Trump Tariffs Add Exemptions Friday Night for Smartphones and Other Electronics (cnn.com)
- Reference: 0177008625
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/04/12/1539244/trump-tariffs-add-exemptions-friday-night-for-smartphones-and-other-electronics
- Source link: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/12/tech/trump-electronics-china-tariffs/index.html
And several other products also received an exemption which "applies to products entering the United States or removed from warehouses as early as April 5, according to the notice."
> Roughly 90% of Apple's iPhone production and assembly is based in China, according to Wedbush Securities' estimates. Counterpoint Research, a firm that monitors global smartphone shipments, estimated Apple has up to six weeks of inventory in the United States. Once that supply runs out, [2]prices would have been expected to go up ...
>
> Semiconductors and microchips are among the products heavily outsourced to factories in Asia due to lower costs. Those electronic parts are now exempt, according to the Friday notice. That could help Asian chipmakers, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), South Korea's Samsung and SK Hynix.
The exemptions also include solar cells, memory cards, and computers, [3]according to the BBC . "It was not clear whether technology imports from China would still be hit by a 20% tariff that was not part of the reciprocal tariffs announced on 2 April..."
Thanks to Slashdot readers [4]Alain Williams and [5]Mr. Dollar Ton for sharing the news.
[1] https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/12/tech/trump-electronics-china-tariffs/index.html
[2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/10/tech/apple-iphone-prices-tariffs-china/index.html
[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20xn626y81o
[4] https://slashdot.org/~Alain+Williams
[5] https://www.slashdot.org/~Mr.+Dollar+Ton
Trump's not "adding exceptions", though. (Score:5, Insightful)
Trump's back-pedaling on his core policies as hard and fast as he can, just because his handlers told him to. Probably only over the phone.
This administration is truly a joke.
Re: Trump's not "adding exceptions", though. (Score:4, Interesting)
He has much bigger things to worry about now. California is suing him for lost tax money and lost federal services, and the Dems are having him charged with insider trading. To make matters worse, his mini me has run off after cutting only $150 billion, which is far short of the publicly forecasted $2 trillion
Re: (Score:2)
Looks like a series of spectacular wins to me.
Trump will remain in the history books like the second putin.
Too bad he's ruining your country.
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Fortunately not my country. Let me make that perfectly clear.
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Ok, sorry. We'll all share some of the fallout of this shit anyway.
Re: Trump's not "adding exceptions", though. (Score:4, Funny)
"Second Putin"? Hahahaha, no. Putin is evil but reasonably competent. Trump is more chaotic-evil and dumb.
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He's the second, farcical version.
Precisely the way history likes to repeat itself.
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In other words, the same scam the Republicans have been pulling for at least my whole lifetime. Republican voters just keep running back like an abused wife. "But he really loves me..."
Re: (Score:2)
I think there is an element of truth to that. Trump's followers seem to share the commonality that they seem to identify with an abusive situation, whether it be childhood, marriage, etc.
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I've noticed that too. Full disclosure: I'm talking about orange supporters, here in a non USA country, in North America. Everyone I talk to that seems all in on the stable genius of breaking everything then criticizing whoever mops up the mess... yeah, they all seem to have a bone to pick. They have something broken inside that make them resent others who are doing better than them. Cutting off your nose to spite your face comes to mind. They don't mind taking a hit as long as you take one too.
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He'll cut taxes for the factory owner. Surely that will help me...
Re: (Score:3)
> ... and the Dems are having him charged with insider trading.
Possibly others, including GOP members in Congress like MTG: [1]Marjorie Taylor Greene Faces 'Insider Trading' Probe Calls Over Stock Buys [newsweek.com]
> Democrats are calling for an investigation into Marjorie Taylor Greene's purchase of stocks during the recent market dip following President Donald Trump's announcement of sweeping global tariffs on April 2.
