
Trump's problem isn't that he's incapable of dealing with complexity (he may be or not). His problem is that he doesn't have to deal with complexity because he's incapable of dealing with the simple stuff: right/wrong, up/down, black/white, etc. He hasn't gotten to the complex stuff because he keeps getting the basic stuff wrong.
A box of rocks would be discharging the responsibilities of the Presidency with better results.
112
What makes you think they’re “unintended” consequences? Trump is a traitor, a Russian asset. The presidency was an unintended consequence of Russian cyberwarfare. Catch up and say it.
199
I believe that disruption and chaos were the "intended" consequences of some of the original backers of the Trump Administration. Steve Bannon, for example, probably loves the mess we're in.
2
This is a far more important article than all those poling fun of Trumpy's diction and behavior. It's reports like this that can impress his fan base and reveal to them that he's a charlatan and is swindling them and us.
30
I’ve lost hope that ANYTHING will get through a MAGA hat.
11
The man in the Oval Office has all the intellectual curiosity of a soybean, the humility of Benito Mussolini, malevolence to spare and an entirely unwarranted, well-nigh psychopathic belief in his own abilities and invincibility.
What could possibly go wrong?
76
Unfair to soybeans. You can talk to plants.
9
It is just appalling how Trump supporters can ecstatically cheer him on when his actions involve rolling back regulations destroying the environment; tariffs that divide and make no sense; rolling back emission standards; creating trade wars; hurting the middle class, elderly and poor; and so on. However, it is even more appalling and strikingly sickening when these same supporters cry foul when they are directly affected; never mind you, me or the rest of the U.S. population. Sadly, it’s all about them.
The Trump supporters and their draconian mentality suggest that Trump and his administration can do whatever they want as long as it doesn’t affect them. With that said…..reap what you have sown.
17
Worse is when they don't cry foul--when they roll over and say "Well, I guess I'm going to lose my farm, but I'm sure Trump knows what he's doing. He was a successful businessman, after all." That's just heart-breaking.
9
By all appearances Trump is trying to turn back the clock in America. At the rate his is going he could succeed in recreating the history that occurred on June 22, in 1969, when the Cuyahoga River burst into flames in Cleveland when sparks from a passing train set fire to oil-soaked debris floating on the water’s surface.
Ah, the good old days!
6
The GOP was willing to let the auto industry collapse during W’s economic debacle so it’s no surprise they care little for them now.
As for farmers, the GOP’s only interest is for them to by fertilizers and support the chemical industry; they aren’t rich and they don’t donate.
There is no example of their economic policy working in any state, nor has it caused anything but catastrophe at the national level.
Trump’s version of policy, like most of the product of this administration, seems to lack research, forethought, and attention to detail.
14
The result of the tariff policies of this administration will be an increase in the cost of goods and inflation combined with a possible recession. This is how you make America - not so great.
18
The sheer banality of Trump and his advisers can be summed up in the phrase "Trade Wars are easy to win". No, Donald, they are not and I for one, am tired of "So much winning" as you define it.
NY Times articles can be somewhat aseptic as they try to give a balanced approach. Let's try a real life example.
Simply put, and as the article says, instituting tariffs on products such as raw aluminum and steel only serve to drive up the cost for businesses that use materials such as aluminum extrusions. As a result, businesses like mine which use millions of pounds of aluminum extrusions a year, are now at a competitive disadvantage. We pay more for raw materials while, at the same time, overseas manufacturers see none of these costs. The end result: Imported finished products are much less expensive to my customers. My company can't compete, and we lose business. Less business equals fewer jobs for U.S. workers.
This is what happens when a simpleton, whose only knowledge of business is how to make threats and bluster, is elected. He's in so far over his head, and we all suffer as a result.
367
@Bruce; "fewer jobs for U.S. workers"= fewer dollars /less consumption in our domestic economy = a loosing proposition!!!
1
Mr. Scott and his ilk are getting exactly what they deserve. Welcome to our world now.
7
NAFTA certainly challenged various industries and its workers, causing worker displacement, some loss of businesses themselves and forcing industries to "re-tool." Those are the very natural and, often, necessary corollaries to progress and change.
What Trump is doing, though old and discredited mercantilist tactics, is what destroys industries outright and forever.
The man is a fool.
64
The "challenge" NAFTA posed to American workers could have been ameliorated by targeted government investments in retraining and relocation. Instead our investment in what the OECD calls "labour market policies" falls at the bottom of the list of advanced economies. The typical OECD country spends about 1-2 percent of GDP on such programs; the US figure for 2016 is a mere 0.27 percent.
https://data.oecd.org/socialexp/public-spending-on-labour-markets.htm
There are programs on the books to assist displaced workers; they just get no funding from the Federal government. This is one of those areas where both parties truly are to blame, preferring to help capitalists rather than the workers they employ.
