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

(72-22)/72 * 0.5 is what I garnered from a quick Google.

US companies are relying on hard skills taught in other education systems. Asians are good at maths is a thing. Asians staying in Asia will be another thing going forward as the likes of China get richer. Tariffs can't stop that growth. Like 2% of China's economy is based on exporting to the US.

I'm not sure of the reality behind a line mentioned on a Euronews channel show: that Trump may have forced the EU to become more unified on the political, business and military defence fronts with both his "I want to provide less US dollar support, you're not spending enough yourselves" to Europe's defence and his attacks on the EU's business interests. If that has some truth, both Putin and Orban wont be happy with it.

Germany seems to have had to change it's laws on state financial spending on its military, increasing it's limits. The last thing Putin would have wanted is an independent Europe more ready to stand on its own feet with weapons ready for use without the need of trans-Atlantic re-supply from NATO's US partner. Putin's already forced a change of opinion and position of defence pacts in several European countries close to Russia's borders. All those EU countries and other countries are going to have to put re-armament on the front burner costing them much needed finance.

Certainly, despite two assertions by Trump's Sec State Marco Rubio that the U.S wants Europe's NATO pact members to have faith in NATO, Trump has been busy spinning a radically different line to Europe and has now gone one better with his tariffs. Macron's response to Trump seems as radical as Trump's tariffs: basically a boycott of French investments which helps the US.

Yes that sounds more accurate. (we know it makes sense ;-)

Personally it wouldn't be the Trump administration I'd be offering a face-saving chance to, more the U.S itself. It's clearly an advantage to him to link the future of Trump with that of the U.S. and not to the advantage of the U.S. The only thing I'd give the Trump admin members is the demand that they gag him and lock him up as a sign of good faith before opening discussions with those we might consider as worth trusting.

Trump would take a mention of negotiation and a request as a supplication to him as another sign of weakness and idiocy. It's gone past the time of kissing his ring: more the time of lopping Putin's hand off at the wrist there.

He's a bit like a King Kong. I wonder will he ever climb up the Empire State building being chased by the population he has upset?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/anti-trump-protests-hands-off

It would appear that quite a few are demonstrating today. Though, no doubt it will be construed as rioting soon enough.

Is the pink lady double jobbing these days

Yes

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-tariffs-trade-war-stock-market-04-03-2025/card/why-russia-wasn-t-on-trump-s-tariff-list-bphjBr2GFyt6nGqasBW5

Snippet from the Wall Street Journal article;

One country missing from President Trump’s new tariff list, despite running a trade surplus with the U.S. of $2.5 billion: Russia.

The country was left off of a list of dozens that have much smaller trade imbalances with America, but were still slapped with tariffs of up to 50%. Trade between Russia and the U.S. has dropped significantly since the imposition of numerous rounds of sanctions by Washington as punishment for the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. However, Russia still sells enriched uranium and some chemicals to America.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that numerous sanctions on Russia had already precluded meaningful trade. But bilateral trade between the U.S. and Russia stands at $3.5 billion, far larger than other countries which incurred tariffs. Iran, which has similar sanctions and even less trade, was slapped with a 10% tariff. Syria, which is also sanctioned and has very limited trade with the U.S., has tariffs as high as 41%.

“Excluding Russia from tariffs leaves options open for Trump for a while,” said Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin.

Scvmbag, Golf more importance than attending return of fallen American Soldiers

Golf over duty: Trump skips soldiers' farewell in Lithuania

….

Because they can no longer afford the bus fare, or are saving it up to buy a six pack of eggs for Sundays breakfast.

By services do you mean non-solid transactional items like I.P. items and copyrights, as distinct from solid items sold on the open market or bartered in trade deals?

I am hazarding a guess that services might include I.P. items provided by, or the property of, corporations. Trump seems to have U.S. corporations in mind probably having been advised that other nations corporations cannot be touched by his Govt, as they were created under those countries or Blocs sovereign laws.

And to state the obvious, all those groupings are going to suffer greatly as a result of the recession he's creating. Also he literally had a previous term where he achieved nothing.

Do you mean Ronald Reagan? If so, have a listen.