US now 'most dysfunctional and unfree political system' in industrialized world: expert
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, as he signs executive orders and proclamations in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Political scientist Ian Bremmer says that President Donald Trump has quickly made the United States into "the principal driver of geopolitical uncertainty" in just three short months.
In his latest video commentary, Bremmer outlines the chaos and instability that Trump has singlehandedly created by launching a trade war against nearly every single nation on Earth, including a remote island solely inhabited by penguins.
"The most powerful country in the world, the biggest economy in the world, the home of the global reserve currency, and yet at the same time by far the most dysfunctional and kleptocratic and unfree political system of the advanced industrial democracies," he said. "That's what we're looking at right now and of course that's a really challenging thing for everybody to navigate."
Bremmer said that Trump's global trade wars were the most obvious source for this instability, and he said that it's led to countries across the world seriously contemplating ways to disentangle their economies from the United States given the risks associated with tying their fortunes too closely to a nation that has twice elected Trump.
He also emphasized the way the Trump-led U.S. is antagonizing essentially the entire world.
"The U.S. is picking all sorts of fights simultaneously," he said. "The U.S., at the same time it's hitting other countries on trade, is also trying to make itself less attractive to tourists to come to the United States, make them worry more that they are going to be treated as they might be in an emerging market."
In addition to all this, Bremmer said that the administration was picking domestic fights by trying to bury any checks on the power of the executive branch, which he said "undermines the rule of law and makes the U.S. a less attractive place, over the long term, to do business."
Watch the video below or at this link.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
SmartNewsVideo
China has started getting their beef from Australia instead of the U.S.
Evening...China has always taken our beef other than when they banned it after we said China should be investigated re COVID..but in their wisdom they started taking our beef again in May 2024... lucky for them..
So that's not exactly news..
But we now have Canada in the firing line, they are banning Vegemite!!..a small Aussie shop keeper in Toronto stocks it for Aussies living there...so we have a Commonwealth traitor in our midst and we will virtually declare war on Canada now..big mistake Canada..big...🦘
There are reports now coming in...
We will ban that "sickly sweet tree juice" those Canadians produce and besides, golden syrup tastes way better...
We will be breaking off all diplomatic relations with Canada and now support the US in making Canada their 51st State...😁🐨🦘
Oh boy...it's getting rough out there
Huh they ain't seen nothing yet..
The Canadians here will be sewing US flags on their back packs now and saying they are American...🤣
I am shocked. Shocked, I tell you!
Perfidious Albion's child!
... only when dolloped atop Vegemite.
Huhhh...the Canadians have been eating thousands of Vegemite croissants a month the coffee shop owner said...they love them but don't know Vegemite is in them...when they are on a good thing they should stick to it..
Moves are now afoot to tip an entire shipment of maple syrup into Sydney Harbour...Someone said it was good enough for another one of those Northern countries to tip tea into the sea so we are dumping the goopy syrup...
Concerns have been raised what that would do to the environment of the bay with a sudden surge of "sugary tree juice" entering the eco system and turning everything hypo...
We are now on the hunt for an uninhabited Canada island and place a 20% tariff on all goods from that island..that will get 'em the PM said and we didn't require any USA assistance on this matter....
There are 100s of them. Take as many as you wish but act fast before Vance lands on them.
There are several:
Uninhabited islands of Canada
This category has the following 8 subcategories, out of 8 total.
B
N
O
S
That there's gambling going on here?
(Who knew!)
I am shocked. Shocked, I tell you!
Shocked?
Shocked that there's gambling going on here?
Who knew!
(Krishna stands up and quietly hums the La Marseillaise)
(Krishna stands up and quietly hums the La Marseillaise)
Then Krishna stops humming and sits down (fearful that Buzz will accuse him of giving a hint as to one of the answers on the latest movie quiz
).
We will ban that "sickly sweet tree juice" those Canadians produce and besides, golden syrup tastes way better..
Isn't Maple Syrup produced in the U.S. as well as in Canada?
Well, to be fair.....
It’s hysteria like this that prevents most from taking the left seriously,
Ian Bremmer is not a leftist.
No, he’s a Political Scientist. Which is basically the same thing.
But does he POOTV?
("Play One on TV"?)
MmmmmHmmmm, science bad.
The key defense of Trump nowadays is ‘you are over-reacting’ and ‘just give Trump time’.