3
Trump if you're going to start a trade war you might actually give yourself room to win it.
But obviously not you.
1
Trump abhors complexity, but he loves playing wack the mole---
14
"Mr. Trump has ordered Energy Secretary Rick Perry to “prepare immediate steps” to stop the closing of unprofitable coal and nuclear power plants nationwide"
I suspect that Trump never kept his unprofitable properties open unless it wasn't his dime paying for the losses.
One can sort of understand nuclear with the huge lead times, massive investments, and electrical base load issues, but coal? Waste of taxpayer money-- typical Washington swamp politics.
34
It won't be the utilities paying for unprofitable power plants, it will be the rate payers ... including the very same people who support Trump.
11
Anybody surprised here? All foreseeable to anyone who had any background in basic economics and was paying attention.
21
The issue of trade and tariffs is a prime example of the characteristic way Trump "leads" which is by confusion and chaos. The image of whack-a-mole vividly captures what is happening in that arena. The bottom line will be that the people who blindly supported him will be left poorer when he fades into the past. Although I do not wish anything negative on anyone I can't help but experience a soupcon of schadenfreude as this process unfolds.
79
They voted for this. Now they should sit down and take it. No subsidies with my tax dollars.
211
Are we supposed to feel bad about the soybean farmer who voted against environmental protection laws and is now being hurt by the reckless fool he helped elect? Sorry, but the farmers, blue collar workers and others who voted for Trump helped make this mess and perhaps they need to suffer the consequences.
597
There is some poetic justice in the suffering of those who voted for Trump. But their suffering is still unjust and those conditions have to be addressed regardless. Also large number of farmers and blue collar workers didn't vote for Trump and there is nothing poetic about their suffering. Or the suffering of those of us who aren't farmers or blue collar workers either.
Obviously it is better if we all work together to change things. This does not mean pandering in any way. But it also doesn't mean abandoning people either.
2
And the sooner the better.
2
“The only constituency the president is looking out for is the American people,” Mr. Shah said.
Really? What about his massive, unnecessary annual budget deficits and trillions of new dollars of national debt he is forcing the American people and their future generations to service and pay - all as a transfer of wealth to the wealthy. What about the Medicare Hospital Fund and Social Security Disability and Retirement Trusts racing towards insolvency?
We must find a way to hold self-interested and self-enriching Politicians and their staffers, from both parties, personally and financially liable, responsible and accountable for the lies they have told US, their gross mismanagement of our county, our $21T and growing national debt (106% of GDP), and approximately 80T in future, unfunded liabilities jeopardizing our economic and national security, while benefiting themselves, their party, and special interest donors.
http://www.usdebtforum.com
37
Funny isn't it the average American is required to take out a loan to give the already rich more money because that's what federal deficit spending does.
3
I'll be upping my donations to pro-environmental groups as long as Trump's in office. For anyone who cares about the future of the earth and not Trump's muddled and backwards economic policies, this is the best course of action we can take. Find groups that pledge to fight these rollbacks in the courts and make it clear to them that your donation is given with that in mind.
Tariffs can be reversed; polluted air and water will last for generations to come.
136
Trumps lack of knowledge of complex economics is a direct result of his being in real estate, a simple transactional business. Had he experience of any kind as either a producer of goods or financial instruments, he'd understand the complex interrelationships of real businesses. As it is, he has less understanding than someone running a Quik-E-Mart.
113
Why do the Democrats not remind Trump, and the Republicans that they were ready to throw the auto industry under the bus? The tax payers were paid back with interest, if I recall correctly.
The industry is grateful, and wants to do right by the country now. How did doing the right thing become wrong? Oh, yea, Trump.
91
I raised all these concerns with my tRumpster friends two summers ago, if less eloquently than they're presented here. None of them listened. I have no sympathy for them now.
539
As is said elections have consequences, trumpsters will soon find that out.
2
We need to say clearly and loudly “We’re taking it back: all of it!”
Vote November 6, 2018 to begin.
361
Everyone! Register! Register your neighbors! and drive them to the polls if they don't have transportation! We can overcome gerrymandering with massive numbers of registered voters! Lets Do IT!!!
1
I've said it before, I'll say it again. Couldn't happen to a better bunch of people. You got what you wanted. Now live with it.
86
No, we all live with it.
1
First this article isn’t news, it’s editorial pure and simple. Quit pretending The NY Times is a neutral reporter of the news. It isn’t. There is nothing whatsoever in this article that offers any favorable reporting on the Trump administration or its policy.
Second all of Trump’s anti environmental policies are driving environmental activists out from under the Obama era illusion that our Federal government cared about the environment. Standing Rock clearly showed what the Federal government was all about.
