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

Intel is a basket case. I believe Intel will be taken over. Reducing workforce numbers/costs will make it more attractive to a takeover or merger or even partial selloffs.

”Large demands or unrealistic demands” has been a well known negotiation tactic for decades- but it’s not used much unless the entity proposing it holds all the cards and a long term relationship isn’t important.

Trump has misused this tactic and for little if any benefit - I get he was trying to get a better position for America but he could have done so with less fanfare and noise. He’s damaged his own economy and now countries are more wary of doing business with America and are seeking new more stable trade agreements elsewhere - his “strategy” is just plain backfiring - and as for ending the Ukraine war, he’s only out for what he can get- it would be better if Russia and Ukraine just sat down together now- it would cost Ukraine a lot less that’s for sure

That's a pattern that's repeated all over the world. Well, the "developed" world, at least. We saw the same thing in relation to Brexit voting patterns - those who could, potentially, most benefit from the EU voted themselves out of it, because "reasons".

It's exactly the same in France. Before I moved here, I made a deliberate decision to seriously consider economically disadvantaged regions because they typically enjoy more government support, theoretically making my personal Euros go further; and that's exactly how it worked out.

Unfortunately, I didn't pay attention to the politics that came with the territory, and now find myself surrounded by LePen voting far-rightist ignorant peasants. They'll happily take EU grants for their farms and their factories with one hand, then complain about the Bosch buying up all the houses and closing those same factories when they go on strike for three months out of every twelve, and proclaim that the sooner we leave the EU the better.

They gnash their teeth and howl about the unfairness of it all when the local rural school is reduced to one last teacher because their aren't enough children to justify a second … but they'll rant and rave about any suggestion that we might house half a dozen immigrant families that'd triple the number of children and revitalise a long-dead local economy.

It's not just in America that the "two short planks" demographic attribute the consequences of their own small-minded stupidity to miscellaneous others.

… But I've long held a belief that we Europeans are kinda responsible: we spent a few centuries exporting all our social misfits, undesireables, and mé-féiners to the "New World" so it was only a question of time before their numbers would reach a critical mass and blow us all up.

They did, now another 20%

A lot of American giants like intel and Boeing were teetering on edge of bankruptcy but now Trump is pushing them over the edge

Reporter: “Peter Navarro said that it’s perfectly possible to do 90 deals in 90 days. We haven’t seen one just yet. How soon might we see a deal?”

Karoline Leavitt: “We now have 18 proposals on paper…”

More utter second hand car salesman, snake oil bullsh1t.

I will die not knowing why and how on earth the American public looked at Trump in 2024 and thought "that's the guy who I trust with the economy for the next four years"

I actually think Walz was very capable of doing that but the Democrats seem to have reigned him in as an attack dog at the time.

I'd imagine Chinese companies like Huawei and SMIC providing their own chips has taken a huge chunk out of their traditional global business.

Biden Derangement Syndrome

There's a difference, though, between the Brexit situation you describe and what I think the chart is showing.

If you're poor in Britain, you have a safety net and free health care. If you're poor in the US you're living under a highway in a box and visiting food banks to keep from starving. You might get some medical care in emergency situations but good luck with no insurance.

THis is where the mention of Medicaid in the chart is really important. (the amount of money one gets from Social Security is based on some 1950's model of expenses and incomes and is laughably small. Likewise if you have disability, which takes 18 months to qualify for, you might be eligible for a bit more.) If 25% of Americans are relying on Medicaid to handle their medical expenses, that means 25% of Americans are living under something like 13k year as individuals. Barely 1k/month. Think about that in 2020. What my point is, is that the number of people living at this absurdly low income level in Red states skyrocketed, and I think it's long term effects of the shift of jobs overseas (Nafta, outsourcing), lack of construction jobs (for whatever reasons, Biden's admin took small steps to move that along), automation (robots) and, well, the cause of all problems these days, unchecked population growth, so more people for fewer jobs. The minimum wage is still very low and likely not going to climb - why should it, there's plenty of people that'll work for it. Lack of union representation (the 'right to work for peanuts' states) doesn't help.

Trump, of course, made things worse in his first administration with his tax cut, and is actively destroying everything now. But Trump didn't arise in a vacuum, these are system problems with no obvious fixes for either part. Grim times indeed. Plus the extra bonus in the US that no matter what they'll be able to afford firearms.

The presidents who were better presidents than him seem to live rent-free in his head.

As I glance recently on the Dow Jones, it seems to fluctuate dramatically arising from any statement issued by president Trump, be it negative or positive. Huge gyrations, often over 1,000 point movements. Doesn't look healthy to me but I am no financial expert.

I'd imagine the stock market is mainly built on bullsh!t and hype.

And anything that's built on bullsh!t and hype is very open to being hit with a bat to the face if something threatens to impart reality and reason on it.

Take TESLA for example. Pretty much the definition these days of more hype than substance, massive share prices based on being the vision of the future. But get down to the nitty gritty, and they're not going as well as others sales wise, they're technology is falling behind, and they won't meet their promises. And once that reality hits, the stock price will tumble to nothing.

Once something doesn't live up to the hype, downwards she goes.

That's the problem the US is facing under Trump, and possibly beyond him too. The whole thing seems to be based on hype, and now that it's being shown America isn't all that and the future isn't so great and the rest of the world can move on without them, then the hype is starting to fall away, and so is the stock market.

Apparently, the CEOs of three of the nation's biggest retailers — Walmart, Target and Home Depot — privately warned Trump that his tariff and trade policy could disrupt supply chains, raise prices and empty shelves, according to sources familiar with the meeting.

That's why he backed down on China. He was told by businessmen who haven't actually managed to bankrupt their businesses that his policies are idiotic, and like a child being chastised by an adult, he backed down. MAGA will spin it the other way though.

There is a 40-60% drop across US ports for arrivals starting in May, the effect of this wont be seen on store shelves until mid May but they are absolutely going to start feeling pain from what he did and nothing he has done since then has actually stopped the bleeding its just not visible yet.

Also seen reports that trucking companies are already finding it hard to keep drivers busy as they dont have enough work.

The US has been promoting hyper consumption, waste and bad debt for decades. Generating economies across the world that are dependent on people buying **** and generating debt. Creating resource wars and huge environmental problems.

This is not just a Donald issue. He's a reflection of the greedy and selfish people in the world.

Edit ...it's true ...but ...

I'll get off my high horse 🐴 now 😁