No factual, reasoned argument for his actions are possible but his supporters do not deal with reality and instead make pathetic excuses.
Trump is harming the USA in multiple dimensions. What is more important, calling out bad acts or sticking to blind partisanship?
Pointing out an author is, in fact, engaged in hysterical overreaction is a "defense" of Trump. It's pointing out the author is engaged in hysterical overreaction.
If you can't attack Trump honestly, what's the point?
Stop now TiG. Trumps' actions are obviously all geared towards bringing down the price of eggzactly his furthest from m[nd priority, as he has markets to manipulate so his ignorant asz can profit as he claims he is the chosen prophet and believes he can do whatever he wants, and know longer needs consider the punts, so look out women, he can now grab you buy the
CANT
believe the Pussy GOP aloud by their volume, an allowed allowance withapparently no bottom, that he digs deeper with each passing day, as his defenders attempt to sweep it under the rug they dru head for the fall, g take to be able to live with this pusher for real, of the fake, yet real ordeal the Trump Card a loss vertebrae they have, as US all, just have to drop jaw, for in awe, i b to c m , as he fires another missile at our foundation, the resulting effect, is damage found at the base, the base of our nation, that without cessation, a portion thereof, defends any and all, while we head for the torrid autumn Fall,
but
that can only happen if we make it past JULY
Trumps favorite month of the year, cause oh deer, calling out Trump is just an American Smear, and smear he does, as he pisses and shits upon any and all current and former Patriotic citizens, by wiping his asz with OUR CONSTITUTION, and now even the judicial branch seems not to have a, solution...
.
Sooner rather than later, somethings gotta give, and if someone, God forbid, takes it upon themselves to make sure our Country continues to thrive intact, they will be cheered on, cause this devastation is longing for a savior, as denial on file aint gonna do it, and long overdue, as weve all been put through it, as deny and defend, will be our end,
unless we find the means, to take back for what was the focus for all of US
the America Dreams
that now seem to have been taken, to a never fathomed extreme
as vision need not be keen
to see Trump and his providers of cover, are not an American
lover
I think the only thing we can all agree on is that this administration is like nothing we have ever experienced.
The division we see is not hard to understand. Some have a purely partisan perspective with their support based on ignoring lies, condoning bullying, and deflecting blame. Others realize the existential threat to all they hold dear and are willing to speak to the truth. One only spend an hour hereabouts to gauge where one aligns.
20 to life should do the job ...
Fareed Zacharias' War on the Government aired last Sunday on CNN. It can be viewed in 1:00 minute segments on Internet Archive . The point is this Donald Trump is FINALLY what true conservative hardliners wanted but could not get from Eisenhower to Goldwater (lost presidential campaign to Lyndon Johnson) to Reagan to Speaker Newt Gingrich to both Bush presidencies .Reagan came close to what conservative HARDLINERS wanted done in this country. But none of the aforementioned did enough.
But, TRUMP.
That is why conservatives are like pigs swaddling in the mud 'pit' with Trump. The GOP has been wanting THIS man 'forever' to come about! He is their dream! He hurts people intentionally and unintentionally and CONSERVATIVE HARDLINERS, are okay with that.
What is probably so hard to get one's arms around is the amount of conservative HARDLINERS in this country. Tens of millions.
If he were to be convicted of a crime they would commute the sentence because he's a doddering old fool suffering from dementia. At worst he would get an ankle bracelet
You used him as an exemplar for 'the left'. I addressed your generalization.
And aside from that, there is still a WIDE-OPEN lane for the Right-Center-Left to discuss some of the pressing issues that FESTER between people (and political parties) in this country! Our politicians are just letting them lie from year to year to decade to decade. And it is 'they' - the issues that are 'toxic' between people that are driving this country to its version of 'insanity.'
What I don't know is if this article is the right 'forum' to begin its discussion. But it sure seems like it. For example: We have got to find a way to lower that 36 trillion dollar national debt. . . take the 'heat' out of it or write it off or 'do' something. It is a wedge issue that keeps driving some to 'madness' and it may be JUSTIFIABLY SO.
Another, we must demand conservatives (GOP) and liberals (DEMOCRATS) stop talking pass one another! This problem has become critical and politically toxic and potentially grave.
We need to initiate the deeper problem-solving. . . .
Fair point.
You're not entirely wrong. But you realize they said the same thing about your guys a year ago, and they weren't wrong, either.