> On Thursday, Texas Democratic Representative Gregorio Casar said: "We need an investigation into insider trading by people like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. We need an investigation into whether any K Street lobbyists or other big firms were tipped off by Donald Trump's actions."
[1] https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-faces-calls-insider-trading-probe-stock-buys-donald-trump-tariffs-2058469
Re: (Score:2)
I totally believe that the DOJ will prosecute those crimes. After all, they're designed to be an independent agency that operates free from political influence. In some fantasy world that no longer exists.
Congress can investigate crimes, but they can't prosecute anyone. Even that power is mostly limited to the party in power. The minority party can still conduct investigations, which their opponents will denounce as political theater and then ignore. But since they don't control any committees, they ca
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Elonia has realized she will probably end up swinging from a tree if she continues like this? Interesting. May still happen though. Or maybe she gets deported to a certain prison (without due process, of course), she is not an US citizen after all.
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On the contrary, if Trump was in a short position on any company on any share before becoming president and doing this, I don't see how he could be found not in conflict. Trump may not go to jail but it is another very black mark on him, and if anything it may hurt the conservatives in Canada.
Musk didn't prove anything except that trimming government costs is a fuckton harder than his ilk make it out to be.
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Show me them fraud convictions baby.
Just rewarding Apple for $500B investment in USA (Score:5, Interesting)
> Trump's back-pedaling on his core policies as hard and fast as he can, ...
Nope, He rewards cooperation. Apple promised to spend $500 billions in the USA over the next few years, so they get an exemption from the China tariffs. Similar story with the 90 day pause. 50+ (now 75+) countries expressed interest in negotiations so he start a non-day pause for everyone except China. It's just the usual Trump theatrics. He has a lifelong track record of exaggerated opening positions that he quickly negotiates away from.
Re: (Score:3)
Apple made the same promises in 2018 and 2021. It's basically a recycled pledge. Classic Trump style - taking credit for something that was already happening and calling it a win.
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> Apple made the same promises in 2018 and 2021. It's basically a recycled pledge. Classic Trump style - taking credit for something that was already happening and calling it a win.
Apple pledged to spend this amount in the next 3-4 years. He wouldn't want to do anything adverse to Apple and give them an excuse to back off.
And even if they don't spend that amount, the Apple announcement is a huge PR win for Trump. That's still something Trump would reward.
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Please explain how providing an exemption to the tariffs for all phones, including Android phones, is a reward to Apple.
While you're trying to think of an explanation, I have some refreshing grape Flavor-Aid for you.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
> Please explain how providing an exemption to the tariffs for all phones, including Android phones, is a reward to Apple.
If the exemption were Apple specific the quid pro quo would be too obvious. Plus voters would be pissed off if their Android phone prices doubled. You think people are pissed off over high egg prices, imagine doubled cell phone prices. That would be a high profile gift to democrats.
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So it's Trump realizing he fucked up with that specific tariff and backpedaling because it would piss off too many voters.
In other words, it's not a reward to Apple and you're backpedaling on your initial position because it's so very, very wrong.
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> So it's Trump realizing he fucked up with that specific tariff and backpedaling because it would piss off too many voters.
No. He has a lifelong history of exaggerated opening positions that he negotiates away from or backs off of to reward cooperation. You are confusing the theatre with what he is actually willing to do. Were you actually expecting him to honestly state his inentions?
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Yes, I agree. His real intentions are to kneel down and beg Xi. I really appreciate that he took a circuitous route to beg.
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> Yes, I agree. His real intentions are to kneel down and beg Xi. I really appreciate that he took a circuitous route to beg.
No, pausing all the non-China tariffs, exempting key American products from the China tariffs, is doing no favors for Xi. Matter of fact it make Xi's countermoves less effective. Neither in this tariff fight nor in efforts to keep companies from relocating some production to other countries. These companies are learning another lesson in regards to second sourcing. A time tested practice many forgot about until covid and this trade dispute.
