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

Economics101

Now you get fired for writing scientific assessments:

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/29/climate/trump-dismisses-climate-report-authors/index.html

Stalin used to favour the view that acquired charestics could be inherited, so he promoted Trofim Lysenko. This is the level of the attack on reality that the Orange CLown is leading.

rossie1977

BBC article today is an eye-opener. 90% of Republicans approve of Trumps policies so far. That is nothing of incredible given how horrendous he has been.

Good article on RTE too talking about Democrats trying to get any sort of attention when the media is just wall to wall Trump/Trump/Trump. I just took at look at NBC news front page yesterday and every story was Trump related, imagine every story on RTE focused on Martin or Michael D day in day out..

yagan

^^

It's a cult.

Economics101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401676#Comment_123401676

But that begs the question as to how many former Republicans are now Independents, or some other label. Of course the diminishing band of declared Republicans will support DJT.

But I'm shocked that the GOP has not lost even more support.

PropJoe10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401676#Comment_123401676

There's two elements now to the GOP. The first is the kind that will only care that a "Republican" candidate is in power, and will assume he's doing a good job. The second is the Trump voter that's been brainwashed into thinking that Trump is the second arrival of Jesus. And would vote Trump even if he visited their house personally and torched it. The much more relevant portion (as always) of the electorate is the Independent voter. He is way underwater with that bracket.

sock.rocker*

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401362#Comment_123401362

I teach high school students in Vietnam, who have been taught by their maths teachers etc. that the reciprocal tariff is a result of a 92% tariff Vietnam puts on goods from America.. What. Nonsense.

I did an entire lesson, with all the maths involved, to teach them how all this actually works. It is astonishing what people just believe to be true. It was the best series of lessons I've ever taught because it was relevant, blew the students' minds, and I taught it well and with obvious authority. I made it fun and got them really engaged. I threw in demand curves for the nerds and worked out the dumbass tariff rate calculation on the board for the doubters.

This insidious idea that other countries pays the tariff meant not a single student in any class got the right answer to "After the tariffs, now how much does Vietnam sell the coffee for." Every random combination of numbers was given using the number 46 apart from the arbitrary $1 that was written clearly on the board before the tariff.

They couldn't remotely grasp the idea that this was an import tax paid by Americans because it made no intuitive sense. I had even explained "import tax" at the start, knowing they would understand it, but would still be unable to link it to the tariffs. Americans are the exact same and that's why Amazon labelling the tariff is so damaging. It exposes the entire idea as being complete and utter dumbassery. It would make Americans look at the maths of it all, and like my students, realise something unintuitive was happening.

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401859#Comment_123401859

Wouldn't have thought it was even that unintuitive. An import tax that's passed onto the consumer.

Frank Bullitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123400784#Comment_123400784

If this election was anything for the cons, it was a resounding failure on all accounts. Them getting more seats is a very distant booby prize when they were projected to win over 200 seats at one point.

And for Pierre to not even win his seat, the icing on the cake. It’s a great time to be living in Canada, and now with a stable leader.

Great result all around.

sock.rocker*

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401929#Comment_123401929

The idea of attacking another country by making things more expensive for your own population is rather unintuitive. Tariffs being a crude vehicle to alter user behaviour is definitely not something people are usually aware of. They're usually something industry deals with, to the benefit of industry in the long-term.

aloyisious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401053#Comment_123401053

So the question is: did Leavitt come up with the words in the quote that Amazon acted in a hostile political way? Will there be an explanation from the White House Press Office that Leavitt's words should not be taken to be a White House statement that Bezos was behind the "hostile political" act against the Trump administration?

sock.rocker*

America just prints money. They print money and invest it into themselves or buy shlt from abroad, and the rest of the world sells to America, gets money, and invests that back into America or buys their debt. They have "exorbitant privilege" by having this money supply. This is well-documented.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorbitant_privilege

They can print money with less inflation because the dollar is held worldwide. Imagine the power of being able to print your own currency but because it is held all around the world, the inflationary effect inside your own country is minimised whilst enjoying the benefits.

And now, they are telling the world that they are ripping off America. The entire world apparently ripped off America by partaking in the financial system it created. The absurdity of the accusation and subsequent tariffs is galling.

Their entire life and economic status is built upon the dollar being the reserve currency, not because they are brilliant. They are living the absolute dream. The EU has to earn its dollars through actual economic output, same as Asia, and everywhere else. European companies flow west to get some of that US dollar, because Europe is a real place with a real currency that it can't print.

I just want it all to collapse. I want the Euro to be the reserve currency not beholden to the whimsy of whoever is power in the US or any European country. I am tired of mediocre Americans living mediocre lives thinking they are the best, as if their mediocrity is what makes America great. Is it any wonder they think Europe and Asia are so terrible when their completely normal lives can bring such wealth. "Obviously Europeans must be lazy and Asians hate their lives. Obviously."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system

I hope Trump's actions lead to the dollar losing its status, its debt losing its status, and investors around the world investing in their own economies. This is what the markets have been hinting at and if it happens, US wealth will crater.

Leroy42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123402141#Comment_123402141

Trumps WH? They neither explain or retract.

It was said. The headlines are now how Amazon are anti-US. No need to talk about the impact of tariffs.

