This is good news. The only way to get rid of Trump is for him to destroy the economy, that will affect the billionaires and corporations that fund him.
These people have never had to suffer the consequences of their action, because shit rolls down hill, maybe when they take in in the shorts they will get a wake up call, a jolt of reality.
It will hurt J Q Public, but JQ Public is already hurting because of Trusk or shall I call it MUMPS.
except William, I don't think the oligarchs are worried about a depression, because then they can buy everything for pennies on the dollar. real estate especially - some new slum lords could be created. hey, maybe dumpster could acquire some, he even has the experience. and HUD won't need to enforce fair housing laws anymore.
Much of J Q Public are guilty accomplices and deserve whatever economic hardships they experience because they put Trump in a position to do all this. I'm including all those Republicans in Florida who added two more Trump sycophants to the House.
You joke about that.but he will be buried on one of his golf courses. He got his ex-wife (Ivana Trump) buried on his Bedminster course. Basically, some sort of tax dodge. I think something to do with undertakers and cemeteries not paying land-tax. So yes, he will be buried there for tax reasons. His family will then take a leaf out of the medieval churches playbook and start selling Trump.relics. Get a lock of his hair for $5000 or the entire mane for a cool million. Or perhaps a finger,?$15000 will get you one of his fingers (we can take a bet to see if the suckers ever realise that Trump didn't have several thousand fingers)
You are so spot-on about the relics! Of course, they've already started that with their crypto s*hitcoins. However, perhaps they'll say he's been cremated and will sell three million pounds of ashes. (I knew about Ivana (and the classified docs?), which is why I suggested it.)
Think you could sell that as a business venture to them. They could churn out cubic zirconia claiming they're diamonds made from the ashes of the great leader: Trump the original diamond geezer.
Speaking of El Salvador (The Savior), what will Bukele do with all the young men imprisoned there? Might he not turn them into his private army? Will they become Proud Boys at the service of oligarchs? We must keep an eye on Bukele.
the only proper punishment for dumpster is to be sentenced to work next to his brothers and sisters in the agricultural fields in central california. stoop labor, 100+ degree heat, no shade, dirty portapotties, warm water, pesticides, herbicides, flies, mosquitoes, and 14 hour days.
History books should tell the story of his greed and hatred of the middle class, poor, nonwhites, immigrants, and the military. It should also expose that this election was bought and paid for by his buddy muskrat.
Some day, don't ask me when, the Republican Congress will recover it's spine and gonads. It's something to look forward to; unfortunately, it appears they will remain spineless jellyfish for the immediate future.
I am not sure that the Republicans who are currently in office care! I want to see everyone of them out of office for LIFE! They are all drunk on power and money.
Don't count on the p***ey Mike Johnson to ever grow a pair and stand up to his master, not the Jesus he falsely praises, but the scum sucking pig Trump.
They're not Republicans,. Republicans are part of a functioning democracy. These greedy, spineless, amoral ghouls are facilitating the race to the abyss of fascism
I dunno. We only need, what 3-4 of them on each side to cave and join the resistance? I haven't determined yet whether those who have been hiding from their very angry constituents are also kinda "purple" and might be persuaded to band together and jump the line. Cuz if they don't, it's not trump who will take them down, but their own constituents, who will primary them, and fervently. They need to think about that.
"Anonymous sources report that Comrade Trump wasn't convicted by the Senate in his impeachments because the Senators feared for their safety and the safety of their families. Death threats anyone ? Pardoning J6 terrorists? Totally rational fears and prima facie evidence of fascism
Sadly, I think the fear is the biggest factor driving the Republicans who are so “loyal”. And the fear wouldn’t be there if there hasn’t been some real power behind the threats.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court cases that have enabled Trump and Musk will outlive them. First, Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United, which have turned our elections into a scheme of legalized bribery, will survive both men and favor plutocracy/kleptocracy over democracy. Then, John Roberts’ decision providing immunity to presidents who commit times in office replaces our constitutional democracy with a monarchy, or worse, a dictatorship.