You're not entirely wrong. But you realize they said the same thing about themselves a year ago, and they weren't wrong, either.
But OTOH aren't there also a lot of conservative moderates?
For example: We have got to find a way to lower that 36 trillion dollar national debt. . . take the 'heat' out of it or write it off or 'do' something.
There are several possible approaches to lowering the National Debt. Actually Trump is trying one approach (but one that it seems most people don't like)
Not only how long...but also: where?
Are people saying El Salvador?
(Sometime "people" get a bit weird..)
Hysteria, fearmongering, the sky is falling chickenlittle-ism. We're constantly being fed this bullshit tripe on a daily basis.
Some actually believe the lies and exaggerations they tell. I really think they want Trump to fail in his attempts to point America in the right direction. The good part is that there is nothing they can do about it.
[deleted][✘]
His pocket.
Ignoring the reality of Trump's stupid acts and pretending that everyone is fine is an irrational level of wishful thinking.
To you and yours, possibly.
Do tell how your life has changed even slightly since January of this year other than your habitation here constantly beating a dead horse..........one you couldn't control in the first place. Here's a bit of advice. Perhaps you need to fully look into what you see as a negative and try to think outside of your box and see why things are what they are. And "But Trump" is not an answer even though it would be low-hanging fruit..
Define what the 'right' direction is in this case. I really want to talk about this and to that end I will HEAR YOU AND OTHER MAGAS out of this: Let's begin a real, deep, sharing. Please start us off!
I have a real question for you/MAGA. I hear mixed stories about manufacturing jobs 'coming to America' - that these jobs will be a boom to the parts of the country where industry (manufacturing) has been hollowed out. I have two pressing questions:
1. Who will do these new-found jobs in manufacturing (since I understand that there are 450,000 manufacturing jobs in the U.S. already unfilled)?
2. The wage scale and cost of making manufactured goods. . . would it be 'prohibited' (competitive) in terms of selling to the rest of the world? Even selling to ourselves?
Many of us have a shitload less money than we did. Sorry, but that's a fact.
It has nothing to do with the stupid hysteria of this seed, or the equally stupid habitual hysteria of several regular participants on this forum.
But it's still a fact, and it didn't need to happen. It's financially as bad as some BLM or other protesting lunatic setting fire to my home or business, except my home and business are insured.
How so?
The Nasdaq is down 15% in the last 60 days. The S&P is down 12%.
So those of us who have spent the last 30+ years doing the things we were supposed to do... y'know, paying our own way, supporting our families, putting kids through college, providing jobs, saving and investing..... have seen this cluster fuck of mishandled tariffs reduce the value of those investments by multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.
My investment portfolio has dropped by more than the value of my 4 bedroom house. I would literally have been better off financially if BLM had burned my house down rather than have Trump act like a fucking 10 year old with his tariff pen.
Well said. Spot on. Irrefutable.
It's difficult to conceive how so many still refuse to believe how bad Trump truly is fckn up so much. Between The market needlessly being manipulated(except perhaps for the gains for a very few) our country is being further divided by the lies from a GOP zoo, that has failed to confront the grabber of cant seem to understand how there is support for this 'man' , as he is cutting the equivalent of pennies as he ruins the lives of manys', and Elon his mandate, the richest man in the world pulls the rug out of the poorest in the world, and Inspector generals from various orgs. that were investigating on Elon much, are suddenly fired and such, as he makes about $ 7,000,000.00 a day off US, so whats all the fuss. My condolences on your monetary loss, but voting with the GOP and subsequently Trump(don't know that you did) is where our country hit this major speed bump, cause we were cruising along with the finest recovery, till Trump exploded the dust with his tariff discovery, and as he defies the judicial branch with out an olive one, gee, i bet a Constitutional Crisis with an immune oh mighty ISIS wonder woman grabber of a man, reuniter of the clan, fck everyone cause he is and can, perhaps we need a new plan, but hey, this is who was voted for, and now he wants tpo even the score, and the totally Un Supremes, have sorta got themselves in a pickle, and those scumbags aren't so ussualy easy to tickle, but hey, no one expected the shit to be so thickle, except half of America,
the other half a cult, electing this fckn dolt, he's a loose nut and stripped bolt
becareful
of the end result....
I thought you said money? Looks like you are depending on your portfolio as your reference point. Not the money in your pocket. That is on-paper only with NO guarantees.............EVER.
