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

10000maniacs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388252#Comment_123388252

King Don doesn't want more bond money from other countries? It's all the USA has at the moment.

No, Trump needs foreign countries to continue buying bonds and not selling them to literally keep the country afloat.

Some economist probably whispered that into his ear two weeks ago.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388297#Comment_123388297

The current bonds themselves aren't really "leverage" per se - they are fixed term , fixed cost items.

It's the future bonds that they might need to sell that are the problem

An Entity buys $X billion of US T-bonds over a fixed term , 5 or 10 years usually with a fixed interest rate. They have a fixed return and the US Government gets money to spend today.

Because the US was considered safe haven etc. the interest rates they could get people to buy at were always super favourable.

That is no longer the case - The fact that Japan and others are looking to offload their holdings isn't a cost to the US right now , but what it means is that the next time they go to the market to sell T-bonds , the market will demand a higher return which means the US cost of borrowing goes up , increasing the risk of default , which increases the return and onward the doom loop goes..

That's why Trump pulled back so rapidly last week when the Bond markets were Screaming at him about what the rates were going to do if he didn't stop..

pad406

How delusional can this idiot become?

https://www.rte.ie/news/us/2025/0425/1509396-trump-store-merchandise/

And his idiot supporters will buy them and hope for term 3 😕

scottser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388336#Comment_123388336

I believe Donny's goal is to drive the Dollar down in value to make exports more attractive. Not of course, in any sensible or structured way, more like throwing a hand grenade into global trade arrangements.

sock.rocker*

Driving the dollar down is the "nice" version of tariffs. It's already down the same as the 10% blanket tariff.

sock.rocker*

And I was bananas the last time I posted here a few days ago. Sorry about all that. Been avoiding the thread out of shame.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388358#Comment_123388358

He does want to devalue the dollar , both to increase in internal value of their exports but also to reduce the real value of their debts.

Neither goal is necessarily a terrible, outrageous thing, countries have been doing that kind of thing forever, but like you said Trump doesn't actually know how to do it in a controlled measured way so as not to spook the horses , he just dives in feet first roaring like a loon and then acts all surprised when he causes a stampede.

At the same time he want the Fed to lower interests rates to goose the economy which would also significantly reduce his one personal repayment costs for all his debt , but that is totally a coincidence and not all the reason he has such a problem with Powell, no sir.. Not at all..

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388345#Comment_123388345

"Make a statement with our MAGA hat"- yeah, I'm an idiot.

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388345#Comment_123388345

Made in China I'd suspect! 😂

francois

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123387893#Comment_123387893

Our company manufactures small medical devices, even with 10% tariffs it is still cheaper to manufacture and export devices from Ireland. It is a fantasy if the tango moron thinks there will be whole-scale return to the US. Given the fact the possibility of a lame duck after the mid-terms, no CEO will up roots and leave based on the daily changing whims of a rather dim individual

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388345#Comment_123388345

At this stage I think it's one of the few things he is serious about.

After seeing how many people believed the election steal conspiracy and then re-elected a failed insurrectionist I think he really is going to make moves towards this.

RickBlaine

My understanding is that the only loophole in the constitution that would allow Trump to be president for a third term is if he gets some other GOP candidates to run as President and Vice President, and if they win, and if the GOP wins control of the House, and if they elect Trump as Speaker, and if the President and Vice President resign as per the agreement. The Speaker would then be next in line. That's a lot of very big ifs.

This is because the constitution says nobody can be elected for more than two terms. That's the catch. But this is a highly specific scenario that would involve utter insanity by the GOP, not to mention trying to find two dopes to run on a presidential ticket knowing they'll have to resign soon after. Even if it reached the SC, I can't see them affirming this.

pad406

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388817#Comment_123388817

He doesn't seem to have any problem at the moment finding dopes who blindly follow his instructions

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388707#Comment_123388707

And that's the case across pretty much every flavour of manufacturing you care to consider.

The "big lie" that Trump et al are selling to the MAGAs is that they will bring back the mythical "high paying, no College education required" manufacturing jobs of old. They simply don't exist anymore.