As a kingmaker, Roberts made himself more powerful than Trump. (He also of course voted for Citizens United, authored Shelby County eviscerating the Voting Rights Act and supported Dodds).
Yet we continue to focus almost exclusively on the Executive Branch as the source of all our ills. And one half of Democrats in the Senate voted to confirm Roberts despite his role in Bush v. Gore, among other things. (He was the main architect of the Republicans’ strategy for which he was rewarded by nomination to the Court by George Bush.
I believe that once we get rid of trump, we need to start on the Supreme Court. None of the Republicans on the Supreme Court are honorable. Therefore, they should be impeached and, those who have been bribed to vote a certain way, should be prosecuted and imprisoned.
I have to tell you over on Blue Sky the Quants and Economists are having a FIELD day with jokes about the utter stupidity of the formula used to calculate the tariffs. 🤡 in the Oval Office. Oh I read, "Put a clown in the White House and you get a circus." Perfect. The spelling errors that emerge in the documents issued by that cesspool are chronic & pathetic.
They've presumably had months to think through what a tariffs policy might look like. Part of the reason is surely that Trump has surrounded himself with fanatics like Peter Navarro, but I wonder if this was the pardons fiasco all over again. In that case, they tried to get Trump to look at the J6 pardons individually and then in various categories but he has the attention span of a squirrel and eventually he just said "Ah, fuck it! I'll pardon them all!" As the deadline approached for Liberation Day, it would have become increasingly likely that something utterly absurd like this would be the end result of their, er, 'deliberations'.
I love the Press pundits already trying to explain WHO will be effected most by these insane tariffs---their answer--middle/lower classes. DIUH??? But come ON, this effects THE ENTIRE NATION, as this will send our economy into a DEATH SPIRAL. Watch---the rest of the world WILL ban together and regardless of how Trump reacts this is going to hurt our nation and economy for YEARS TO COME.
You think the Repub members of Congress know the end is coming? Only the strong MAGAcultists seem to be aware of it. Meanwhile for the rest of us the question remains; where in hell are the Democrats? Where in hell is the vaunted jurists? Is everybody sitting back thinking about holding off while the ageing old man destroys the nation? And then the waiting will have to continue as the foolish pro-MAGA voters wake up. Next question; is this the beginning of the end for the once proud US of A?
Sanctions already prevent most trade. However, Dmitriev is in DC today - gee, I wonder what behind-the-curtain talks are going on. You can bet it won't be televised.
Tariff is just another word for tax. I agree that those countries Reich listed should join together and form a free trade group without the US. I really hope they don't bargain individually. I agree that would be a big mistake. The way to deal with a bully is to present a united front against him, so that his power slips away and he is reduced to throwing tantrums. The other countries of the world don't actually need the US for trade, since they all can provide everything necessary for each country.
I've mentioned before the idea that "conquest" of land and people is an idea from the past. In the modern era it's all about conquest of markets. I believe China has finally "turned their ship" in that direction. But large economies like large ships take time to show movement in the new direction.
Trump is going in the opposite direction. He is withdrawing from markets as if that will make America great again. He dreams of adding land to the USA. I think his supporters will see just the opposite if he and his friends stay on their current course. New land is not needed as long as functioning markets exist serving large populations. Greenland and others are quite capable of being sources of critical minerals for everybody as long as there is enough of a market to pay for digging them up.
China, of course, has a long history of trading with other nations - the overland and maritime Silk Roads from the 2nd century onwards - in spite of its political isolation. Today, it uses economic power for political influence. For example, the US has some 800 overseas military bases; China has three. The extended version of BRICS (with 9 new members and 13 affiliates) now encompasses more than half the population of the world and China is the dominant force. British historian Paul Kennedy foresees a tripolar global power future - China, the US and India. Trump seems to be actively removing the US from the global power scene by his insanely inflationary and protectionist policies. He covets rare earth minerals without ever quite knowing what they are or what they're needed for (presumably someone like Elon Musk may have once explained their significance to him). There's a video of him regaling the importance of 'raw earth' to the United States. More recently, he's called them 'rare earth' but I doubt he even knows what a mineral is. Heaven only knows where he stumbled upon the idea of Canada as a potential 51st state.