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And what is actually happening is that Xi looks like a leader and Trump looks like a bully that is now sulking in a corner after somebody stood up to him. Not good.
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> And what is actually happening is that Xi looks like a leader and Trump looks like a bully that is now sulking in a corner after somebody stood up to him. Not good.
Keep thinking that as counties make new tariff deals with the US, as companies continue to diversify their manufacturing. That phantom image of Xi a participation trophy to cling to. :-)
Re: (Score:2)
You must be a Trump voter. The disconnect and stupid is strong in you.
Re: (Score:2)
> You must be a Trump voter. The disconnect and stupid is strong in you.
Actually, no. Never supported him. I'm just an intellectually honest independent that expects all political sides to lie, and if they tell the truth it's a coincidence since the truth happens to align with the politics. So I listen to all sides, look for evidence, try to triangulate on reality. Apologies is reality does not match CCP spin.
Re:Just rewarding Apple for $500B investment in US (Score:4, Interesting)
This sounds suspiciously like a plan to wait until the dust settles and then, whatever the result, state 'that was the plan all along', every step of the way so far I've heard folks like yourself cheer the first moves and explain why it's great and then cheer the back pedal and explain why it too is part of some great strategy and then cheer the re-instatement and the escalation. Literally anything he does is correct.
So quick question, your comment about 'lifelong history of exaggerated opening positions' implies you've bought into the whole 'Trump is a great negotiator' trope. Care to explain his near perfect failure record as a business owner and 6 bankruptcies ? Was that also part of a grand strategy ? When he bankrupts the US economy will that also be part of some grand strategy ?
Re: Just rewarding Apple for $500B investment in U (Score:2)
Perhaps because it would be suspicious.
However, it may well be all phones since making it too expensive to buy the latest, the general public might get upset.
Re: (Score:2)
> Please explain how providing an exemption to the tariffs for all phones, including Android phones, is a reward to Apple.
> While you're trying to think of an explanation, I have some refreshing grape Flavor-Aid for you.
Because a tax cut that also applies to your competitor is still a tangible tax cut for you. No one regrets getting a tax cut because their friend got the same tax cut.
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> Because a tax cut that also applies to your competitor is still a tangible tax cut for you. No one regrets getting a tax cut because their friend got the same tax cut.
While that is true, another factor is that Apple's customers may be less price-sensitive than many customers of the Android world.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
So the master negotiator has one tactic: do really stupid shit until other people pay him to stop. Art of the deal baby!
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
> So the master negotiator has one tactic: do really stupid shit until other people pay him to stop. Art of the deal baby!
That and bullying others until they cooperate. Either scenario, crude but effective.
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Effective has yet to be proven. The first term was anything but and so far we have gotten jack shit for all those promises (where's my $2T in W/F/A?).
But I guess the man who took 3 years to negotiate one trade deal with our two closest neighbors can handle 50 more in 90 days so I guess both of us will see.
Re: (Score:2)
> Effective has yet to be proven. The first term was anything but and so far we have gotten jack shit for all those promises
Actually quite the contrary.
He bullied Mexico and got them to put their Army on their side of the US border. That resulted in a massive drop in illegal immigration. It wasn't his border wall that got results. It was the Mexican Army.
He bullied NATO counties to meet their spending requirement for NATO. Various countries have increased their military budgets. NATO officials actually admit its a good result.
The first term tariffs on China were actually largely kept by Biden. A quite rare event for an
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Border numbers were falling before 2025 and we still have no actual immigration legislation, just more EO's and yeah I guess the border crossings are down but I have yet still to be convinced why this matters as much as Republicans tell me it does. So far all we have gotten is economic damage, an apparent decimation of our tourism industry, contempt across the globe and stories of legal residents get black bagged and exiled to El Salvadorian prisons without due processes prisons completely at odds at what
Re: (Score:2)
> Border numbers were falling before 2025 ...
