Donald Trump the Megathread part II - mod warnings in OP, Updated 18/03/25

Iecrawfc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123339808#Comment_123339808

He was banging on about clawing back money from the EU for all the raping and pillaging they've done on America, maybe it a precursor to a partial default as it's only money the US is owed anyway

circadian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340122#Comment_123340122

It will drive interest rates up, lending becomes more expensive when this happens. US government will most likely have to step in to steady the ship if the selloff continues.

I don't know who's selling off but China and Japan hold large amounts of US bonds and they could start to slowly release those to prop their own currencies.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340014#Comment_123340014

That's the thing when he talks about how they have so many European and Japanese cars in the US, but we won't take their cars.

Yeah, because most American cars are a) too big for European and Japanese roads, cities, parking spaces etc, b) don't meet our emissions restrictions, and c) because they're bigger they have far worse fuel economy.

Now a lot of the above is due to the amount of driving they have to do in much of America due to worse public transport, cities/towns being further apart and so their cars need greater comfort levels and are bigger. But there's no demand for their cars over here (or in Japan) because they simply don't suit our driving/roads, and also we have an abundance of our own cars which more than meet our needs.

But no. Trump has to burn down everyone's economy because we're not buying their cars that we likely won't be able to f*cking use anyway. It's supply and demand. There's no supply of US cars required over here, because there's no demand for them.

8-10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340133#Comment_123340133

In general terms the hit to 'traditional' Western economies is a good thing politically - the more chaos and conflict between allies the better. Economically I wonder if some of the countries hardest hit by tariffs will be more willing to ignore sanctions in order to deal with Russia instead.

And despite trading more with the US than many countries hit with tariffs, they didn't actually get any applied to themselves!

So I wonder if reciprocal tariffs from the EU or China could have the same effect and suddenly the US themselves are more willing to deal with Russia again. I think sanctioned individuals have already travelled to the US and met officials in the White House which is pretty wild, but seems like the current administration is much more willing to work with Russia

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340189#Comment_123340189

Ford don't even make cars for the US market anymore!

I think Suzuki specifically pulled out of the US because they knew it was futile developing SUVs for just one market when it made more sense to concentrate on being the biggest small car maker in the world and dominate markets with huge growth potential like India.

US truck makers are also going to lose what international markets they do have in Mexico and Canada as the likes of BYD Shark take over.

DarkJager21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340132#Comment_123340132

Why would any country even open negotiations with that imbecile if that's his take on it? Time for more countries to give the wannabe bully a kick in the balls and as hard as possible, **** him.

poop emoji

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340089#Comment_123340089

Trump promised to get rid of capital gains tax

… he got rid of capital gains

I’m looking forward to him getting rid of income tax … by getting rid of incomes

odyssey06

A Trump appointed judge nixes his move to curtail the freedom of the press over Trump's childish "Gulf of America" nonsense.

A FEDERAL JUDGE ordered the White House on Tuesday to restore The Associated Press’s full access to cover presidential events, affirming on First Amendment grounds that the US government cannot punish the news organisation for the content of its speech. US District Judge Trevor N McFadden, an appointee of President Donald Trump, ruled that the government cannot retaliate against the AP’s decision not to follow the president’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico.

https://www.thejournal.ie/court-orders-white-house-to-restore-associated-presss-access-gulf-of-america-dispute-6673055-Apr2025/

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340137#Comment_123340137

MAGA is an ideology which is difficult to understand for anybody with an education. It will only make America weaker.

MAGA is as dumb as the Nazi ideology was, only it doesn't kill so many people. It only destroys the economy.

Think of how many US Americans invested their pension on the stock market. That's not amusing for them.

Think of the fact that Ireland is Boeing's biggest customer outside of America. Only a prosperous Ireland with a low taxation economy can be that kind of customer. It's always two ways.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340140#Comment_123340140

 “Hitting Americans in their bank account is usually fatal for those in power.”

You would hope this holds true today also - at least within this global “war” Americans will see casualties - their own casualties - people losing jobs- prices going up etc The TV networks and newspapers not under control of MAGA will have a duty to report on all of this loss - it’s still a significant weapon to use - MAGA will try and cover up the bad stuff happening on home ground - they’re already doing that - if people vote Republican in significant numbers come next elections, then we’ll know the media in America have also failed the people

Montage of Feck

Won't opening my degiro account for a while, gambling is a mugs game! Prize bonds or the credit union from now on.

dogbert27

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340145#Comment_123340145

I'm waiting for him to announce any day now that he wants all countries to repay the money given as part of the Marshall Plan. (I'm serious)

8-10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340122#Comment_123340122

I honestly struggle to answer this because of how many factors are at play right now and how unprecedented, and at times irrational, some of the factors are

In general terms, higher bond yields means higher borrowing costs over the long term for everyone. So without the fed doing anything to the short term interest rates, you'll see interest rates rise anyway and it has a downward impact on inflation.

