Funny story.
When Trump ‘wrote’ his book “The Art Of The Deal” he gave his ghost writer full cover credit and half the profits. The writer has never stopped talking about how stupid Trump is.
Trump’s so stupid that it has alleviated any sense of imposter syndrome for me, and it should for you if you have it too.
I think he’s smart enough, but intelligence is not the only determinant of success.
That largely depends on the position imo, and this is not one of the positions where being smart enough is enough…if youre trying to do a job that helps the most people possible.
I think he is smart enough to know that causing chaos will help only those that he favors tho.
My question: was the whole Canada / Mexico thing just a smoke screen for the newly increased China tariffs?
At 10%? I don’t think so.
Trudeau folded, this is cope
Real question here… I keep seeing people say this, but what are the concessions that Canada and Mexico “gave” that they were already doing? I couldn’t find anyone mention it in the post.
Basically appointing an investigator for fentanyl smuggling for Canada and sending troops to the northern border for Mexico.
We already have a cZaR in the ministry. The whole thing is laughable if not terrifying.
#doloytsarizm! Aurora gave her command.
I had to do a double-take on the fact that Trump’s approval rating has been steadily improving since the beginning of January. Jesus fuck people are ignorant. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised with the wealth inequality, the media consolidation, the education standards the way they are…
Whenever I think “man, the people around me can’t be that stupid right?” Then I get in my car and drive around for about 15 minutes and realize that yes in fact they are that stupid.
You have to stop and think, where are they getting the data? I’m not even sure if you call it confirmation bias, or journalists with guns to their heads.
I think that’s all about who’s doing the polling and how they are doing it: https://abcnews.go.com/538/trump-approval-polling-average-works/story?id=117999010
Trump said he was going to raise the price of Canadian and Mexican things by 25%, then he didn’t do that.
Wouldn’t that improve your opinion of him?
Thats what happens when the average joe gets his news from Xitter or Fox News. They get rid of all critical thinking skills for the sake of owning the libs and freeze peach.
Trump could literally burn down their studio and Fox news would still spin it like “The democrats would have done even worse”
I had a conservative admit they receive the the bulk of their news from Twitter, and Tim Pool. But simultaneously exclaims without evidence that AP/Reuters are not to be trusted. JFC.
The fact that his approval rating still exists after that first term shows that he can do whatever he wants and his followers will still support him. It’s a cult, nothing will change that.
The best ratings you can buy!
Approval ratings tend to go up as people fear to speak against their oppressor.
I also believe this is all just peacocking and him and all his billionaire buddies and the ultra rich corporations all got to use the VERY predictable stock market changes to get even richer. Of course he doesn’t care if the tariffs hurt anyone. He is busy making the 1% money so they don’t starve or go without healthcare or education. Didn’t you hear? Republican is the new working class party. Just ask all the government employees that Muskrat just fired …
Yeah but he still frames it as a win. That’s the problem. Loose goals so he can frame anything as a win and his supporters don’t think twice (or once for that matter)
Trump is such a coward. He can’t commit to anything he says. I thought actually implementing the tariffs was the goal? What about that whole schtick on eliminating income taxes with tariff revenue? Do people just dream big on Trump’s pie-in-the-sky fantasies, get on board, and then get brought back down to reality and conveniently forget all that big talk only to still have the audacity to call it a fucking W? The threat of the tariffs accomplished nothing. Trump is incompetent beyond belief.
Trump has loudly announced his presence on the world stage and made sure nobody can ignore him. Starting with high or ridiculous demands is his way of getting concessions.
We don’t know what negotiations are taking place behind closed doors.
Trump has loudly announced his presence on the world stage and made sure nobody can ignore him.
Sure they can. China already is. The last time Trump tried to hit China with tariffs, they retaliated and then the Trump administration bailed out the farmers by giving $60 billion in welfare to red states to offset the cost of his failed trade war. Why would they do anything different this time?
Starting with high or ridiculous demands is his way of getting concessions.
What concessions?
No, seriously, answer the question.