The market will come back. As always, hold tight.
Obviously you have no argument other than to claim "but Trump" (which does not make any sense since Trump is now the PotUS; the "but Trump" platitude makes no sense given there is nobody now to compare him against.) Did you not notice this?
Anyway, how this affects me personally is not nearly as important as how it affects the nation (and the planet). Apparently you have also failed to notice that my comments are never about my personal situation but rather about the stupidity of Trump's tariffs (and other mistakes).
And since I have already provided a ton of content on this forum as to why Trump's actions have been bad for this nation, I have already answered the important question. If you do not understand why Trump's actions are bad, try actually reading what I wrote. And if you disagree, then make an argument with facts and logic rather than simply ask why people are complaining about Trump.
Finally do you truly not see the problems Trump is causing?
they seeit. many deny it, but they see it. Some are actually beginning to feel it, cause Trumps grabbin some more buy that pussy galore and his allure is fading when people notice their monies cascading down like a waterfalling up, to the top, as our economy is and will continue to drop with this fidgety clown with his logic upside down, attempts to tear apart what took so many good Americans Patriots to build up so long, and all as the pathetic purveyors of propaganda extravaganza continue topush US down, as ignorance abounds, and deeper are the holes that in grounds, pool a thought, less off are and is, a more on in this failed quiz, and thts show biz, and that is all Don knows, no wonder he blowz
Seems some see it, feel it, but still believe that Trump knows what he is doing.
I am amazed that someone can watch Trump and not recognize utter incompetence, but then again, we have some who just do not understand economics (at all) and even believe Trump's idiotic claim that a trade imbalance with a particular nation means that nation is "ripping us off".
Ignorance is helping Trump considerably.
I'm beginning to wonder if that might take a spa trip to El Salvador for some people to understand.
It was just as difficult to conceive how so many still refused to believe how bad Biden truly fucked up so much.
Let's don't try to pretend that Trump supporters have some sort of monopoly on blind partisanship.....
...especially if we're going to revel in it.
It's not their zoo. They just clocked in for their shift 90 days ago. For 12 of the last 16 years, this has been the Democrats zoo.
Thank you. If you invest, you will eventually lose money. You just don't expect to lose significant amounts because a Republican suddenly acts like a 1960s labor union boss.
Y'know, those of us who are not on the far left were (justifiably) irritated at the senseless, moronic tantrums that resulted in $2 billion worth of property damage during the BLM riots of 2020.
Trump has destroyed $4 trillion worth of American wealth alone, and $10 trillion worldwide. And we're not done yet.
You may or may not be one of those folks for whom math is a strong subject. That's OK, let me help..... For every $1 worth of BLM riot damage, Trump has already destroyed $2000 of American wealth.
Let's put it another way.... Americans have lost the same amount of wealth represented by 100% ownership of Starbucks... every 34 hours for the last 60 days.
I didn't.
Accelerating toward all the things Democrats say they hate as they implement policies that leave no other possible outcome.
The biggest problem we have in this country is that we only have two political options, and they are both gargantuan shitshows supported by people who are more interested in pretending the other group is worse rather than improving their own.
I did.
Looks like you're trying to pretend investments aren't worth money.
I never expected a guarantee. I DID expect a Republican president not to be a fucking moron and penalize the people who actually save. If I wanted that bullshit, we could have let Kamala raise our taxes to fund sex changes for confused squirrels or some similar bullshit. It would have been cheaper.
Of course it will. Why should it have to? Why are we so determined to ignore a multi-trillion dollar self inflicted wound?
When Biden made a complete mess of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, we all said so. This is orders of magnitude more expensive and stupid. Why are we pretending it's not?
I'm sorry. But what does BLM have to do with anything Trump is doing to your investments, or house? NADA. What a 'reach' to drag that organization kicking and screaming into a complain about the Trump Administration!
Emphatically.
And when you write, "good American Patriots" - I can believe you know the correct usage of the phrase. Those citizens who stand up for what is right for all people of goodwill and for service to a good administration. Those who are only self-serving their specific tribe socially and politically are not patriots in the proper sense of the term.
BLM protests and Trump tariffs are both famous instruments of wealth destruction, used by idiots to damage the lives of hardworking innocent bystanders and only defensible on the basis of extreme partisanship.