Finally Trump’s tariffs will cut our reliance on imports which just destroys the environment. Shipping tooth brushes and shoes from China is a huge waste of resources. Better to make them here, employ Americans and save on the oil for container ships.
3
Dear Capt Planet: We'd all like for toothbrushes, etc to be manufactured here inthe USA. The fact is, American corporations will not pay American workers a living wage to do the work because that would cut into their profits. Bottom line. What will it take to get Trumpers to understand that they REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU! They have been lying to you. Stop watching Fox and start reading different news sources. He is not your President either.
28
That there isn't "any favorable reporting on the Trump administration or its policy" in this article does not make the Times a pretender of neutral reporting. The article includes plenty of quotes from supporters of Trump policy, so one has to wonder about your expectations. These are complex matters, way beyond the couple of tidbits you offer--Standing Rock and tooth brushes and shoes--with no context for current concerns. (For instance, maybe you can afford US made shoes, but a whole lot of people are buying Chinese shoes simply because they are more affordable. The US economy continues to squeeze those people. And, unlike you, I haven't heard of a single environmental activist who has been enlightened by Trumpist policies.) But no, the Times isn't Fox News where all of the "news" is favorable to Trump. Journalism (including analysis) isn't doing its job if its reporting is favorable to any particular point of view. If the facts support a conclusion at odds with your own, is that a learning moment? Ah, the good old days, when people learned rather than spewed.
19
Trump supporters knew, or could easily enough have figured out, what his nativist rhetoric meant for them and for others, here and abroad. They elected an immoral, hateful person and supported the undemocratic assaults on American ideals and beliefs that we now endure.
And now they want to complain??!! They got what they wanted—why should they expect any sympathy from the rest of us? I just do not understand such blatant hypocrisy.
345
Yes, they should expect our sympathy and help. In return, they'll return to their senses. That's the only way to save the country and rid the country of this pestilence that is the Trumpy family.
2
Where Bill Clinton's catch phrase was, "It's the economy, stupid", for Trump and the Republicans it is, "It's the culture wars, stupid".
Where does that effort start? With the end of the Civil War. The myth in the North has always been that the Confederacy 'just fade away', in Jefferson Davis's terminology. In the South, the Slave State Confederate culture lived on. Just look back to the Scopes Trial for an example.
In the South it became the KKK, the 'Lost Cause' Jim Crow and the solidly Democratic South. This myth only grew stronger as decisions by Truman, Eisenhower and the Supreme Court pushed the Solid South into a corner, and we thought the death blows were struck by the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Acts. This made the Solid South Democrats switch parties, and more or less overnight become Republicans.
This infused the Republican Party with the ugliest part of our cultural heritage, the White Conservative mores of the Slave States of the Confederacy, with their Evangelical Religion, and abiding belief in White Supremacy and Segregation.
It' not the economy - it's the culture war, stupid.
223
Distilled even further, the biggest problem facing America?
It's the Republicans, stupid.
6
Spot on. Why isn't this comment a NYT pick, could be because the truth is too painful to acknowledge.
3
@UTBG - There is truth in what you write, but there's also a big blind spot. It's not just the south. In case you haven't noticed, these same people, white conservative evangelicals are just as plentiful in the midwest, northeast and southwest. Trump's rallies in MN, OH, PA, AZ, WI, MI, ND, IL, IA, are well attended by the same people. They're not southerners. As a southerner, I've never been a part of that culture and I am not alone, so please stop pointing the finger here, when this is a sickness that's affected the whole country. trump just brought it out in the open.
Big Business, Big Ag, winning so much it is hurting!
22
Who is surprised? Trump has no concept of win-win solutions. Everything for him is a zero sum game. His ignorance alone will kill us, and his ignorance is not even the worst of his defects.
209
If only the pain could be limited to those who voted for Trump, all would be well.
320
@Native Tarhee
And consequently, the rewards as well.
1
And those are?
9
You must be among the wealthy who got a big tax cut, doesn't need Social Security, don't have kids who will inherit the deficit, and don't feel pain when others suffer. Congrats, or something like that.
I have often thought that Trump and his closest advisers have an undeclared strategic plan, in spite of their general, day-to-day incompetence. Maybe he's intentionally tanking the economy. To date, Trump's never been held truly accountable or paid any significant price for the multitudes of mistakes he's made or his outrageous behavior. There's no reason to believe that he couldn't shake off the blame for a devastated economy. At that point he could begin part two of his plan to further weaken our democracy, while promoting his radical, proto-fascist nationalism.
Democracies always seem to be vulnerable during recessions when unprincipled leaders can deflect blame from themselves onto other powers centers and minorities.