I was referring to the first term, not the current term.
> This point assumes there was no other way (for once again, the "Master Negotiator") to increase NATO spending besides bullying ...
US President after US President had previously complained, Democratic and Republican administrations. Friendly diplomatic talk did not work. Again, even NATO folks admitted it helped.
> I know for a fact Joe Biden, even with his melting brain ...
And kept some of Trump's China tariffs.
> Easy example auto's. Biden kept the tariffs but summarily got huge legislation passed to build up the domestic auto industry ...
So Biden;s approach was to spend taxpayer money to get auto companies to build more autos in the US.
Trump's approach is to bully auto makers to build more autos in the US.. No taxpayer money necessary.
Or International, to bully Germ
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That's a lot of mental gymnastics to avoid admitting the obvious: Your orange god is an idiot without a plan who is actively destroying the economy because of his fragile ego.
> No taxpayer money necessary.
You don't seem to understand what tariffs are...
Re:Just rewarding Apple for $500B investment in US (Score:4, Insightful)
> That's a lot of mental gymnastics to avoid admitting the obvious:
Noting taxpayer funded vs corporate funded is not exactly mental gymnastics.
Neither is noting Trump is public opinion fixated
Neither is noting he exaggerates at the beginning of negotiations.
>> No taxpayer money necessary.
> You don't seem to understand what tariffs are...
Ignoring the fact that you misrepresent context, building US manufacturing via gov't spending vs corporate spending, not tariffs ...
Tariffs that never happen, that were just blustered threats, cost taxpayers nothing.
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Oh well if we are talking "Remain in Mexico" that was like 40k people and Trumps border numbers didn't really fall until he could use Title 14 because of Covid
Your response to NATO is not a counter to my point, artful dodge, maybe you should be a politician
Tarriff point Not a counter to my point, like at all. Do intentions not matter? Accidents the same as purpose? Does nothing mean anything anymore?!?! What the fuck are you talking about?!?
> So Biden;s approach was to spend taxpayer money to get auto companies to build more autos in the US.
YES. It's what works.
> Trump's approach is to bully auto makers to build more autos in the US.. No taxpayer money necessary.
Well Biden created more manufacturing in his
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...only posting to undo accidental /. moderations due to old twitchy fingers, primarily due to the MoFo taking up space in the White House that frays my nerves.
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> So the master negotiator has one tactic: do really stupid shit until other people pay him to stop. Art of the deal baby!
Indeed. Slight problem: The china he broke is now broken and others will remember. US consumers will be paying more and more for imports over the next months and it may well take a decade or two for that to reverse. If it does.
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For sure, like anybody reasonable in the slightest if faced with this type of "tactic" in their personal lives, if some person you had to do business with always just lead with the end result's of negotiations, goes right for the maximum damage tactic and expects you to negotiate from there, like it's not good business to work with that person, you would cut them off even if it hurt you because working with them is worse and in fact you might actually work with others just to spite that person for acting li
Re: (Score:2)
>> Trump's back-pedaling on his core policies as hard and fast as he can, ...
> Nope, He rewards cooperation. Apple promised to spend $500 billions in the USA over the next few years, so they get an exemption from the China tariffs. Similar story with the 90 day pause. 50+ (now 75+) countries expressed interest in negotiations so he start a non-day pause for everyone except China. It's just the usual Trump theatrics. He has a lifelong track record of exaggerated opening positions that he quickly negotiates away from.
Apple promised $500 billion. Nvidia promised to invest in more data centers. China promised during Trump 1.0 to buy $200 billion more American stuff. Foxconn promised to build stuff in Wisconsin.
Why do all these promised get made? Because the people being promised don't care. They just want the PR now. Whether any of those promised get fulfilled doesn't matter to them.
Re: (Score:2)
>>> Trump's back-pedaling on his core policies as hard and fast as he can, ...
