Trump Strategery
[Headlines from DRJ]
The Federalist — Listen To What Happens When Donald Trump Gets Asked Real Questions By A Media Interviewer (March 2016):
“I am a conservative,” Trump said. “I’m not so conservative when it comes to the pure aspects of trade… I believe in free trade, which is nice and conservative,” he said before repeating his usual talking points about being a tougher negotiator with other countries by threatening to implement costly tariffs on imported goods.
“It’ll never happen,” Trump said of a tariff. “But you have the threat out there.”
“Well you’re a much better negotiator than I am,” Sykes said. “But you just said it’ll never happen, so you’ve basically said your negotiating ploy is a bluff.”
Trump stammered and repeatedly insisted that other countries like China, India, and Mexico are “killing us.”
The Hill — Trump, Kudlow ‘had it out’ after contradiction on who is hurt by tariffs: report (May 2019):
Trump’s former nominee to join the Federal Reserve Board, Stephen Moore, told the Post that the president is unlikely to back down from his threats for more tariff action against China unless a deal is struck to address U.S. concerns with U.S.-China trade policy.
I don’t see him crying uncle anytime soon,” said Moore. “It’s a high-risk strategy, but it’s not in his personality to back down. This goes back to what he said that first time he came down the escalator at Trump Tower.”
Why back down when it’s not his money at risk?
— DRJ
It never is Trump’s money at risk. His whole business model is built on insulating and shielding his money from risk.
Gryph (08c844) — 7/2/2019 @ 8:35 am“Why back down when it’s not his money at risk?”
— DRJ
Care to expand? In the context of presidencies and what presidents are empowered to do, what is the point of bringing up “not his money”? If meant as a criticism, it makes zero sense.
Munroe (d79d9a) — 7/2/2019 @ 8:37 amSo there was a time in the distant past when The Federalist was not all in for Trump?
kishnevi (9ce8ca) — 7/2/2019 @ 8:43 am2. In the context of presidencies, it means little. But Trump is a real estate developer. He prides himself on being a negotiator. These qualities didn’t go away when he assumed the presidency and his business proclivities have informed every step of his presidency so far. (The Trump humpers told us this would be a good thing, so don’t tell me they haven’t)
Gryph (08c844) — 7/2/2019 @ 8:45 amTariffs hurt people. Is it worth the gamble? Trump thinks so, even though it started as a bluff, but now he won’t back down. Maybe it will work and I hope it does, but let’s not forget that there is a price being paid.
DRJ (15874d) — 7/2/2019 @ 8:45 amMexico gave in because its economy is weak and its government won’t survive if its people are hurt, but China called Trump’s bluff. Now we’ll find out which leader is willing to sacrifice its poor to save face.
DRJ (15874d) — 7/2/2019 @ 9:05 am“It’ll never happen,” Trump said of a tariff. “But you have the threat out there.”
Ha, ha, ha! Trump in a capsule and from his own pursed lips. All talk, no walk.
nk (dbc370) — 7/2/2019 @ 9:17 amso really what is your solution, since 1999 when we admitted china to wto, they proceeded to strip our manufacturing and even agriculture clean, from farm raised tilapia, to microelectronics, hunter biden was investing in their state aviation company, but they aren’t a competitor, you think California’s day of the locusts regime, would exist as thoroughly if there was an industrial base there,
narciso (d1f714) — 7/2/2019 @ 9:26 amtariffs protected the US industrial and business base for over `50 years. We grew wealthy. Since we abandoned tariffs we grew debt, welfare and job losses instead. Tell me again how great it is to save a few cents on avocados and machine parts.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (6b1442) — 7/2/2019 @ 10:21 amDRJ
steveg (354706) — 7/2/2019 @ 1:05 pmI think that Trump believes he is doing the right thing. Trump has some smart people working for him who understand leverage. They have imposed/proposed very targeted tariffs and the countries have come quickly to the bargaining table… its a “you need us more than we need you” strategy which is based on a strong truth. They do need our markets more than we need theirs, so why not leverage it?