21
Will Jamie Dimon ask for congress to impeach Trump? Only when industries call for his impeachment will people take notice.
24
Would you please stop letting the Republican party off the hook. Headline should be, "How G.O.P.'s Policy Decisions Undermine the Industries They Pledged to Help"
It's not like McConnell/Ryan couldn't intervene if they so desired.
540
The President should read his history books and see how tariff wars contributed to the Great Depression of the 30's.
36
Ralph. Sir.
Sorry to call you out on this but it must be done. Two mistakes in one sentence.
1.trump "read?' Well know that he does not care to read even intel briefs.
2. "His" history books?
Does he have a personal library? A night stand overloaded with reading materials?
Apologies to you because I do agree that tariffs contributed to the Great Depression.
23
President Trump is unable to actually read a book. Also unable to write one either. He’s strictly a twitter guy.
10
Trump is a bit more intelligent than liberals give him credit for. Here is what he knows: the U.S. is the largest market for goods in the world--and every single trading partner sees us as critical to the success of their economies.
--What would Germany be--if they couldn't ship their automobiles to the U.S. at a 2.5% tariff?
--What would Canada and Mexico be--if we put punitive tariffs in place?
--How would China replace the one trading partner that is responsible for 80% of its export market?
Trump knows he has leverage--and it using this leverage in a giant game of chicken. He's waiting for our trading partners to blink. We should be cheering him on--he's putting America first--as he promised to do.
But here's the problem: his greatest enemies--"The Resistance", reside in his own country. They criticize his moves on trade--because they don't want him to succeed--at anything. We have celebrities calling for a recession--to chop the legs out from under the Trump Economy.
And now...as he's trying to bring about fair trade policies--and wrangle concessions from our trading partners--we have the liberals, socialists, progressives and democrats--calling out his every move, and giving comfort and support to his opponents--not the least of which is the NY Times.
Every party has the right--perhaps even the obligation to oppose the policies of the opposition--but when it borders on treason, that's when it should give our citizens cause for concern.
1
The resistance, in part, is because he is an immoral liar.
6
Dare to educate yourself! Thinking what you want to think is not thinking! The problem with simple is that is all to simple!
6
No one is calling for a recession. However, we're headed for one, and it is not treason to point that out. It is not treason to deplore the destruction of our relationships with our closest allies. It is not treason to suggest that the people who voted for Trump are those who will suffer the most if his proposals come to fruition.
And it is not treason to report these facts.
63
I'm guessing even if Trump's policies severely hurt their industries, these tradesmen (they're all men in this article, anyway) would still vote for Trump, because, well, Obama.
152
And "crooked Hillary". The right has had more than 20 years to diss the Clintons.
2
Exactly! It boggles my mind to see these supposedly critical comments coming from these self-avowed Trump supporters. The fact is that regardless of how inane, discombobulated, and self-defeating his actions may be, these guys are going to support him into the future. That corporate mentality just can't wrap itself around concepts that are more broadly conceived - stuff like "the common good," and all. These people can only see what their blinders will allow them to see.
3
How was it that people who think more deeply than react to what their 'gut' first tells them could tell this chaos would occur, but millions of angry extroverts could only see good in the most narcissistic US presidential candidate ever?
21
Not just tariffs.By name-calling foreign leaders and their countries Foreigners are avoiding US products and probably will be less travel to the US.
69
"... 97 percent of American jobs in aluminum are at what are called “downstream” businesses that shape the metal into things like auto parts or other goods. Those companies are hurt by Mr. Trump’s tariffs, because they must now pay higher prices for their raw materials."
Who could have possibly anticipated this?
Since tariffs are a tax on imported goods and materials, they will raise the prices to a level that American industries can again compete. The costs will be passed along. MAGA.
It's o.k. supporters will still vote against their own interests.
22
During the campaign Trump clearly demonstrated by his answers to questions that he wasn't interest in complex issues. Details were never addressed, rather they were dismissed. I'm surprised that many are surprised by his actions.
117
When he was campaigning for president I knew that he was a stupid ignoramous with absolutely no qualificatons to be president, but i naievly thought that there would be checks and balances on his power that would constrain him from his basest impulses: i could not have been more wrong. Who would have expected the congress to abdicate their responsibility to act in accordance with the rule of law and allow this monstrosity to run amok?
26
You know what businesses don't like more than anything else? Uncertainty. But tRump wouldn't know that because he's not a real businessman.
371
And seems to thrive on the uncertainty he creates with every action, because if fosters his sick need to have power over others. A truly despicable creature.
15
Speculators like uncertainty.