>> Nope, He rewards cooperation. Apple promised to spend $500 billions in the USA over the next few years, so they get an exemption from the China tariffs. Similar story with the 90 day pause. 50+ (now 75+) countries expressed interest in negotiations so he start a non-day pause for everyone except China. It's just the usual Trump theatrics. He has a lifelong track record of exaggerated opening positions that he quickly negotiates away from.
> Apple promised $500 billion. Nvidia promised to invest in more data centers. China promised during Trump 1.0 to buy $200 billion more American stuff. Foxconn promised to build stuff in Wisconsin. Why do all these promised get made? Because the people being promised don't care. They just want the PR now. Whether any of those promised get fulfilled doesn't matter to them.
Were you under the impression he is not willing to reward something that is nothing more than a PR win?
Also Apple has promised to invest in a 3-4 year timeframe. Tariffs could have given them a valid excuse for backing off on that pledge. So he's protecting the good PR, and any spending that would occur during his term.
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"promise"
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I hope you're at least getting paid for all that dick riding.
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> A promise that is a big PR win.
I don't give a fuck about "PR wins", I care about actual results. The problem with Orange Julius and you morons is that all you care about is the theater.
Just look at how you freaks spin the horrific losses as some sort of win! He tanks the economy and says "look, interest rates are down!" If he burned down your house all you'd talk about is how much money he's saved you on electricity. It's beyond all reason.
> You don't think Trump is above rewarding PR wins?
PR "wins" are all he cares about. He's been making all sorts of absurd claims like [1]the price o [www.cbc.ca]
[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/egg-prices-trump-1.7506739
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> Trump's back-pedaling on his core policies as hard and fast as he can, just because his handlers told him to. Probably only over the phone.
> This administration is truly a joke.
He often seems pretty checked-out and doesn't really seem to care - except for pursuing grudges against those who've "wronged" him, and "winning" golf tournaments at his own golf clubs. I wouldn't be surprised if the minions were actually running things, following the Project 2025 playbook 'cause they all have been so victimized over the years... Maybe there's a little elder abuse going on at 1600 PA Ave?
The whole tariffs things as he's (they're) implementing them anyway makes zero sense -- which impor
Re: (Score:2)
> The whole tariffs things as he's (they're) implementing them anyway makes zero sense -- which importers and (often) consumers pay, btw.
Actually, it is paid universally by consumers. It just takes a while to become obvious, because international trade is a slow, strategic game and one that values market stability over everything else. The only way consumers are not paying for tariffs is if they lose access to the product in question.
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It is too late, the damage is mostly done. Nobody considers the US a reliable trade partner anymore. That comes with higher prices and loss of access to some things.
Oh, and China now knows how to stop anything Trump does that they do not like.
You don't have to actually know econ to run it (Score:5, Insightful)
Import Chinese battery: 145% tariff
Import Chinese battery inside Chinese laptop: 20% tariff
Import Chinese battery inside Vietnamese laptop: 0% tariff
Also now Apple the phones have less tariffs applied than literal apples despite the fact that we export 3x of those into the world than we import, a trade surplus and it's still taxed.
These people don't know what they are doing.
Re: (Score:2)
> Also now Apple the phones have less tariffs applied than literal apples despite the fact that we export 3x of those into the world than we import, a trade surplus and it's still taxed.
Trump destroyed the Chinese market for (edible) apples during his first term. But then that largely affected farmers from my blue-state home, Washington... so I'm sure Trump considers it payback somehow (despite that half of the state voting heavily Republican).
Re: (Score:3)
Oh I'm sorry I guess you just got to this planet? Let me fill you in on the basics; [1]Season [wikipedia.org]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season
Trump folds in challenge toward China (Score:2, Informative)
Trump never changes, talks a big game but can't back it up when someone stands up against him.
It is folding against corporations. (Score:2)
This is not folding against China, this is folding against big US corporations (specifically APPLE INC.)
