Donald Trump the Megathread part II - Mod Warning added to OP 10/1/26

It’s the only explanation I can think of too - personal wealth creation for him and his cronies - insider dealing is another term for it.

For MAGA and project 2025? There’s likely an advantage to them to have the economy on its knees and for American citizens to be beholding to them -but Shirley that’s going down the road of riots and anarchy ? I mean you can only push people so far- we know that- even sleepy Democrats will rise up given the right circumstances.
I assume that deals with Russia - cheap oil and mining rights- are part of this whole process- but mining will take years to get off the ground and for the economy to see the results. And maybe it’s a medium - long term view MAGA is taking here- they don’t care about the next 4 years- this is long term planning in action?

I'm not sure how the EU will make a concession there. Unless by concession you mean rename VAT to GST?

I can't see the EU allowing US goods and services to be VAT exempt or at a lower rate.

What kind of concessions do you see the EU make wrt VAT on US goods and services?

His views on VAT are total nonsense, just like his opinion that when tariffs lead to higher car prices people will buy more of them. His knowledge of economics is zilch, and those around him are afraid to point this out.

Reminds me of the "no tax on tips" and "no tax on overtime" crap that he floated during the election campaign.

He really is the peacemaker, didn't have this on my Trump fuckup Bingo.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china-japan-south-korea-will-jointly-respond-us-tariffs-chinese-state-media-says-2025-03-31/

Trump pulling the USA out of the TPP during his first term begat the RCEP, the largest tariff reducing trade bloc in the world.

So in practice the Asian Pacific economies including China, Japan, S Korea, Australia and NZ amongst others have been increasing trade with eachother and will now trade less with the USA because of Trumps tariffs.

This is a good oversight of the RCEP in relation to future trade with the EU.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2021/653625/EXPO_BRI(2021)653625_EN.pdf

If I've got this right where it comes to US business's moving [years back] their production lines to neighbouring countries and to other continents, the moves were made for corporate profit reasons. The firms got better offers where it came to taxes at the new locations, also lower wage costs, with [in some cases] the Govt providing either/or the site and costs of the new corporation factory/facility as an incentive as it meant jobs, jobs and taxes.

I remember reading about 10/15 years back on how Michael Dell played the production line site game against State governments in the US, suggesting that he would move next door if he didn't get a better deal from the State Govt. Dell eventually moved his production lines from Limerick to India, Mumbai I think.

Trumps plan is to use tariffs to "incentivize" the firms to move back to the US by attacking their overall corporate profits with tariff charges which they would have to swallow whole screwing up their profits margins if they don't increase the purchase prices they charge to the customers cards. Nothing there about feathering the corporate profit nest by giving them a better corporate deal if they move back to the US, just a whole lot of pain instead. If I've got the corporate profit angle right, Trump will probably not be on the seasonal card list in December.

Thiel is big into odd sci-fi style projects, was an investor in Seasteading a few years back. A lot of this seems to be an attempt to have his own fiefdom.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seasteading_Institute