2
I would ask Mr. Scott and Mr. Pyle, exactly how is rolling back regulations, environmental or otherwise, good for business, the population and the country? Iowa is now dealing with and unprecedented surge in polluted waterways, thanks to such efforts. Who is that good for? It seems some folks can't see beyond their own greed.
598
This impulse on the part of the business world always baffles me. Do they think they're going to be so rich they don't have to breathe the same air or drink the same water?
24
They got everything they wanted -- complete control of all branches of government, tax cuts, lifting of regulations -- but it's still not enough.
Because, their gains are someone else's losses, and maybe even their own. They couldn't have anticipated this because they aren't used to thinking about the other guy. I wonder, would Hillary have thrown their business models up for grabs? I'll bet not.
298
Hillary Clinton also would not have given carte blanche to industries that pollute and, “unshackled “, make environmental messes of things that taxpayers have to pay for to clean them up.
19
Don't forget the vote cheating. They will stay in power for a good while now they've got a likely Supreme Court to go back to only white property owners can vote. School-to-prison pipeline, for-profit prisons, the more of "those people" they can put in jail, the new Jim Crow. Make America Small and Mean, Make America White Again.
17
"They couldn't have anticipated this because they aren't used to thinking about the other guy."
Ding. Ding. Ding.
And while I totally believe this, pray tell who is the intended beneficiary of "trade wars." What group or person does this help? All I hear and read about the unintended consequences. Has anyone heard some person or group say "thank God for this trade war"?
4
The only assault on American workers is coming from the White House. Did anybody believe for 5 seconds that any nation with a shred of self-respect would not match tariffs dollar for dollar once Trump started this pathetic trade war for no reason what so ever. He brags abut how well the economy is doing and then talks about how "unfair" the world is in dealing with the U.S.?! Give me a break. So now the Trump base is finally going to understand what this fool means to your pocket book. Do not even dream of putting the blame on anyone except where it belongs!
493
Most of my neighbors in very red rural Wyoming are card carring members of trump's base. These folks are too stupid to realize what trump's policies will do to their pocket book. All they want is revenge for the "crimes against the the Not Great Anymore USA" made by folks like you Canadians.
3
“Any nation with a shred of self respect......”. So true indeed.
That makes me wonder about the character of all those who work for him, telling baldfaced lies day and day out. And what about all those Republicans in Congress who made Obama’s life a living hell, now fawning over and bending to his will..
4
Mr Trump doesn't understand that companies and individuals import and export stuff. The role of government is to maintain orderly markets.
Tariffs are one way to maintain order: they are mainly used to prevent dumping (selling below the cost of production) and predatory pricing.
Mr Trump is messing up the marketplace.
Mexico is the biggest market ($1.3 billion) for American cheese.
Costco Merida Yucatan yesterday was promoting
Mexico mozarella. Is the 25% tariff tariff on American cheese beginning to bite?
162
Countries who have been trading with US forever, are being forced to seek and find new trading partners.
When new trading partners are found elsewhere, what do you think happens to the existing US/Canada trading relationships?
The longer this trade-war goes on, the more the quantity of trading relationships get damaged!
When Trump finally leaves office, it’s not obvious that all this gets reversed!?
203
Other countries have had forty years of watching the US tug of war between parties. By now these other countries can be sure that whatever one president manages to get in place the next will undo it, whether it was a good and useful policy or only of benefit to the rich. Until one party crushes the other (not likely but possible) the rest of the world should step away and talk amongst themselves.
Trump has no intention of leaving office.
1
One day on a lark, I tried a new coffee shop rather than the one I had gone to for over a decade. My regular place had new staff and they were not quite up to par.
The new place gave me a cup of even better coffee and the finest service I have gotten from just about any business in years. The old place could drop prices, get new staff, and even change chocolate syrups but they will not be able to lure me away from the incredible sincere smile of my new barista. This is what happens when someone tips the apple cart. People find new businesses and often times find something better than what they had. I think Brazil will make out beautifully with Trump's wars.
1
Many years ago, the powers that be in America decided to de-industrialize the US manufacturing sector. With the advent of the global economy, many US companies took a very substantial part of their manufacturing overseas to low wage countries like China and southeast Asia.
The plan sounded fine in theory for the corporations but the problems occurred when they sought to bring their cheaply manufactured products back to the lucrative market of the USA. What a windfall: manufacture at low wages and sell to the US leaving the American workers without jobs. Millions of American jobs were outsourced, thousands of factories were closed down. This devastated the areas surrounding these factories.
Now these same US corporations are whining over the US initiating tariffs on goods manufactured overseas. It's a shame that tariffs to protect American workers are so detrimental to greedy multinational corporations who should be the targets for the new tariffs when they bring their products back to this country for sale. In this case, tariffs that punish these US companies are justified for the part they played in de-industrializing American manufacturing for their profit.
