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Steve Brant's avatar

I’m with Senator Chris Murphy, who says Trump wants businesses to fear him and is using Tariffs to threaten them with destroying their business models / going out of business. He is the Abuser-In-Chief. His full quote is in last nights letter from Heather Cox Richardson. From Sen Murphy…

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) noted tonight that the tariffs make no economic sense because “[t]hey aren’t designed as economic policy. The tariffs are simply a new, super dangerous political tool.” Murphy suggests they are a way to make private industry dependent on the president the same way he has tried to make law firms and universities dependent on him. Industries and companies “will need to pledge loyalty to Trump in order to get sanctions relief.”

Murphy warns that “[t]he tariffs are DESIGNED to create economic hardship…[s]o that Trump has a straight face rationale for releasing them, business by business or industry by industry. As he adjusts or grants relief, it’s a win-win: the economy improves and dissent disappears.”

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

Trump's career: 6 bankruptcies...thousands of lawsiuits, many current. Criminal fraud exposure, 34 felony convictions....

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David's avatar

Daniel,stiffed every vendor,cheated on wife while pregnant,Trump university.He is really not human,no human could be so hated,reviled.

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CBA's avatar

This trade war is nothing more than an act of revenge. Revenge on the countries who don't bow to his will, revenge on the Americans who didn't vote for him. He doesn't care about the economy, the American people, or rule of law. His goal is to burn everything down and pull what's left out of the ashes for personal profit.

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

IMHO he gets bad advice and psychological reinforecement from a number of yes-men like Musk and Navarro. Every member of Congress was asked tl sign a no tax pledge, and most Republicans did. Tattiffs = taxes, so by supportong across the board tariffs, they are undermining their credibility with their Tea Party/MAGAT constituents.

In the auto industry, companies like Tesla have no (0) foreign components and therefore have an advantage over the competition. However as of 10:30, Tesla is down 5%. .

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CBA's avatar
Apr 3Edited

It's a vicious cycle. He has declared himself right, and everyone who disagrees with him gets fired. Truth, law, and reality need not apply.

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William Farrar's avatar

I watched Rachel last night, running down the list of tariff sanctions, many of them are not nations, but Islands. The person who drew up that list is not an idiot (never underestimate the enemy)

It came to mind that nations beat international law and sanctions by using vessels chartered under other nations. For instance In terms of the number of ships registered, Panama currently holds the title for the largest ship registry, followed by Liberia and the Marshall Islands.

So to beat tariffs, which are assessed at port of entry, a country need do no more than have their product registered aboard a Panamaian registered ship, as coming from the Heard or McDonalds islands.

Notice that the Falklands, population 2,330 and produces nothng except guano and fish has a tariff of 41% The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory, with the UK responsible for foreign affairs and defense, while the islands have full internal self-government.

However Britain has only a 10% tariff and 25% on cars, steel and aluminum.

Why 41% on a self governing island that has no exports? Because it is a perfect place to use as a transhipment place,on paper, slap on a made in Falklands label on the bill of lading and voila.

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Donald Laghezza's avatar

No, it's all about the money...

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Michael Baker's avatar

I fully agree. And thank Thom for the tariff-explainer course. Trump loves to break things, taking no blame and credit for putting the things back together. Murphy seems to understand Trump perfectly.

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