Sounds good rolling off the pen; so put some substance to it. What wealth destruction is BLM affecting in regards to this fine nation and the surrounding nations? Be specific.
See 3.3.18
Well, lucky you. You did not have to file any insurance claim in 2020. You house did not burn during the period May 28-June 8, 2020. So that HYPOTHETICAL is four years outdated (and never 'claimable').
I will ignore the race-baiting at 3.3.18. Moving on.
1. Civil disorder claims are payable by private insurance companies.
2. Therefore, "those of us. . .justifiably irritated" - ought not to have been the collective 'You.' As 'you' paid nothing. Nada. Zilch.
3. Finally, there is still controversy over the amount of people widely dispersed across numerous states and what their motives were, and what organization/s were involved that caused the damages INSURANCE COMPANIES paid—not the collective "You."
Now, as to those Trump tariffs, you wrote:
A real and present danger to investors, especially those soon to retire, 'you' are JUSTIFIED in discussing them in the here and now!
You imagined it, so that's probably best.
Do you have any clue at all how insurance works?
There is not controversy over the stated reason for the protests, nor the amount of property damage caused.
The perspective that only those you oppose present a danger is an example of the primary current problem in our society.... the unwillingness to view issues objectively.
Of course, I know how insurance works and I know that tariffs potentially will be another set of occasions for insurance rates to increase! Presently, this has nothing to do with BLM May 28 - June 8, 2020.
At this juncture, you are just arguing for argument sake. I have no patience for it. I look forward to something substantive to make further comment.
Your post seems to indicate otherwise.
I'm making a point about idiotic partisanship. Thank you for the demonstration.
A rational, objective person will recognize that we have two events in recent history that share the common trait of destruction of the value of privately held assets caused directly by unhinged emotional actions. One of these events was perpetrated by left wing morons, the other by a single right wing moron.
A rational person condemns both events. A blind partisan condemns one while defending the other.
Your abrasive 'opinion' is noted. Moving on.
We don't always see eye to eye but we probably travel the same roads to DFW or Love Field.
About two weeks ago I purged my personal IRA of anything that showed consistant loss except three canaibis stocks they would not even let me try to sell.
I took 30 grand out in cash and watched the other three I have no control over lose 70 as we were making a decision what to do about the brides RMDs.
Yay, we lost a hundred grand, protected 30 and some twit at the WH is telling us the market just had its best day ever which recovered about 4 grand, which was lost the following day.
I feel your pain and the problem is it isn't over.
oh btw those three cannabis stocks rebounded into tradeable penny stocks /s
While I think a lot of the criticism of Biden will fade away ( like Bush and Clinton), he did have the economy and stock market stable by the time he handed off to Trump, the second time Democrats have given the same Trump something to fuck up in record time. This time the cabinet is all cheerleaders and there is no one saying no to this clown.
Hope your Wednesday is better.
There is a new survey available that says 75% of the participants believed this is true.
But only 25% said they would want a manufacturing job.
It will also take several decades to ramp up manufacturing by which time the robots will be serviced by other robots, so very few human jobs...
I take offense at that, though, it was the inspiration for my moniker lewinsky, ore is that my avatari...? who cares. All i know is back on Newsvine i read the comments, and thought ,man oh man, what is wrong with these people? It appears they are ruled by ignorance. Unfortunately, ole Trumpy has themed my name so darn thoroughly accurate, that it totally sux
Thank you for your comment. I am disappointed that MAGA propaganda 'spreaders' did not wish to reply to the questions in the comment all day.
We probably do, at that.
Yeah. I wish you were wrong, but you're not. Sorry for your losses, as well.
Fair. We had (still have) some systemic issues, but shit wasn't actively on fire.
I actually do understand the complaints of Trump supporters with regards to Democrats and their policy decisions. They have a bad habit of creating environments where worsening education, income and wealth inequality are inevitable. Piss on people long enough and they eventually fight back. OK... fine.
But FFS, you don't solve any of that with tariffs, and you sure as hell don't solve anything by changing the tune every 48 hours. This whole thing makes our withdrawal from Afghanistan look orderly and efficient.
Contrary to traditional liberal ideology, you don't solve any of thes by taxation, either, and Trump's actions have basically amounted to a 12-15% immediate wealth tax.
AOC and Elizabeth Warren must be thrilled, or at least they would be if they had any more clue than Trump does.