56
Sorry, but that's a a tired and flawed narrative. For 30 years following WWII (or even 60 following WWI), the US built a mercantile trade policy that made the US the world's manufacturing powerhouse built on the ashes of post-WWII Europe and Japan. Virtually every mid-sized town in the US was factory town for cars, planes, furniture, or industrial equipment.
But by the mid-70's, oil shocks and wage inflation had made US manufacturing less competitive at the same time Europe and especially Japan had re-established healthy manufacturing sectors and fought to restore some balance to worldwide manufacturing. US manufacturers, especially in the auto segment remained complacent about their products and profits, opening the door for smaller, more fuel efficient autos from Japan and Europe. The US had a rude awakening to foreign competition.
Over the next 20 or so years, US companies grappled with how to remain competitive in the face of higher quality imports that used less expensive labor. Some built industrial bases in the less-unionized South of the US. Some developed much higher levels of automation. In many cases, especially technology focused, companies transitioned from commodity products (DRAMs) to higher value-added products (microprocessors). Then China added another level of complexity and competition to the mix when they essentially joined the global economy. But all through these disruptions, the manufacturing GDP of the US continued to GROW.
2
A lot of the tariffs will get passed through to the US consumers, and the basic materials tariffs can hurt US workers in downstream industries. Why not a tax on US companies that have products with too much value-add occurring overseas? But of course, given our low unemployment rate, who is it that will be making $500 bn in goods every year? Immigrants? Ha!
What protection of American workers...when both the jobs and the manufacturing plants have left the United States, and the factories left are either in ruin, their productive machinery sold off, or the skilled production people needed don't exist any more?
1
Why would any of these big business owners have believed that a man who routinely fleeced everyone he did business with -- including major banks -- would fulfill his promoses to THEM? I can understand high school graduates getting snookered or not knowing his history. But MBA's managing multi-million dollar businesses trusted a man who ran all his businesses into the ground? And do these people not have children and grandchildren who breathe air and drink water? I guess greed, like love, is blind, deaf and stupid.
738
"cafeteria trumpists" are a lot like "cafeteria christians", believing only the parts they like.
the big difference is that trump is not imaginary.
6
They wanted a tax cut.
1
Well said. I've been incredulous, as well, wondering how MBA's from our best and brightest universities, now captains of their own industries, could fall in support of our malignant film flam man in chief. It seems his business plan operates on chaos and cluelessness as chief strategy.
2
I just listened to an NPR interview with a farmer in Oregon who is already taking a hit from tariffs. Basically, he blamed the countries who were retaliating against Trump's tariffs for his problems and said something to the effect that Trump would make it work to our advantage in the long run. I wish I had taken notes so I could have presented this better, but I think I got the gist of his remarks. My guess as a psychologist is that this guy's response is going to be the most common: I voted for Trump, and I am not about to admit to myself or publicly that I messed up. That's how our heads work. Objective reality is the last thing we rely on. We're in for a tough fight to get past Trump.
595
Outside of remote Diamond, Ore., Buck Taylor runs around 1,000 Red Angus mother cows. He doesn't blame Trump for the tariffs that might cost him.
"Any hit that we take now will be superseded by some accomplishments that he will probably make to make up for it," Taylor says.
"I feel like some of us little guys," Symons says, "our hands are just tied."Symons, and other ranchers across the West, are bracing to lose money — but many still proudly support President Donald Trump. Symons doesn't regret her vote, but she has started to worry. "We're at the mercy of overseas and at the mercy of the bigger players in the game," she says.
http://kazu.org/post/northwest-ranchers-have-beef-trumps-trade-wars-stil...
15
You are right. In see it now. People justify their incorrect decision to support Trump by whatever means necessary. It is hard for people to admit when your wrong. Unfortunately the rest of us have to pay for their mistake. Only solution is to get out and vote. Blue Wave
7
For me the other solution is that the US cease existence and break up into the absolute separate countries that it is and has been for some time now. Finding the border/dividing lines will be difficult, but it's time.
Trump has set his course on trade and tariffs. Whether this is good or bad for consumers or businesses does not matter to him as his ego will not allow him to adjust the direction of attack. As far as his base is concerned he can do no wrong because their hero says so. They may soon live in a poor house, but Trump will convince them that it is a palace and how great it is that they are hungry, but they have him as their president.
164
No, he will convince them that living in the poor house and being hungry is the fault of Obama and Hillary and the Democrats; and they will believe him.
1
Because of an absence of mental subtlety along with a lack of economic experience--at least beyond his repeated bankruptcies and his record of fraudulent non-payment to creditors--Donald Trump's approach to macroeconomic reform is producing a pattern of destructive disruption with all kinds of unintended and unforeseen--though foreseeable--consequences. His penchant for reckless demagogic incitement, appealing to resentment, anxiety, and greed, and based on misinformation and lies merely compounds the problem.