Who cares what the PR person says? Their job is to deflect and spout a line for their boss.

aloyisious

One thing for certain is that, unless she's an economist doubling as a PR person, Leavitt's words mean some-one on the White House team recognized the effect that Amazon's alleged plan would have on the consumers faith in Trumps message that all is OK with the economy under him and took steps to attack the messenger, and nullify the effect that Amazons plan would have had/might still have in nailing down the lie that the economy was doing OK in Trump's care.

If Leavitt makes some hashed up porridge of words to mollify Bezos, she's there for the long haul or until some-one higher in the food chain says goodbye and pushes her under the bus or moves her to another job in the Admin. It'll also show that Bezos is not expendable as a financier to the Trump campaign.

briany

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401716#Comment_123401716

I think at some point we should stop with this moderate/former Republican thing and I think that point was last year. After Trump kerb-stomped Nikki Haley in the 2024 primary, you'd think the notion would have been decisively repudiated. They're like the political equivalent of dark matter - it's claimed they exist in large quantities, yet no empirical method can detect them. It's like this - if they dislike Trump enough to leave the party or disavow him or whatever, then they can vote for the other candidate. If not, they can fukk off.

Trump's been around so long, now, that we should have a reasonable analysis of where his political capital comes from. Yes, he may have turned off some old school Republicans, but he's also pulled in a lot of new voters. The critical thing about Trump is that he has always been able to appeal directly to the public instead of relying on the Republican party's media machine and he doesn't care about protocol, so he's not going to 'wait his turn' like every other career politician. He's no qualms or scruples about hijacking the party and this is why they can't get shot of him. There is no candidate they could put up who would be more popular. Going back to the Nikki Haley example, if such a person existed, maybe they could have defeated Trump in the primary with the aid of all these mythical disaffected/former Republicans?

poop emoji

Smart retailers should label extra tax on products as Trump tax or Freedom Tax, sure who doesn’t like extra freedom

RickBlaine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123400512#Comment_123400512

If Canada became the 51st state, it would almost certainly lean democrat because Canada has a more progressive political culture than the U.S. overall. So that would be like adding another California to the electoral college in terms of population and giving the democrats a major advantage in federal elections. Just another example of Trump not taking more than 2 seconds to think of the ramifications of his proposals. It'll never happen anyway.

swampgas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123402840#Comment_123402840

Trump and Co. have no intention of allowing any kind of free election where they might lose power. If they somehow manage to grab Canada, or anywhere else, they won't be worried about the voting intentions of their new citizens/serfs.

doyle55

Looks like the tariffs are starting to hit now.

It will be interesting watching MAGA react.

steinbock123

I’m watching Trump on tv at his first 100 days rally in Michigan. You’ve never heard such bullshit !!

dairyedge

hey everybody, we’re all going to get laid.

nomdeboardie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123402921#Comment_123402921

Funny, I was incredulous at the "Live" banner on the TV, as it sounded identical to all his blatherngs for the last decade!

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123402921#Comment_123402921

He has to be on something, no one could possibly go on like that normally, even the supporters in the background are losing the will to live.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123402840#Comment_123402840

Puerto Ricans can have full US citizenship but can't vote for Congress or the President.

IF Canadians were able to vote then, and only then, it would be like Northern Ireland here where they'd have the deciding vote in a 32 county Dáil and the Republicans wouldn't like that.

Cookie_Monster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123402699#Comment_123402699

I'm not sure that really works to do anything but show the markups added at stages along the supply chain.

if an importer buy widgets for $1 and sells them to amazon for $5 who sell it to consumer for $10, the price to the consumer is not going to jump to $20, more like $12 say. You think thats going to be straightforward for US consumers to understand? A 100% tariff increasing their product cost by 20%, they'll probably think they're getting a 'great deal' by saving $8 😂

amandstu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123402978#Comment_123402978

I think everyone will notice when prices rise.When have they ever not?

With goods with higher markups it may be less obvious but I don't see how the price effects of high tariffs can be hidden -unless perhaps Trump brings them down to 10% across the board ,which may possibly be manageable(if stupid)

I think if high tariffs kick in then the Felon's approval rate will dip further(with what consequences I can't say)

Never thought I would be wishing for the abrupt end of American dominance but they are not fit to lead the free world anymore.

Dr Robert

Trump went full Biden with that speech.

Clearly showing his age now.

Timberrrrrrrr

This interview

Remember the photo of the guys hand with the tattoo's and someone had photoshopped MS13 on it to show how they could be interpreted?

Trump thinks the guy actually has MS13 on his hand and will not believe that it's photoshopped, the guy will LITERALLY believe anything he's shown/told as long as it suits his agenda.

But Biden right?

https://twitter.com/BulwarkOnline/status/1917381376111960380?t=rVRKf1pOrdgWcnfaR_6lJQ&s=09

Iecrawfc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401184#Comment_123401184

Absolutely they all need to feel real pain now to drive it into their thick skulls what they have done, they are all culpable to various degrees, obviously the voters first, non voters next but every American needs to look at their society and accept blame for what it has become.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401528#Comment_123401528

Trump has taken madman theory and applied it to the US.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123401676#Comment_123401676

The party and its following are just completely corrupt and venal at this stage.