Do be ready. IF the Chinese agree to a trade deal, the market is going to take off like Elon launched it from SpaceX.
Trumpers are going to declare victory and pretend we wouldn't all be 20% wealthier if he had handled it properly. It's going to be like a QB who throws 5 interceptions and then claims he made no mistakes because the team won in overtime.
You too.
True, the market will almost certainly rebound significantly if that occurs.
What will happen after that is unpredictable. The market could continue to rise (e.g. on news of tax cuts), but could deflate a bit with bad earnings. What is most unsettling is Trump's erratic behavior. We have never experienced such a loose-cannon wielding the power of the presidency ... and in such an irresponsible fashion. One would expect this dangerous behavior to continue and that is not good for the market (or the economy ... or for people in general).
Opinions do vary ….. including George Washington’s.
somehow I don't see trump's name in US history being held anywhere close to a place of esteem ...
Good grief man, pay attention to history. Tariffs were used as a revenue source (and for protectionism) in lieu of federal taxation prior to 1913 when the 16th amendment authorized federal income tax. After that, the predominant use of tariffs was to protect industries. And never has a PotUS engaged in broad scale across-the-board excessive tariffs like Trump is doing.
George Washington did not have federal income tax revenue.
non-payment of federal income taxes and the office of POTUS are the only things trump has in common with washington ...
Everyone wants to "point America in te right direction". The problem is that different people have different ideas as to what the "right" direction is!
A problem inherent in democracies...(dictatorships don't have those differences of opinions--- people who disgreee with TPTB get ..."cancelled..")
True.
And in many cases it comes from folks on both sides of the aisle...who woulda thunk?
It always does. But the question is-- when? Will it recover in a matter of weeks? Months? Years..? What if you have a major, unexpected expense-- and the current value of younentire portfolio won't cover it?
And there's also the possibility that it could get considerably worse (not better) for a period.
And its also possible that at the same time higher inflation willlkick in...so you'll not only have less money, but also things will become more expensive!
Greg, if Biden had done the same things trump has done, you would be shitting little green apples for the next 500 years.
Several European countries have issued travel advisories for visitors to the United States, warning about unwarranted arrests and expulsions.
we should do the same
Yes and the USA regularly issues travel advisories to some European countries. Advising increased caution and highlighting higher security risks.
Next …..
[✘]
[✘]
And it not only to European countries...
I never feel that "whaddaboudisms" are good arguments . . .
And many of those same European countries look to the US for handouts and protection.
Tyler Perry has a 2009 movie titled: I Can Do Bad All By Myself. Besides safety, that is the sentiment behind all travel advisories.
A puddle so shallow is a puzzle too deep.
the jigs up for the shallows that don't mind it
Confucius say … he who laughs last, laughed last but may also have laughed first
Was that Shakespeare...or Yogi Berra?
Specifically...what types of "handouts" do you believe the U.S. is giving them?
Many seem to think that the tariffs will last forever and that their investments will bottom out permanently.
That's not rational.
You just invented a ridiculous scenario and claimed that many people believe it.
A ridiculous strawman.
The reality is that the economy (in particular, prices) was the key reason Trump was elected and he has single handedly fucked that up. The stock market is reflecting future earnings, GDP, etc. Trump's tariffs are brain-dead-stupid and are net bad for this nation and the global economy.
Now let's see your factual, rational, persuasive rebuttal to that. Make an argument. Offer some value.
I am going to enjoy watching folks trying to rationalize the reasons Trumps economy does well in the future. In spite of all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over his actions.
No better “rebuttal” than reality and reality will be bitch slapping some Trump haters out there soon enough. Big time.
Lol - now there’s a post to save for future reference.[✘]
Do you support Trump's tariff policy?
Do you agree with his wild moves, his threats, his excessive tariffs, his ridiculous tariffs (e.g. on Vietnam)?
Do you agree with his harming of international relationships and the consequent move by trading partners to lessen their dependence on the USA and have less trust in the good will of the USA?
Do you agree with harming the stock market, raising consumer prices, lowering earnings and GDP?
Do you actually believe that Trump knows what he is doing with these tariffs?
Is this what you would do as PotUS?
In concept? Yes. The only president in recent memory willing to do the hard thing in an attempt to stop the buttfuking the US has been getting in trade for years.
Do you think the US has been treated fairly in trade in all these cases?