Who would have thought a sledge-hammer tariff on aluminum and steel might increase input costs for US manufacturers and lead to higher prices for US consumers?
Who would have thought China might respond to Trump's much trumpeted "trade war" with retaliatory tariffs on American soy bean imports, leaving all those Iowa soy bean farmers who voted for Trump with the option of eating an awfully lot of tofu?
Who would have thought that "Only I Can Fix It" Trump was going to lead us on a merry game of whack-a-mole? Well, a majority of American voters--three million more who voted against him than for him.
323
Great comment! Let them eat tofu while the moles outsmart grump, which is really very easy for them becasuse the moles are much smarter than the grump.
1
Perhaps it's a clever plan to kick-start inflation.
You are convincing. But a big factor is a carelessness about the true vale of macroeconomics with respect to public policy making. It should mostly not be used for that purpose by itself. Macroeconomics is a study of big numbers over long time periods that attempts to determine the fundamental factors and relationships that describe economies. But when even the most erudite economists try to forecast economic activity, they are usually off. There are so many things going on that predictability is poor. Since money supply is something that can be controlled by government, monetary policies provide better predictability than most other measured factors in economics. Trump is indulging in the belief that he can predict macroeconomic effects where nobody else has reliably done so.
What's amazing is that Trump doesn't even get that other countries' leaders and voters can do what he does, namely, declare trade a point of national security and pride and just take the economic hit of a trade war.
Rather, he's encouraging other nations to dig in and let the economic chips fall where they may with bullying tactics and gratuitous insults. Trump has made it hard if not impossible for any leaders to be seen as conciliatory.
And that's why we're going to have real trade wars.
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LOL, we’ve been in a trade war for years. Unless you consider Americans dumb and lazy how else can you explain chronic trade deficits of over a half trillion dollars?
This is the price paid when you elect someone for what you want them to be instead of who and what they truly are. Anyone who seriously vetted Trump is not surprised by this. The film-flam, the vindictiveness towards people of color, the zero sum game, the lack of attention to details. Many of his supporters knew they were electing a liar and cheat, but thought they were electing their liar and cheat. Now they are discovering that they elected an incompetent liar and chief. Cry me a river! We will all see, come November, if they've finally learning to tell the difference between rhetoric and reality and to act accordingly with that knowledge.
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The term is "magical thinking." But the fraud behind the curtain was there for all to see from the beginning...if one actually wanted to see it.
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Emotions, especially fear and hate, may interfere with our ability "to tel the difference between rhetoric and reality and to act accordingly with that knowledge.
We have to agree that the one thing that Trump is really good at is exploiting negative emotions.
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Raj Shah, like his boss the president, is living in la-la land. Trump is a city boy with the perspective of someone who grew up in America’s largest city and urban area. He is used to ordering people around to further his business interests. The soybean farmers and owners of metal working and automotive companies are now seeing what a man with no experience in agriculture or manufacturing can do to disrupt their businesses, supply chains, and international agreements. Raj Shah should seek other employment before his reputation is thoroughly destroyed by his boss’s MAGA illusions. The president continues to broadcast seeds of destruction across America’s economic landscape.
Only too late are those voters who supported Trump beginning to feel the impact of his senile actions and vacuous pronouncements. They may realize that previous administrations had sought to strengthen our economy within the expanding global economy, especially after the Great Recession of 2008-09.
The fact that the American economy is stronger today and that unemployment is down significantly is not due to anything Trump has done. It is due to millions of Americans working to build new networks and supply lines with other economies and to expand U.S. trade. The president wants to destroy this.
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All those who voted for him need to feel the pain. Deep and visceral
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Millions of Americans are working to build new networks and supply lines with other economies and to expand U.S. trade because President Trump eliminated the regulatory barriers which prevented these networks be built. These networks were not developed in the past due primarily to over taxation and punishing environmental regulations.
President Trump deserves the credit for the strong economy.
BK, if I was an executive looking for someone with experience in global trade, economics, agriculture, and just plain supply chain management it would not be someone from this sad and incompetent administration. Raj Shah may find the only people that will hire him are the Koch brothers given that possibly their hands are in this mess.
When you look at what Trump is attempting to do to Canada, you understand completely that this has nothing to do with an intelligent, overarching trade strategy. It is simply a very stark example of Trump picking a fight, creating a bogey man, stoking resentment, call it what you will, for his own political and personal gain.