He's been especially successful in relating his story of imagined victimisation to the very real grievances of some of his supporters. He at least pretended to care about their concerns and offered them the prospect of a country in which everyone would prosper. He also cynically apppealed to their baser instincts by identifying those he said were responsible for their woes, relieving from them the burden of agency. There's a certain kind of genius in this, given that he has done this twice now - but not in the sense of being clever. Indeed, I would argue that he and his base have this peculiar affinity (elective in their case) because he's so transparently as dumb as they are.
Electric cars create more problems than they solve. The batteries are more unsustainable than oil. The CA wildfires made a toxic mess out of them. Do they even offset the amount of energy used by crypto? And now Musk turned on Dems who enabled his electric car scam and made him a Billionaire.
China will try (and should) to convince the rest of the world to join THEM in a alliance against the US. Together they hold more power than the US. Trump's tariffs cannot last, OR there will be no US economy left. Trump is running our economy (and way of life) INTO THE GROUND.
Announcing tariffs on so many countries at once is a good way to start a world trade war against US. All of the countries will likely band together to create an alliance. One at a time is less likely to cause an anti-US group solution. Is this going to cause us to be isolated from the global market?
I wonder what Boeing is thinking now. Are US airplanes affordable when the price increases so much? I wonder if Boeing is the loser and Airbus is the winner? Tesla sales in other countries will likely tank now.
We are already being isolated in every way possible. Did you hear the prime minister of Canada announce it? They're essentially DONE with us. We cannot be trusted at ALL. Personally, I know it's the administration they're fighting and not us citizens, and I loved what he said. He's not horsing around. Neither is the EU and others. I believe the tariff "plan" is going to backfire. Everyone else is figuring out how to get the goods they would typically get from the US elsewhere, even expensive military jets and other equipment. They're all banding together and moving on without us.
No, I hadnt heard. I was afraid of that. I've heard, "we live in a global economy now," as long as I can remember. I didn't doubt it because of the origin of so many products on the store shelves... And all the mega ships coming into Baltimore with containers stacked several levels.
It's hard to understand how we were getting screwed just because other countries had tariffs on us. It's not like playing marbles because the marbles have different values. Are marbles are valued higher because of the value of the dollar.
We can have some tariffs to protect domestic products. But across the board tariffs could create across the board retaliation. This is what the trade experts are afraid of, I believe Not to mention unstable markets for producers. We had stability going for us.
Simple math told me that if we import more than we export, we lose in a trade war. We're more of a "service economy," for better or worse. Do we really want plastic goods made here and the pollution that comes with it? No thanks.
Corporations moved overseas for cheaper labor. Not to make a profit,but for greater profits. Tariffs don't seem like an effective way to deal with greedy US based corporations.
I've wondered why we don't give lower tax rates for US corporations make products in the USA? This seems like a better way to make an incentive for more domestic production. Use the tax rate as leverage to create domestic jobs.
Low corporate taxes for foreign made products is not a good combination for creating domestic jobs, IMO.
I'm not buying trump's claims that all the countries he's tariffing have been screwing us. Of course, he's the king of contradictions, lies, exaggerations, switching positions within in 24 hrs (then switching them back or caving etc etc.), so...... But does he also think we've forgotten about how YEARS ago, American manufacturers decided all by themselves to move operations to China and similar YEARS ago because labor & regulations were so much tantalizing? Aside from this, even if EVERYONE agreed that the manufacturing should be returned, think about all the steps that must occur before that can happen. This could take YEARS, and in the meantime, Americans will have been totally bankrupted in every way possible. Meantime, didn't trump early on stop the (already authorized) funding of some of the Infrastructure Act projects in the works? Same for the chips act, which was establishing American manufacturing of chips? Why? And will he now reinstate that? (And why did he get away with that when CONGRESS bilaterally support that legislation? So what is REALLY going on here?? What is the real, behind the scenes gameplan?? Too big and time-consuming to be used as just a distraction. Too ruinous to our relationships around the world .... ...... unless it fits vlad's overall personal goals for us... Thoughts??