If anyone needs any more proof that the government is run by corporations, they must be brain dead.
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I do remember Trump to claim that he will change that. Apparently that was a direct lie. Well, it was an obvious lie as well, except to the countless morons that voted him into office.
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Are you suggesting that every exempt smartphone, computer, and gadget out there is secretly an Apple product, or that Apple’s recycled promises from 2018 and 2021 are somehow granting everyone a magical exemption card?
Sounds less like the art of the deal and more like the art of false credit.
Re: (Score:2)
Apple made that "pledge" in February. The tariffs were announced in March and the "break" in tariffs came in April. If the exemption was meant to reward cooperation, why would it happen like this? It seems completely backwards to how agreements are usually done.
This situation has led to significant consequences for Apple, including a sharp drop in stock value, large costs from urgently shipping large amount of inventory by air (a more expensive option) to get ahead of the tariffs, and potential internal iss
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> Apple made that "pledge" in February. The tariffs were announced in March and the "break" in tariffs came in April. If the exemption was meant to reward cooperation, why would it happen like this?
The rewards came when needed. After escalations, after 1xx% tariffs, after China showed a reluctance to negotiate.
> This situation has led to significant consequences for Apple, including a sharp drop in stock value, ...
Followed by a significant rise in stock. Apple is not a company that panics along side day traders.
> ... large costs from urgently shipping large amount of inventory by air (a more expensive option) ...
Apple has frequently used air. My current iPhone shipped from a US distribution center but my previous iPhone shipped, via air, directly from China. With 30% margins on iPhones Apple can afford such rapid direct order fulfillment from China.
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I promise to spend $500 billion in the USA in the next four years.
You believe me, right?
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> I promise to spend $500 billion in the USA in the next four years. You believe me, right?
May I forward this post to the white house so they can add you to their web page? :-)
[1]https://www.whitehouse.gov/art... [whitehouse.gov]
[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/03/more-investment-more-jobs-and-more-money-in-americans-pockets/
Re: (Score:2)
So you DO believe me. Whew.
I'm going to backtrack a bit on that promise, but I'll do what Volkswagen, Stellantis, Hundyai and the rest of them did there: I"m *considering* making an *announcement* that I'm going to promise to invest, what did I say?... u mm 500 billion yeah, that's right... you can definitely post that !
Because for sure, I'm considering making an announcement.
So who wouldn't believe me? or Volkswagen?
I'm also thinking of building a Stargate. Want to get in early?
Caved, again. (Score:3)
So much for "resetting the global trade economy.
Fluffonomics, AKA, dictatorship (Score:2)
It's not "caving", it's financial favoritism. He wants CEO's to dance to his tune because they know they don't get exemptions otherwise.
He's withholding funds to universities who don't kiss him, law firms (security grants), and even cities who don't grant ICE more access.
Folks, you are witnessing another coup attempt, this one slower but bigger.
So this was always about tricking Congress (Score:3)
Or rather the voters into approving a $5 trillion dollar tax cut for the 1%. There's about nine Republicans in the House of Representatives that run their entire political careers off of deficit reduction and if they had voted in favor of adding 5 trillion dollars to the deficit they'd get their asses kicked in the primary.
Trump's solution was to use his authority from Congress to create a national sales tax and make you pay those taxes, at least on paper. But he couldn't maintain it through the process of budget negotiations because the Republican party are basket cases that could negotiate their way out of a wet paper bag because they're too busy fighting like crabs in a bucket.
So the idea was to use trillions of dollars in tariff money so that they could ram the tax cuts through and then back off a bit on the tariffs if they needed to, and if they didn't then they could just leave it and they'd have their national sales tax. Effectively moving their tax burden on to you.
Remember as a percentage of their income the rich don't pay much but is a raw dollar amount it's a ton of money because they just have so much freaking money.
The upshot to all this is Trump implemented the largest tax increase since world war II.