How many Presidents don’t think they are “doing the right thing”?
Clearly, we can disagree about whether a President’s policies are right for America but I don’t think we’ve had any actual Manchurian candidates as President, which means we have to evaluate them based on their policies and decisions.
In this case, we don’t have to guess. Trump himself said the tariff threat was something that would “never happen” but it has. Do you honestly believe the Chinese don’t know he said this?
DRJ (15874d) — 7/2/2019 @ 2:53 pmBy the way, I don’t know who the smart people in DC are but Trump picked Kudlow as his smart guy and Kudlow told Trump he’s wrong on tariffs.
DRJ (15874d) — 7/2/2019 @ 2:59 pm@ Mudd: How about the gasoline you put in your car? I can tell you for 100% certain that the tariffs Trump’s already imposed have created massive disruptions, shortages, and wild price increases in the oil patch. Those costs will flow through to all energy consumers, not just people who buy avocados. You will pay that tax, if you consume energy.
Yours is a brand of economic know-nothingism — deeply cynical, deeply uninformed, passionately believed. People with such shallow understanding of basic economics are, in turn, easy fodder for a con man like Donald Trump. You should change your internet name to Jon Snow.
Beldar (fa637a) — 7/2/2019 @ 3:03 pmTrump’s “leverage” is more akin to the way we’d react if one of the circus chimpanzees suddenly pulled a Glock from a security guard’s holster and started menacing the crowd with it. “Nice chimp, good chimp,” you might say to him, as you’re trying to sidle toward the exits. But in the end, when you’re supposedly the POTUS, such leverage — and you — become an international bad joke, as Trump has done.
He is incapable of and unwilling to consider what’s best for America, because he’s completely wrapped up in his con job of numb-nut know-nothings who buy into his twaddle. He has no comprehensive strategy, no more than the chimp has waving the Glock. But he grins and hops up and down when he thinks he’s proven to the world that he’s a big shot, just like a chimp.
Beldar (fa637a) — 7/2/2019 @ 3:07 pmso which sanctions would you remove, drj the one on the Maduro regime, or the ones on iran’s revolutionary guards, as to the expected price spike, that’s due to the antiquated Philadelphia
refinery, which will take some time to replace,
I’m not crazy about tariffs, I do realize they were a major part of revenue collection for 150 years, there must have been something to that, but china’s abuse of the wto privileges while protecting their own markets has to be taken into account,
narciso (d1f714) — 7/2/2019 @ 3:15 pmwas throwing our warriors under the bus, the right thing to do,
https://www.foxnews.com/us/navy-seal-edward-gallagher-found-not-guilty-on-murder-and-attempted-murder-charges
narciso (d1f714) — 7/2/2019 @ 3:19 pm‘…a brand of economic know-nothingism — deeply cynical, deeply uninformed, passionately believed.’
Reaganomics. 😉
DCSCA (797bc0) — 7/2/2019 @ 3:27 pm@2. Always keep in mind the ‘players’ are easily fourth and fifth tier; more than willing to suffer Trumpian abuse simply to be ‘close to power.’
DCSCA (797bc0) — 7/2/2019 @ 3:33 pmLook, Donald Trump is a moron. It doesn’t matter the subject, he takes knowing nothing to such a level that it is nearly literally impossible to fathom anything his says, it’s gibberish, and his brand of stupidity has been sold as a virtue to the gullible and naive.
This is known, this is not new information, he was a moron 3 years ago, he’ll be a moron in 2 years. The biggest problem with him is his brand of mental infection has sickened a large minority of Americans, and I’m not sure there is a cure.
Colonel Klink (Ret) (6e7a1c) — 7/2/2019 @ 4:16 pm19. I think Trump’s detractors tend to overestimate his penchant for fooling his supporters. I don’t think most Trump humpers are morons. They know better. They just don’t care. And that, in its way, is even more damning.
Gryph (08c844) — 7/2/2019 @ 7:07 pm