Trump was raised by a bully. He is recreating his childhood but now is the bully and is taking aim at the whole world. He creates enemies and accuses anyone he can of taking advantage of his regime. I would bet that his father was also paranoid and expecting enemies around every corner. He is drawn to the other bully leaders because he is still trying to get his father's approval. In the end he wants to "own" the world, all in the service his flagging ego. He is intent on holding the world hostage, probably the way he felt held hostage by his authoritarian father. And the way he will do this is with economics. Consequences of his actions are less important then that he can continue to bully and be king of the hill leaving suffering and pain in his wake.
But tRump has no, nada, zip, zero understanding of economics. This is factually proven by his multiple companies' bankruptcies, including casinos; "The house always win" businesses. I felt it in my bones right after the election that the US was headed toward a Depression, and that economic disaster will affect the whole world. This seems inevitable now.
I believe Trump is both crazy and "obsessively" greedy. His entire self worth is based on money. Sadly, he's never been able to earn it honestly. When he's broke he lies about it then cozies up to mafia types, hatches some illegal caper or starts a new grift. He's a crook. That's his sicko, psychotic pathology. Without the money he's knows he's an unworthy, unlovable piece of ShIt on a gold plated toilet.
I suspect the tariffs are his ultimate 'cash cow'. He's EXTORTING the ENTIRE WORLD - oodles and oodles coming in tax revenue, paid for by the entire population of the USA. Much the cash will surely end up in his pocket. Next stop, Fort Knox.
The bonus? He gets to bully and exert his dominance over the wealthiest countries in the world, all those leaders for whom he harbors a "deep" resentment and he's jealous. He knows he's never been accepted or respected on the world stage with these 'serious' people. Trump knows he could never legitimately rise to their level of achievement or status and is sadistically enjoying watching them squirm. He's the winner now and they are all going to feel it.
Of course he hasn't thought it through because he's blinded by the $ signs and "revenge". He's left his lackeys to deal with the ensuing carnage, but there is no cleaning up the mess.
The man is out of his mind. Who knows how this will end (heavy sigh).
Yes, the real question is why. He and his allies must see a way they can make money, which means an enterprising reporter should be looking at companies and products that will benefit.I admit I have no clue.
One example: the UK is planning to tax Amazon's online sales. Trump wants to stop that and also exempt US companies from the standard British sales tax (VAT). He wants to strengthen the position of American companies in world markets. It could backfire if all US companies get treated like Tesla.
After the war, the US itself created the modern global financial system (the Bretton Woods Agreement), with currencies pegged to the US dollar and the rules for global trade (the WTO and the GATT). The system has its critics, but it has worked effectively and mostly fairly, at least amongst the richer nations and America most of all. Poorer nations have done less well. Trump has no legitimate cause for complaint simply because other countries have developed their own economies and become more competitive - that's what was supposed to happen. America has been pre-eminent in scientific advancements (420 Nobel laureates - the next highest being the UK with 143) yet has failed consistently to turn this into economic superiority due to the ignorance and complacency of its politicians and its public. One can see this clearly today with the anti-scientific policies of the Trump administration. The prestigious Nature journal recently interviewed the EU's new research chief Ekaterina Zaharieva about her plans to woo disaffected American scientists to european shores - the lure being the $101bn Horizon programme. This will the Trumpian brain drain.
He thinks that once he impoverishes everyone and inveigles his way into a third term and then "life," for whatever is left of him, he and the rest of the oligarchs can carve up America's treasure, like Vlad and the oligarchs of Russia did. I'm sure Vlad is whispering to Dump *all the time.* And Muck doesn't care--he's already the richest man in the world. Why not seize power once the old man croaks, even if he was *not* born in America but in apartheid South Africa.
Trump's tariffs will raise revenues by taxing US consumers. By promising protection for US workers they will also set consumers against producers, thus further dividing American voters. Divide and rule is how oligarchs rule.
I think the tariffs are mostly a bully's power demonstration. But there is a secondary motive. Tariffs give him a big advantage in any trade negotiation. Signs of that flashed the next day.