Do you understand how unfairly Vietnam was trading with the USA? Now Vietnam has discussed dropping all tariffs on US imports. Guess those wild moves and excessive tariffs worked. Right?
For starters, see Vietnam comment above. Guess he does eh?
Your Nike kicks are safe …..
No, in action. Forget the concept and look at what he is doing.
You buy Trump's bullshit that a trade imbalance with a nation means they are "ripping us off"?? Do you not know that a trade imbalance with a particular nation is neither good nor bad ... that the circumstances matter. If we have a nation that is providing us with what we want and are not concerned that what we are buying is harming domestic industry then it is actually good for the nation. We can get cheaper products and materials and add value and then sell what we produce. That is what the USA does in terms of producing products ... you know that, right?
Vietnam is a perfect example of what I just wrote. We get cheaper products and materials from them. That has been our choice. Since we are so much bigger than they are, of course there is a trade imbalance. This is an example of a net good trade situation. And one that we could have easily changed if we so desired.
If the USA wanted to change the tariff situation with Vietnam we could have sat down privately and negotiated. This public, chaotic, excessive, worldwide, across-the-board tariff nonsense of Trump has done considerable damage and all could have been avoided.
You are applauding a haphazard, damaging, ill-conceived set of actions because (big surprise) nations like Vietnam want to negotiate. As if Trump could not achieve new terms with Vietnam, et. al. without all this collateral damage.
Face it, Trump does not know what he is doing. People like you continuing to trust this lunatic is perpetuating the carnage.
Yes, in concept. He hasn’t even been in office 100 days. Tariffs are just days old in some cases and very fluid as countries respond. There hasn’t been enough time to evaluate them “in action.” Not even close.
And getting cheaper prices in places like Vietnam hasn’t been “our” choice. It’s been the manufacturers like Nike choice, seeking cheaper labor and less regulation. Thereby screwing American labor and manufacturing. “We” had nothing to say about it.
That’s about all I’m going to discuss with you on this topic. Your biases towards Trump are so extreme you’ll never be able to reason logically on it. But hey, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.
But it will be fun watching folks like you rationalize away if his policies help as he has discussed. I’m really looking forward to that. Oh yeah!
Totally agree. That is why it is so funny watching some pass judgement on results and Trump not having a plan before anything is actually known as to how things will turn out.
TiG, since "we" are getting the' run around.' Let me engage a bit with you on this issue, if you don't mind.
1. If our Vietnam products, which are made cheaper there, were made here by our manufacturing 'teams'. . . would those products cost more to the U.S. consumers?
2. Does the United States, in fact, seek to have an influence on human rights (regulations) in those countries that we trade? Even when success is somewhat shall we say, limited?
3. Finally, as of Wednesday, there is news that California, this country's larger manufacturing state, has sued the Trump Administration over its imposing tariffs without the consent of congress. . . we will have to wait to see the result of the suit, but there is a question if these present tariffs can be sustained as they are 'written'. . . .
Guess that depends on if you lost your job to it or had a business that depended on those US jobs. Bet those folks wouldn’t mind if their made in USA kicks cost a few more bucks. And what up with not bagging on the evil corporations. Making more money by using sweat shops in places like Vietnam. I thought protecting labor and human rights from the abuse of the man was a left wing thing. Yes? No?
See above and perhaps ask the Uyghurs in China. They may have a thought or two on that topic
A state overriding a federal mandate? Holy shit, if this situation were turned around you’d be losing your mind over it. Sorry but just another state sticking its nose where it don’t belong. Next …..
Yes.
Sometimes. We're very erratic about that.
I stand to make a lot of money if they win, so I'm hoping for that.
But they almost surely won't win.
Sure, ignore what is happening in front of your eyes and keep pretending Trump knows what he is doing. Blind support and trust is what enables Trump.
Although we need to be specific, in general terms the cost of labor (and often the availability of supplies and materials) is cheaper in Vietnam than here. Also in general, the US would very likely need to build a supply chain similar to that in Vietnam so nothing would happen quickly.
Depends on the administration. Trump likely does not care.
Trump has considerable latitude to impose tariffs. I am sure Congress did not have a rogue PotUS like Trump in mind when they granted the president extra powers. However, Congress can reverse those powers if they had the will.
