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

Is that correct? I thought it was a flat fee ($100) or 120% tariff for low value packages? Presumably most would pick the cheapest option. So that import tax would be $3.60

I'm not going to say I know what this will be like for an American, but I know what it is like to live in Vietnam without Amazon etc., and without access to global goods at decent prices. There are companies here who organise shipping from around the world, and I pay a fee to get those goods shipped to me reliably because they have their ways to make it work. It simply makes things outside of everyday living that come from abroad very expensive.

It will stifle consumerism in America if it is anything like I experience here. I want to buy a handheld gaming console that was $900 in America, but $1400 here. Or around $1100 if I do it through one of those agents. That console is now $1100 in the US and likely more in the future.

I don't know how to express it properly but the sustained feeling of high prices and lack of goods because of reasons like tariffs or just a lack of access to a market is overbearing. It's my least favourite thing about living in Vietnam. I climb, so I buy climbing goods. I have those things shipped from the UK, Germany, and America, and I pay way more than anyone in those countries pay. America is about to face this sort of shock and it's not going to be pretty. Their entire way of life is going to get more expensive. If everyone feels it, it's going to be profound. I only feel it for some things. They will experience it for a lot of things.

I think his good buddy Vladimir might like to have a word about WW2 as well.

I get the point you're making, but when you put it into context of what's normally expected by the public in America of their "commander in chief", dodging the draft isn't one of them.

When you also add context of him disrespecting the troops (not attending ceremonies, saying he only respects those soldiers not caught by the enemy etc) it understandably makes it even worse.

You're arguing about what should be the case, and I don't necessarily disagree with you, but the reality is something different.

The facts are he dodged the draft, while disrespecting those that did their time.

its scary to think about a world without Donald Trump as president

But isn't that the whole point?

America is way too focus on consuming things. And if everyday Americans have to get their essentials from the other side of the world, isn't that a bit ridiculous? It's exploiting essentially slave labour in the Global South as well as helping burn fossil fuels because essential goods are being bought from another hemisphere of the globe in insanely high numbers

Trump said that instead of a kid having 30 dolls, maybe they'll have 2 dolls at a higher price per doll

That sounds like a step in the right direction for a country with a warped sense of consumerism. Would probably do them good to be more considerate about what they buy. And anything that hurts a predatory companies like Amazon and Walmart is a good thing (I take the point about small businesses being affected too, but I think Walmart and Amazon have been fúcking them over even more in the past decade)

People are talking as if it's a bad thing to reduce consumer spending on the likes of Temu, Shein and Amazon! And that it's a good thing to get you essentials from the other side of the globe.

Trump intends to attack any university that does not follow new guidelines about protests under the guise of protecting Jewish students from anti Semitic protestors He is willing to take away universitys tax exempt status. alot of universitys rely on donations to find new buildings and pay for staff and research grants

Universitys don't have to pay tax as they provide scholarships for low income students and fund research to that is of great benefit to the public like research on new vaccines or medical treatments

…..

Costs a fortune to send anything to the US.

Trump is a total nutcase. A psychiatrist would have a field day with him.

One day he wan't Canada to be come the 51st state, then he wants to annex Greenland, the next time he wants to be the Pope.

Tariffs one day, no tariffs the next day.

Trump needs to have his head examined.

Let's not forget all the wars that started when he wasn't . But sure that's ok isn't it.

I used the word "misuse" as he used the pardon power to "free" a person who was actually convicted in court of wire fraud for her own personal benefit, not some-one who committed a criminal act which was, or would be, of personal political benefit to him.

Some-one in his team may have planted a terrible idea in Trump's head or he may have had an original thought all by himself. It's possibly linked to the mention a few days ago of the US military being used close to the US/Mexico border and given permission to take control of territory, civil and other, close to the border. Some years back, the president declared some of the Mid-East groups as military combatants after 9/11.

It seems Trump has the idea in his head of declaring the smuggling gangs to be "enemy combatants" which could allow him to deploy the US military against them directly. Some people seem to have mentioned that it could amount to a break of the Posse Comitatus federal law act which prevents the use of US military for civil law enforcement.

You mean the larger bombs trump supplied Israel to "finish the job" ?