But the usual time that happens is because less money is invested in bonds because a healthy bull market means you want less in bonds and more in equities. Then when equities go down, you take out your money and throw into bonds as a safe haven, dropping yields again. Here we're seeing higher bond yields because of a loss of confidence in US debt - that's not good - especially when inflation is likely to start growing more because of the tariffs

Trump is pressuring the Fed to cut rates, but I can't see them doing that. If the currency has a more dangerous devaluation spike they will surely have to look at raising them

But the kicker here is the current volatility and unpredictability of what will actually happen because you have:

1. US Tariffs kicking in - sweeping and mostly indiscriminate - but most worryingly, nobody knows if they are temporary and removed imminently after negotiation, permanent and long lasting, or likely to increase further

2. Threat of retaliatory action from tariffed countries

3. A stock market trying to act rationally given the uncertainty of #1 and #2 above - which is basically impossible

So I think the only thing the Fed can do right now on interest rates is………wait. I can't see a case for acting quickly with so much flux, unless there's a serious threat on the currency or bond side - and likely I think the first action will be for the Fed to buy bonds in a staggering amount, I think this could start happening really soon

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340298#Comment_123340298

It's something I was thinking about last night; our prices (and the same with other countries) may rise due to tariffs on US goods. But in the US, their prices will rise due to tariffs… on everyone.

Unless it's something completely made with raw materials from the US, manufacturers/processed, packaged etc, all in the US, then the price of it will rise. Whereas we only have to deal with that on goods from the US.

Of course there is then the knock-on effect of that for us too, but overall just in terms of day-to-day consumers, the US populace are going to be hit much harder than us. And that could make them start to turn and reject Trump's plan very quickly.

That may not matter because Trump will still belt on regardless and won't stop until he can point to some sort of win, but if enough GOP politicians start to feel the heat maybe some of them will start to remember they have a backbone they haven't used in a while.

Infoseeker1975

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340301#Comment_123340301

Investing with money you do not need for day to day plus having a rainy day account already funded is wise assuming your timeline is 10yrs+.

By the end of April Trump will have moved onto something else in a moronic fashion; he is bored with Gaza, bored with Ukraine, now it is tariffs, something else will take over soon

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340342#Comment_123340342

We hang on to what little hope we have I guess - I’m with ya, just not totally convinced American public will react and respond they way we want them to - they seem to be more easily swayed today than ever they were- and not in a good way

Also, it’s not just prices -there’s also loss of jobs which we may not see for a while but it will come - article below bloody sobering reading - I know our country has its problems - housing, long medical waiting lists - etc -but it does have jobs- and good ones too- but for how long more?

Im not particularly religious but I don’t believe it’s a sin to pray for high prices and high unemployment rates in America until they see sense

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/09/half-the-place-would-be-blown-to-bits-the-irish-villages-under-threat-from-trumps-tariffs

RickBlaine

Apple's share price is now what it was in April 2024. Trump has wiped an entire year's worth of stock growth in just a few days of trading.

Will_I_Amnt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340140#Comment_123340140

Trump claims it's already $2 billion per day being taken in new tariffs - which is bullcrap - But the high fives and back slapping on X here is bizzare - don't they realize it's $2 billion per day coming from them (even if it was true)

https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1909705233334141146

poop emoji

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340415#Comment_123340415

while wiping out two trillion per day every day of Americans wealth

McFly85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340342#Comment_123340342

Even if there are products that are created end-to-end in the US, prices will likely still go up on those to closely match their tariffed equivalents while being slightly cheaper, driven by a mix of corporate greed and general increased operational costs caused by Trumps disastrous policies.

Nobody wins here, apart from Trump and that’s mostly in his own head.

poop emoji

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nuclear-option-china-could-trade-150000821.html

”But the scenario is highly unlikely, not least because the pain for China would be huge.

Marcello Estevão, chief economist at the Institute for International Finance (IIF), says: “It would be self-defeating because it would very much hurt China.”

LOL the only country world that cares even less than Trump about their subjects is China

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340415#Comment_123340415

Given the relief for goods already en route to the US, it'll likely be a month or two before the price hikes really begin for American consumers. And rest assured they will, because there's not a hope in hell corporations are going to eat 20, 50 or 100% tarriffs. It'll be even worse when entire industries start floundering - just in quarters I frequent online I know the board game industry as we know it is going to be unable to function in the US at least given some of these tarriffs.

Also, a tarriff is a tax. 'Trump tax hike' has a nice ring to it, and one any competent opposition would be repeating over and over again in the long run up to mid-term elections.

8-10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340465#Comment_123340465

Thank God there's competent opposition eh?

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340474#Comment_123340474

My default expectation from the Democrats is an endless series of failure and self-owns, alas.

All_in_Flynn

China with an 84% retaliatory tariff. No backing down there anyway.

Where does this end? The two largest economies in the world are in a full on trade war.

poop emoji

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340532#Comment_123340532

Yep China just slapped back with extra 50% bringing up to 84%

https://m-mof-gov-cn.translate.goog/czxw/202504/t20250409_3961685.htm?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

breezy1985

Looking at comments online and interviews with the general public I am getting the feeling that Trump supporter thinks putting a tariff on China (or whoever) means that China has to pay the tariff and not the importer.

yagan

t bills falling is hardly surprising when Trump has talked previously of such bonds being forcefully elongated, another form of default.

Tariffs actually happening crystalizes the t bill risk, so no surprise if they're being sold off around the world.

I'm not what the fed can do, as this isn't a liquidity crisis like in 08. This is a tsunami of USD coming home where no where to go.

VinLieger

Chefs kiss timing from china with 2 hours till US open plenty of time to have opening several percent down again, there will surely be a republican revolt after today

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123340532#Comment_123340532

It's not really. It's the US that's at war with the global economy. It's just China has been more prepared for turbulence since the Huawei ban.

The global economy outside the US will continue regardless.