Mary Trump says the same thing about uncle drumpf, and that he is "the weakest man I've ever known". Well, he surely is the president weakest in the noggin since Warren G. Harding at least, and maybe ever, and as such not a grain of sense possibly could issue from his addled brain. To try to negotiate with such a twit is a fool's mission. As Dr. Reich so aptly infers, the only viable option for our soon-to-become former trading partners is to band together and shut him down.
The other countries can do very well trading with each other. However, the US is the largest consumer market the world has ever seen. The other countries will have to unite and develop different marketing strategies which may/may not be the same as their current (and past) strategies for the US consumer.
Yes, it will definitely hurt us here, but it will likely lead to the downfall of these dictatorial oligarchs here, including Trump as he is their puppet, their “b…h”. Sigh.
If Billionaires can spend hundreds of millions to spread misinformation and buy elections, it's going to keep getting worse. Free and fair elections are a thing of the past. When a labor guy like Sherrod Brown cannot win in an auto state, good luck.
The problem isn't Trump. It's the SCOTUS that opened the floodgates of money into elections. Most of the money goes to the media for ads, so not a word about the problem created by Citizens United. Now we have crypto, the choice of organized crime because it's hard to trace.
of COURSE Trump waited until the Stock Market had closed for the day! Futures for tomorrow indicate a drop of 1,000 for the Dow....This might come to be known as "Black Thursday...."
They should've burned their "Manssieres" in the Rose Garden. I hear it was the weirdest press conference ever. How great would it have been if Bernie (or Larry David) showed up to burn a Manssiere? "Bros unite!"
Robert, I hope you can find a way to get this message across to the foreign entities you referenced. Your economic expertise is so appreciated because you take the time to explain things in layman's terms, you discuss the consequences and offer advice when you have it and since this is your area of expertise, I know it's well thought out and based on experience.
I have so much confidence in your words that I tell people whenever I go and on YouTube to find your substack. It has really educated me and given me courage to try to spread the word, something previously well out of my comfort zone. I'm not looking for any likes, for real here, I just want you to know your words are making a difference. I'm sure other subscribers are doing the same and I know many have taken the time to tell you. Very interesting stuff here, thanks.
I tell people about your site too. A number of people from other countries often comment on this site. I hope that means they will actively pass these suggestions to their representatives.
You said you weren't looking for any likes, but i like. : )
Good on you Tom! It is all very well to use words which comfort one another, but quite another thing to get out there and work with others to DO concrete steps (i.e. organise resistance) towards the downfall of this ungodly mafia.
I fully agree with Dr. Reich. There is no point in negotiating at all. Agreements with the Trump administration are not worth the paper they are written on. Canada and Mexico HAD a valid agreement: The USMCA was negotiated by the Trump administration itself in 2018 and is not scheduled to expire until next year. Trump even heralded it as the "best deal ever made". That did not prevent him from breaking it as soon as he took office. Trump cannot be trusted. Far from it. Added to that is the failure of Congress to assert its constitutional role on the imposition of tariffs. With the total acquiescence of the Trump party, sadly, this reflects on the USA as a whole and it will take a long time before other nations will trust the USA again.
This is one of your best ever. Trump understands nothing but 'strength' (the ability to dominate through coercion), and 'divide and conquer' is one of his favorite tactics. I fervently hope that your addressed nations will take your advice. As an American consumer I would take even a very severe 'haircut', in Elon's terms, to bring the orange monster down.
I wish you could forward this to the people "in power". I feel like all the countries need to boycott trading with America. Trump is just acting like a bully. And his cult does not seem to mind that he's not done anything about driving the process of "eggs" down. They're buckling up for some hard times. Just a bunch of idiots.
It is partly because many complex things are happening so fast that it takes time to sort everything out. That's no excuse because they are Trump cult worshipers, so whatever he does is OK with them.
Doc, These ideas, for instance, that "many things happening so fast" and "Trump cult worship" -- are certainly not original and probably occur in most every Robert Reich post. Not that there is anything wrong with that, i.e., I am not criticizing you, I am just reflecting on the nature of how we all respond, me included.