The “concession” that he got from Trudeau was already an agreement that Canada had made under the Biden administration.
The “concession” that he got from Sheinbaum for sending 10k troops to the southern border was something that Mexico regularly agrees to do - it happened during Biden’s term and also during Trump’s first term. Evidently, all you have to do is ask politely.
So far, neither country has conceded anything that they haven’t already previously agreed to or have historically been willing to do without threats of economic sanctions or tariffs.
We don’t know what negotiations are taking place behind closed doors.
Then if we don’t know what he actually negotiated for, how can he or anyone else for that matter claim it was effective? We have no evidence that he’s getting anything more than what was already promised to him for backing down.
You can stop simping for Trump now, he’s not going to call you back.
Trump has loudly announced his presence on the world stage and made sure nobody can ignore him. Starting with high or ridiculous demands is his way of getting concessions.
We don’t know what negotiations are taking place behind closed doors.
They have replaced their god with trump. Trump did it therefore it was good. Trump criticised it therefore it was bad. You’re asking them to retain information and think logically and critically about it instead of cheering on their lying and very false god. All the statistics say that support for right wingers drops off heavily the more education you have. His supporters aren’t the smart cookies. They like what he says and they like how he says it and he never tells them they’re stupid. They’re not fact checking him, that’s what libs do. They’re not libs, they’re red blooded Americans. Trump can absolutely do no wrong in their eyes.
Good work trump. The world respects America again. /s
As an onlooker from Europe eagerly awaiting the fall of the US, this is disappointing. :( But congrats to the people of these three countries I guess.
At least US is still shooting itself in the foot with the China tariffs.
Once the US falls, most if not all of Europe will follow, I’m afraid. The world is a very entangled thing nowadays.
Idk, I kind of love the China tariffs.
Oh wait, you meant the tariffs we’re putting on China, not the China tariffs they’re putting on US oil and coal.
But really I’m happy with any taxes on oil and coal.
But really I’m happy with any taxes on oil and coal.
I’m sure this will lead to a massive investment in renewable and clean energy sources.
Aaaaannnny day now.
Clean energy is DEI and woke.
It’s more of a low hanging fruit thing right now. The tarrifs will happen. There was pushback so they backed down while they continue to field dress the United States government. They will circle back around.
Unfortunately to his fans it looks like he won! Which probably means more tariffs going forward.
I do not think so. Even Fox news was calling him out for raising prices on … checks notes … almost everything. He didn’t win on this, even to them.
At best he broke even. And there are other bribery / corruption cards for him to play using tariffs.
Yah, I think we’ll start making progress again in this country when we all realize that most people don’t care about facts, they just want stories.
Donald Trump’s power has nothing to do with anything other than his flagrant disregard for reality and his chronic disorder that makes him just launch into stories about anything and everything. And not just stories, they’re always ridiculous stories like you would tell children. This works because most people are again, children who want stories.
While Trump and his ilk have woven these epic stories of good versus evil and how rotten the enemies are and how great the good guys are, the left and the dems have been trying to quadruple down on being “civil” and producing charts and graphs and data to back their arguments. I get it, I used to think reality mattered to other people, but now I get it, that for the vast majority of humans, nobody really thinks.
I don’t mean that as an “I’m smarter than everyone” statement, but a discovery about a fundamental quality of the human experience, which is people only think they think. What actually goes on for all of us, all day long, is we feel a thing, experience a sensation or emotion, and our brain writes a story to explain it. You believe this story because you tend to never doubt what you come up with in your head, but your brain doesn’t naturally default to facts and logic, just ways to connect feelings and experiences. This is intrinsic to how our minds work and it’s what let us survive ice ages and predators and apocalypses of ancient times. But in a modern, complex world with language and politics and technology, it just makes us more confused and wrong, which is why people tend to cling to people who can successfully create a narrative that weaves everything together in some sensible way. Not actually sensible, it just has to “feel” right and the brain will accept it even if you don’t agree with the person telling the story. This is why there are so many people and institutions that suddenly feel like they’ve turned “pro trump” it’s because we’re monkeys and we follow our leader, especially when they can make enough of us follow a storyline.