Re: (Score:3)
All very good points, but until that information is on places like Fox "News" and "News"max half the country will remain uninformed and will continue to believe the, let's be honest, lies being pushed there and by this administration. What's interesting is that the WSJ seems to be telling more truth about the tariffs than the pundits on Fox, and they're owned by the same parent company / people. Guessing it's for their different audiences.
I'm just screaming into the void at this point (Score:3)
Trump won and the oligarchs one with him. There's a bunch of them that will get thrown out of windows in a few years but none of them believe that. Mostly the guys who are sitting on a few hundred million dollars and don't understand that they aren't in the same club as the guys sitting on several billion.
And that's all well and good and it's fun to point and laugh at those people but it's not going to help me at all. My kids still doesn't get to go to grad school because Trump is destroying the program
Re:So this was always about tricking Congress (Score:4, Funny)
Ah yes liberals are famous for wanting tax on lower income people rather than billionaires.
Do you even know what "liberal" actually means?
Re: (Score:2)
Well, given how your ilk has behaved... now it does. I hope the next time liberals come to power, they use everything Trump has gifted them to fuck over every right winger. A good starting point, functionally ban the Federalist society. Revoke all clearances and federal access to any firm or business employing any current or former member.
Next up, impound all monies to Republican voters. Use the the brand new completely unsecure financial system to link IRS records to voting registration, and launch massive
Blinky Blinky! (Score:2)
And the Drumpfster blinks. Or more likely, the broligarchs whispered in his ear.
Time for China export tariff (Score:3)
China should impose an equal export tariff on the same items so that the price paid in the United States is not reduced, with the receipts going to China rather than US Customs. That would be brilliant.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, China should impose a 20% export duty on all items headed to US or US corporations outside of China. Make Trump poop in his pants again.
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As China is less that impressed with the amateur-level posturing the US is doing, I am sure they are considering that. The companies exporting will for sure now add a "risk" premium on their products.
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Who is forcing Americans to buy China's bottom dollar trinkets? China makes things cheaper and people vote with their wallet.
What? (Score:2)
Either you mean it, or you don't. I have no problem either way, but flip flopping like a dying fish is not useful.
Told ya, US would blink first and fast (Score:2)
In the staring game between China and US, US led by Trump blinked first. And he blinked so fast, even Xi couldn't believe his eyes. Xi might be laughing hard, rolling on the floor and farting uncontrollably in his pants. The tariffs are a joke, and the hot air balloon will back off on these tariffs faster than it took him to declare. This could be a turning point in world history. The world has now seen enough of US political stupidity. Take America back to the industrial age again!
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Yep, impressive standing power there. The idiot-in-chief needs to make sure he does not cancel his tariffs before he announces them. Everybody trading with the US now knows he does not have what it takes to make a credible threat. The market stability is still gone and people will look for reliable trade-partners instead and charge US customers significantly more as a "chaos" tax.
Re: (Score:2)
Xi knew trump will blink right after trump blinked before putin.
Say what you will about grandma Nancy and the timing of her swastikar stock purchases, but she had balls to fly over the whole China navy and land on Taiwan.
Meanwhile, trump could only giggle stupidly and say "President Chi is my friend".
[1]https://www.threads.net/@ianbr... [threads.net]
[1] https://www.threads.net/@ianbremmer/post/DGjLE6htadg
Great, more chaos (Score:2)
Short-term, this may appear to repair the damage, but long-term, the trust is gone. Trade depends on stability, and nobody will expect stability form the use for at least a decade now. The result will be higher consumer prices and loss of access to many things where vendors just focus on other markets.
Re: (Score:2)
> Short-term, this may appear to repair the damage, but long-term, the trust is gone. Trade depends on stability, and nobody will expect stability form the use for at least a decade now.
I think you're under-selling the long-term damage. Trump has basically destroyed the rest of the world's trust in the US Dollar as the world's de-facto reserve currency. Going forward, that's going to make the US weaker in many ways, directly and indirectly - and it's probably permanent.