It's actually the craziness, dishonesty and extremism of progressives that does. If democrats were halfway sane and honest, Trump wouldn't have sniffed a win. But things like virtue signaling to the most mentally ill of the extreme left that Democrats favored using taxpayer funds to pay for illegal alien prisoners to get gender reassignment (or nor nominating a Jewish person as VP) was more important than beating Trump, so here we are.
I pretty much guessed the content of your post. Same theme, whenever Trump is criticized, deflect to 'the left'.
That is how elections work. Just like a football game, they can be either won or lost. Trump didn't win. Democrats lost, twice, to the most unpopular candidate in polling history. They essentially chose to lose by abandoning the middle to keep their loony base writing checks..
but hey, you spent twice as much and still managed to lose to lose to Trump. Doubling down on the "let's see how crazy we can be" is a strategy. An incredibly stupid one, but it's a strategy.
Now that is a major deflection. I noted that your posts routinely deflect criticism from Trump onto 'the left' and you respond talking about elections and the Ds.
I am not, nor have ever been a D. I voted for Harris because the GOP stupidly nominated Trump. (And now continues to try to defend his irresponsible and wrong actions.)
Wrong again, but thanks for your opinion.
Winning elections enables Trump. And he won because progressives lost the election.
Democrats lost to Trump. You never criticize the Democratic party for managing to pull that off. All you do is criticize Trump without ever recognizing the extremism, lawlessness and dishonesty from Democrats that enabled him to do win. So busy throwing stones that you never noticed how insane Democrats look to moderates.
In 2016 they nominating the only person a game show host could beat. In 2024 they went with a guy from the cast from the walking dead and an extremely left wing loony that could not put a sentence together. In both cases it was the dems to lose and they did.
Well, his comment is the truth. That you don’t like it, doesn’t change that fact.
Not in the least.
This shit is getting out of hand.
Trump is out of control and you blame others. Blind partisanship (and cultish behavior) is what enables Trump. The problems we deal with today are a result of Trump.
The election is over. Trump is now enabled by continued support. As long as people like you run interference / support him, he will continue to engage in his irresponsible and damaging behavior.
It is easy to spot the (at least nearly blind) partisans. They are the ones always talking about the other party / ideology to deflect from inconvenient truths about Trump.
Trump has been out of control for many years. He should be in prison right now for trying to overthrow the US government in 2020-21. No one even talks about that any more. We live in a degraded country and this freefall cant last for long without permanent damage.
Trump is the elected president. He is enabled to act because winning the election vested him with the powers delegated to him by the us constitution. My support ,or lack thereof. has zero effect on the powers he has to wield. He has those powers because he won an election handed to him by the batshit crazy antics of his opponents.
He is enabled because he has an army of white grievers willing to die for him, both figuratively and literally.
Pretending to not understand my point accomplishes nothing of value.
Trump is abusing his powers. He is doing so because he has supporters like you. If people would stop blindly supporting and defending Trump, he would lose support in Congress and they would start fulfilling their constitutional duty as a check on the Executive branch.
Trump has constitutions powers because he was elected. His ability to abuse those powers is a function of popular support. Start criticizing this irresponsible rogue instead of constantly deflecting.
No, it's that type of racialist nonsense that allowed Trump to win. It's repellent to people of all races who believe in a society where your rights aren't determined by your race, which is why Trump improved his standing enough among minorities to win.
Wow. My refusal to vote for invested him with the powers granted to him by the Constitution. Amazing.
No, wrong, you ignored what I wrote and just obnoxiously repeat your bullshit. I am not talking about how Trump got his powers but rather what enables him to abuse same.
And, no, it is not just you but rather his supporters in aggregate. You are one example of an unfortunate many.
Still pretending to not understand. Pathetic.
People of color have been mistreated in this country since the mid 1600's , that is 400 years. I think we should allow them a little leeway to feel the playing field has been leveled when the evidence of that is less than overwhelming. There are people alive today whose parents and grandparents protested against integration and civil rights. Those attitudes were inculcated in the hearts and minds of millions of white Americans who are now the "base" of our society and the base of trump's support. People need to grow the fuck up.
But will that happen? What nakes you thik it will doall that well in the future?
If it doesn't, some folks will try to rarionalize why it doesn't do well in the future!.
People are saying that that sort of thing is what caused the whole mess in the first place!
Ah-- so that explains it!
(It totally explains how, after decades of ripping us off, the standard of living in Viet-nam is so much higher than the U.S.!)
No one is saying that people are rational!