This is a great explanation. Thanks!
Ignorant perspective. They basically pumped and dumped, but in reverse, and everyone thinks they’re the stupid ones.
This is exactly how we got here. Please stop.
Dumped and pumped?
Stocks. They are manipulating the media so they can sell high and buy low. Rinse and repeat.
Trump shrugged off the market reaction on Monday, suggesting to the reporters in the Oval Office that he wasn’t aware of the volatility. “I don’t know. I don’t think about it,” he said.
Based on his reaction, yes it was completely about stocks. When the hell does he ever act like he is unaware of something
When he’s done something shady and suddenly “doesn’t recall” every little detail about it while being questioned. Why isn’t this evil fuck in prison?!
God, imagine if he was telling the truth. The president of the United States doesn’t pay any attention or heed to the financial markets? It’s just as ludicrous a position!
Nah, conservative and liars always use the “i don’t know” “i don’t remember” “it’s not me” cards. It’s always a lie, they know, they remember, they are responsible.
Yes, we all know, but in difference to other countries, somehow, you are not immediately fired or fined, if you’re as incompetent as you are not knowing the things you have to know in such a positions.
Yeah its totally cool to do evil shit and lie about it in an obvious but consistent manner.
But to suggest to such a criminal’s face that they would LIE about it? Well that’s not appropriate for the news!
This was the same guy who was so worried about the DJIA numbers that he denied Covid.
I think that would actually be for the better. A President who cares not for the financial markets, but for the number of hours the average person has to work to afford a house.
If I could only remember which cunt used to do the same schemes, without suffering any consequences… Nah, can’t remember.
The EU will most likely stave off tariffs by buying much more US gas.
Yes, Mexico moves 10k reserves to the border… to twiddle their thumbs there. And Canada agreed to invest 1.5 billion in the border they already agreed to with Biden. Epic win!
México is having a huge problem with the narcos and keeps getting worse, if only we had elements to spare to combat this problem… But hey, sending them to the border to harrass migrants and then give them to the same narcos is an epic win, right?
Yeah, how to combat the narcos is a real issue… I’m willing to bet military force won’t solve it though.
The moment the expresident said the strategy would be “hugs, not bullets”, everything became even worse, it was basically “let them do as they please”, there were even videos of narcos walking by and making fun of the militia in their faces.
Thar strategy is still in place so… In different circumstances, it could have worked, with the current administration (which is completely under the narcos control) it’s pointless and will only lead to the harassment of the migrants.I’d imagine mexico needs an El Salvador type approach. Not a Duterte type approach …
And a prison for these people on Clarion.
It would have to be backed with better quality of life for the citizens… So it’s never gonna happen
I could imagine removing every gang tattooed individual from Mexican society would bring much improvement in and by itself, no?
War on drugs certainly is not the answer to problem. Education & harm reduction, decriminalization, and supply-side testing (re: no accidental fent in your coke) would be a welcomed cultural shift forward. Prohibition will only continue to dig us deeper with folks in prison, murder, and underground trafficking schemes.
The problem for Mexico is that it can’t really take any steps on its own to solve this problem.
The failed US drugs policy results in a huge demand for illegal drugs. That results in big payouts to anybody trafficking the drugs across the border. All that contraband flowing for huge money results in powerful crime bosses. If Mexico completely legalized all drugs, it wouldn’t do much because the demand is coming from the US, not Mexico.
Mexico would love to shut off the flow of drugs into the US, because that’s the reason their country is so dangerous and violent. Without that lucrative drug smuggling route, there wouldn’t be rich, powerful narcos with their own private armies.
You understand the role of the narcos is narcotic trafficking, and not a blanket name for “the bad hombres” across the border? The Mexican National Guard being present at the border can and will hamper the drug traffic to the north, and I don’t see how they will ‘give them to the same narcos’.
If anything, is the county and state forces that would do shit like that, because they’re easier to corrupt and often work with the drug cartels in their region because if they don’t cooperate, they will be fired, with gunshots.