Consider that Canada is the US’s second largest trading partner and that the US exports more goods to Canada than it does to any other country, over 340 billion every year. Consider that the US enjoys a trade surplus with Canada. In 2017 it was just over 7 billion dollars. Consider further that Canada’s overall tariff barriers are lower than those in the US. Canada’s is 1.6% while the US’s is 1.7%. Ask yourself just why in the world would Trump go out of his way to pick a fight with Canada. The only rational answer is because he needs to create enemies for his people. Ridiculous when you think about it, but then the very thought of that man as your President is utterly ridiculous.
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Mr. James, you are totally correct. When I see the title "President" in front of the surname "trump", the weirdest oxymoron in memory comes to mind. However "moron" fits Mr. trump like a glove as a former U. S. Secretary of State pointed out just a few months ago....
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In my almost 65 years I have never seen the level of animosity directed towards the US from Canadians as I have seen recently in the wake of Trump's attacks on us. Not even during the Vietnam War. I think most Canadians recognize that Trump doesn't represent the views of most Americans, and that eventually wiser heads will prevail, but next time the US wants our support in one of its foreign entanglements, or hopes that we might harbor American citizens during a terrorist threat, or wants our emissions-free hydro-electricity to mitigate GHG emissions, or needs our oil, or wants our abundant fresh water to feed its crops in the deserts of southwest, please don't expect the kind of generous response that we have been known for in the past.
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Also, Trump is jealous of Trudeau. Trudeau is everything Trump is not: thoughtful, compassionate, knowledgeable, articulate, and - worst of all in Trump's eyes - photogenic!
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Trump trade and energy policies are driven by a combination of blind ideology and a morbid obsession with dismantling the achievements of a far superior president and human being than he.
The president's incapacity to think more than one chess move ahead and his insensitivity to the unintended consequences of his bluster plays to his most effective attribute: that of making policy by bilious tweet creating a level playing field where everybody loses equally.
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Chess? Trump? He might be up to checkers, though he'd try to cheat. One chess move is beyond his ability or interest. And though I agree with you about our cowardly bully in chief, he's not about everybody losing equally, he's about empowering his bullyboy kleptocrats and getting rid of the least fortunate, and he's in a big hurry to do so.
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It isn't just Trump who is obsessed with dismantling everything Obama did. The majority of Whites are equally obsessed. Whites can't stand a black man to be superior to them, and the more striking the contrast, the more obsessed they become. I am white, by the way.
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Trump is too mentally challenged for chess...or even checkers. Just ask his ghostwriter for "The Art of the Deal."
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If you’re looking to make sense of Trump’s “plan,” forget it. Trump is a low-information president—there is no plan, and there never has been a plan. What there is is Trump’s massive ego, which is driven by his maniacal narcissism. He’ll do anything—and everything—to keep the focus on Donald Trump. It’s not enough that he capture the gaze of all Americans. So voracious is his ego that he now needs the whole world’s gaze—thus his foolish and often self-contradictory threats regarding tariffs directed at friend and foe alike. The point of his actions is never to build anything or to solve a problem, or even to make any sense. The point of Donald Trump is simply to make a big noise, to get us—i.e., the entire world—to look at Donald Trump. The man is dreadfully sick. Give him a garbage can to beat on, and a big stick. It will be cheaper and less destructive for all.
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A posible solution to the trump train wreck is for the press to only cover trump when national security is under attack by trump. For example, there was no real need to point out that his trade policies are going to hurt US businesses and consumers. Let these businesses and consumers find out the hard way - loose profits and and loose jobs respectively.
His business expertise is mostly in hotels and golf courses which may not lead to much knowledge about anything else. Does he even know anything about the costs involved in building construction?
@old growth: i do agree that problem no. 1 with djt is his oversize ego. problem no. 2 is the fact that he gets so = too much attention. no. 3 - or maybe even no. 1 - is what led up to him? why were SO MANY people ready to follow ONE egomaniac? that state of the untied [my spelling] states will not be solved by simply handing the entertainer in chief a garbage can to beat on. the same applies to europe these days, even w|o a djt. [refuse to be divided and CON_quered!]
What did people expect? During the campaign 45 said he would run the country the way he ran his company and he filed bankruptcy 6 times, and everything he tried to sell had failed.
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Exactly. What did Mr. Scott the soybean farmer expect from someone who couldn't manage to make money in the casino business?
Regardless of the consequences to their livelihood, and regretfully to that of the majority of Americans, Trump's 95% (ers) will cheer him on. In Trump's America within America, it's always someone else's fault. Their key sources of information, FOX News and Trump's tweets (in that order), shift all the blame for Trump's ineptitude, lack of geopolitical knowledge and his outright ignorance of how the economy functions on the Democrats, those socialist Liberals and more recently Canada and other U.S. allies. Trump's loyalists live in a bubble and will never accept that he is the worst thing to ever happen to America and the civilized world.
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