There are two type of Manufacturing jobs left - There are the $3-$5 per hour "putting in the little screws" or "putting the thing in the box" kind of jobs and then there are the $35+ engineering type jobs keeping the production line machinery and robots running that require qualifications.

The $20/$25 per hour jobs they are all imagining simply don't exist and cannot exist in the US as the costs would be utterly prohibitive.

So for the vast majority of MAGAs , any jobs that do come back they either aren't qualified to do or they simply couldn't survive on the wages.

Watch Team Trump look to scrap the Federal minimum wage to "give control back to the States" or some such tripe , but in reality to facilitate the worst of his wealthy backers hiring 15 year olds to work night shifts packing boxes for $3.50/hr that they can package as "bringing back manufacturing"…

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388817#Comment_123388817

The constitution says that through an amendment so it can I'm sure be unamended if he finds enough idiots (and he is still alive)

RickBlaine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388893#Comment_123388893

An amendment need a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate. Never going to happen even if all GOP reps and senators vote for it.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388817#Comment_123388817

Even that isn't really a loop hole. It's already been tested and closed.

There is a full hierarchy order in case of emergency running all the way through the cabinet secretaries - Think "designated Survivor"

In Trumps first go around , Mitch McConnells wife was Transportation secretary which in theory made her something like 11th/12th in line to the Presidency , but she was explicitly removed from the list because she was in-eligible to hold the office as she's Chinese. That will apply to Trump.

There is no legal way for him to do it . it just doesn't exist.

everlast75

Someone who has access to Twitter might verify this as a post, but it would appear we have entered the next phase...

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388931#Comment_123388931

Confirmed - From Washington post

Tell me how

Think the administration moving so quickly to put the judiciary in their cross hairs could be their downfall.

"3 Equal Branches" is still something a lot of people believe is necessary and while there's a lot of muddying of the water between the Executive and the Legislative because of party lines, that doesn't exist at the judicial level. And at that level I think people are smart enough and secure enough in their positions to know that what Trump is doing is dictatorial and only has negative outcomes for the country if he is allowed to proceed down that path.

For Forks Sake

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388882#Comment_123388882

For every labour shortage problem, Florida Man has a solution, put children to work 🙄

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/04/22/measure-to-roll-back-child-labor-laws-now-goes-to-house-for-consideration/

The original proposal (HB 1225), sponsored by Brevard freshman Republican Rep. Monique Miller, would allow employers during the school year to schedule any 16- and 17-year-old Floridian to work for unlimited hours and days without breaks. It would also allow employers to schedule 14- and 15-year-olds who have graduated from high school or are home or virtual-school students for unlimited hours and days without breaks

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123388968#Comment_123388968

Arkansas moved in this direction two years ago.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/10/1162531885/arkansas-child-labor-law-under-16-years-old-sarah-huckabee-sanders

Baba Yaga

holy crap…arresting judges now too…?so much for "land of the free…"

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123389067#Comment_123389067

I'm sure we'll still have posters who object to the term fascism being used but that's absolutely the playbook they're following.

nachouser

"Nice career you got there. It'd be a real shame if something were to happen to it."

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123389078#Comment_123389078

They are currently in hiding though so it's fine.

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123389078#Comment_123389078

im sure theres a few dipshites around that wouldnt like the term "fascist" but its absolutely the road the good old usa seems to be taking now…

uptherebels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123389090#Comment_123389090

I'm actually quite shocked how quickly they all disappeared

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123389139#Comment_123389139

For several of them, their number one reason for supporting Trump was to "stick it to the libs". Their absolute best day was November 6th where they could celebrate his victory.

They've no interest in assessing performance or discussing the merits of his policies or actions, they just wanted him to win. That was it. And they got what they wanted.

BP_RS3813

People are igorning the main reason why this has advanced so rapidly, he needs people propping him up. I would argue that these people were always there - they were just waiting for the right person to come around to let them go about their business so openly.

That is extremely concerning and should worry people more then trump. Why were these people ever allowed to be elected to positions of power? How many more are there?

There are too many monkey brained facist ejets among the US general public. The place has been a disaster for long before Trump came along.