Doc, This idea, for instance, that "Trumpies are idiots" -- is certainly not original and probably occur in most every Robert Reich post. Not that there is anything wrong with that, i.e., I am not criticizing you, I am just reflecting on the nature of how we all respond, me included.
I agree. And I also agree with Robert. There are days when I simply need to blow off some steam, get mad and move on. Moving on for me here in Canada means not buying American products and services as best I can, and working for the Liberal Party candidate for our next federal government. I also volunteer with an inter-faith council to feed, house and support marginalized people. So, we all need to get mad and then do SOMETHING. Cheers,
I'm volunteering at our local food pantry (in Auburn Alabama) as a way to channel my rage in productive directions. Deleted my Twitter and Meta accounts (Facebook, Insta, and so on).
That's great, Charles. And I'm really glad you mentioned deleting the websites. It's easy for me because I'm too much of a Ludite to use them, but I have encouraged friends to get off them, and you did it! All the best to you.
Trump has shown his 'trading partners' that America is no longer honourable, that Trump's word (and therefore America's) cannot be trusted, that Trump is as great a threat to the 'West' as Russia was in the post WWII world. Frankly, those of us who are affected by these tariffs need to exclude trade with America altogether. Of course, making the bully angry will have far-reaching effects of a disasterous nature, but that's going to happen either way.
Horrors! That means the dollar stores will have to be dollar-fifty-four stores now. The Dump's new venture may be to go into the sign-painting business.
The wheels are coming off the Trumpmobile and Republicans in Congress know it.
Doesn't mean the end to Trump's madness is near though.
I should add, call your senators and representative, esp if they are Republican.
HIs madness will continue until he's in his gilded casket.
Preferably buried on his golf course.
Down towards hell where he's going if it exists.
Absotively; there's no other option. He's Hades-bound, though even they may not want him.
This is good news. The only way to get rid of Trump is for him to destroy the economy, that will affect the billionaires and corporations that fund him.
These people have never had to suffer the consequences of their action, because shit rolls down hill, maybe when they take in in the shorts they will get a wake up call, a jolt of reality.
It will hurt J Q Public, but JQ Public is already hurting because of Trusk or shall I call it MUMPS.
except William, I don't think the oligarchs are worried about a depression, because then they can buy everything for pennies on the dollar. real estate especially - some new slum lords could be created. hey, maybe dumpster could acquire some, he even has the experience. and HUD won't need to enforce fair housing laws anymore.
Much of J Q Public are guilty accomplices and deserve whatever economic hardships they experience because they put Trump in a position to do all this. I'm including all those Republicans in Florida who added two more Trump sycophants to the House.
William, the last time the US went down this path it started the Great Depression which historians are agreed was not a good thing.
sTRUMPet
Love “Mumps”, hard to find the right name or term when you do not want belittle or insult some innocent person, thing, animal.
And know he’ll charge admission 😆
Yes, but it will be in crypto and essentially worthless.
But what about Ivana? what's in her coffin besides her (if she really is in there)?
classified docs? the $2billion from the saudis? epstein tapes?
You joke about that.but he will be buried on one of his golf courses. He got his ex-wife (Ivana Trump) buried on his Bedminster course. Basically, some sort of tax dodge. I think something to do with undertakers and cemeteries not paying land-tax. So yes, he will be buried there for tax reasons. His family will then take a leaf out of the medieval churches playbook and start selling Trump.relics. Get a lock of his hair for $5000 or the entire mane for a cool million. Or perhaps a finger,?$15000 will get you one of his fingers (we can take a bet to see if the suckers ever realise that Trump didn't have several thousand fingers)
You are so spot-on about the relics! Of course, they've already started that with their crypto s*hitcoins. However, perhaps they'll say he's been cremated and will sell three million pounds of ashes. (I knew about Ivana (and the classified docs?), which is why I suggested it.)
Think you could sell that as a business venture to them. They could churn out cubic zirconia claiming they're diamonds made from the ashes of the great leader: Trump the original diamond geezer.