Re: (Score:2)
Impressive standing power there. Trump surrendered even before the shooting did start. Dare on call him a coward or was he never serious in the first place? Who knows? Probably not even he does...
Lol (Score:5, Interesting)
Wasn’t he posting on Truth Social that he would never back down?
Re:Lol (Score:5, Informative)
You won't believe it, but a trump supporter just told me this:
> Trump is using tariffs like a scalpel instead of a bludgeon.
> Works for me.
> And if he decides a bludgeon is what’s needed, that’s cool, too.
There is no policy, objective or ideology, just obeisance.
Re:Lol (Score:5, Insightful)
The only question to ask a Trump supporter at this point is "what would Trump have to do to stop you supporting him?" because the answer for most is nothing, he can do literally anything.
Re: (Score:2)
And they'll probably lie to themselves and vote for him anyway.
You think trump hasn't paid for a few abortions?
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
You maybe didn't get the memo. If you are a Republican whatever you believed in years ago doesn't matter, stop living in the past.
If you are a Democrat then your political biases from your 3rd grade social studies should be taken very seriously and considered against you.
Re: (Score:3)
I lot of them think there will be all kinds of factories offering them cushy jobs soon. It will be a long time before they realize that isn't happening.
Re: (Score:2)
you will take that low paid factory job or vaction in El Salvador,
Re:Lol (Score:4, Insightful)
Reminds me of a British mussel-farmer after Brexit (which he voted for): Ecstatic at now being able to set "their own rules", but then realizing his product goes 95% to the EU and the EU sets conditions on how stuff is produced. Many people are dumb beyond belief.
Re: (Score:2)
Hey, a week ago Howard Lutnick promised the tariffs were gonna lead to millions of American jobs screwing in all those tiny iPhone screws!
Truly the American dream...
Re: (Score:3)
You also have to ask yourself the following: After all that, why do they see Trump's chaos as a lesser evil over my ideology?
Re: Lol (Score:2)
I can answer. He would have to become more unacceptable that whatever the most viable opponent is.
Trump is all about a certain amount of noise and bullshit. This has a cost.
The Democrats are all about a different kind of noise and bullshit. And also about broad deindustrialization and degrowth in the service of ghg emissions, speech policing in the service of a paternalistic view of government and institutions, and oh yeah dudes in dresses and Hamas cheerleaders.
The moment the latter stops being true, guys
Re: (Score:2)
Well, I don't know about universal healthcare, but don's firmly on the way to back-pedal on the illegal immigration part like he did on the tariffs.
Of course, he'll declare it "legal", probably by an executive order, so that you have an excuse.
[1]https://www.nbcnews.com/news/l... [nbcnews.com]
Ain't it ironic how he doesn't leave you a leg to stand on?
[1] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-farmworkers-hotel-workers-undocumented-legal-rcna200722
Re: (Score:2)
"universal healthcare"
Nixoncare, Dolecare, Romneycare?
"illegal immigration"
what illegal immigration is that?
what do you think about the Trump Organization's decades of employing undocumented workers?
" other elements of the liberal agenda"
which specifically would be most likely for you to stop supporting him?
Re: (Score:2)
Well, whenever you think people have reached peak-stupid, some new cult comes along and does worse. Trump supporters are really the dumbest fucks around.
Re: (Score:2)
Yep, and they are shameless and stubborn. Which is bad, bad news.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't like those vacuous Subjects, but you are on point and the situation would be laughable if I wasn't crying so much. Stupid is as the YOB does and the YOB's fools cheer no matter what the fool does--and always without thinking.
However I also feel "empowered" to wonder where the YOBster got the loophole idea to feed to the YOB so the YOB could claim it as his own "brilliant" tactic. I posted in public several times (including here on ye olde Slashdot) that the Chinese would carve holes in their tariffs