With Ivana and any top secret documents still buried with her!
Deep in a bunker
He can then be cremated and run for a 3rd term as the ash he really is
Ashhole?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
NO CASKET, HE SHOULD BE SENT TO AN AFRICAN SHIT HOLE COUNTRY AND SECURED TO A SIAFU (ARMY ANT) NEST
send him to that
El Salvador
Speaking of El Salvador (The Savior), what will Bukele do with all the young men imprisoned there? Might he not turn them into his private army? Will they become Proud Boys at the service of oligarchs? We must keep an eye on Bukele.
Understand that he has a deal going with the gang leader that DOJ chose not to indict due to foreign policy considerations.
prison visited by a pauperized Noem wearing her new Timex
seriously this MF is so arrogantly stupid he is digging his own grave each step of the way
never pull the shovel away while dumb asses like him are busy digging
lend our support!!!
encourage him
watch him drown himself
LOL'ing with tears in my eyes! Great business with the shovel! Thank you!!
yes, but after being tarred and feathered in the US.
We can than give him a nice. Mussolini send off.
By then he may not be able to afford the gilding...buried in a pauper's grave!
Let us all hope that trump loses everything! That would be worse for him than prison!
the only proper punishment for dumpster is to be sentenced to work next to his brothers and sisters in the agricultural fields in central california. stoop labor, 100+ degree heat, no shade, dirty portapotties, warm water, pesticides, herbicides, flies, mosquitoes, and 14 hour days.
It's all pyrite, fool's gold, anyway... Don't give him a headstone with his name on it.
History books should tell the story of his greed and hatred of the middle class, poor, nonwhites, immigrants, and the military. It should also expose that this election was bought and paid for by his buddy muskrat.
May he die alone, covered in his own feces, muttering in a forgotten corner of a poorly run dementia ward.
VERY SOON
Immediately after Vance is impeached and convicted and Johnson is defeated in the next election.
Johnson should be convicted as well.
with undocumented immigrant caretakers?
As a retired RN, I can’t go with the neglect of a patient. His being alone yes, I can deal with. Who would want to be around him? I wouldn’t.
or until he is truly held accountable for once and stopped
He had asked for his ashes to be scattered over the Gulf of America but sadly geographers were unable to locate this fabled expanse of water.
Good one!😂😂😂
And just like the “ Tariffs will make us rich” …. I’m going to charge people 10.00 to piss on Trump’s grave.
I’m guessing if I donate all proceeds to the Federal Government…. We will have a balanced budget overnight.
Can u give us a date on this ?
How about next Tuesday!
Really make America great again!!
DJT's Casket will be plated in 'Fools Gold'....
Some day, don't ask me when, the Republican Congress will recover it's spine and gonads. It's something to look forward to; unfortunately, it appears they will remain spineless jellyfish for the immediate future.
I am not sure that the Republicans who are currently in office care! I want to see everyone of them out of office for LIFE! They are all drunk on power and money.
Don't count on the p***ey Mike Johnson to ever grow a pair and stand up to his master, not the Jesus he falsely praises, but the scum sucking pig Trump.
moses mike busy trying to deflect from living with gay preacherman.
Not exactly sure why, but his hypocrisy offends me the most
They're not Republicans,. Republicans are part of a functioning democracy. These greedy, spineless, amoral ghouls are facilitating the race to the abyss of fascism
A few may eventually get a backbone but most will flip flop like our SC fool, Lindsey Graham. Bring on term limits!
Yall be right about our Lascivious Lindsey … amoebae have more backbone than does our slippery eel of a Senator.
Don't bother opening the door for him, Richard, he'll just ooze under it.
Why does SC continue to elect him?
Vote them out if we can get past the faux news narrative that has turned sane people in to mindless drones.
I dunno. We only need, what 3-4 of them on each side to cave and join the resistance? I haven't determined yet whether those who have been hiding from their very angry constituents are also kinda "purple" and might be persuaded to band together and jump the line. Cuz if they don't, it's not trump who will take them down, but their own constituents, who will primary them, and fervently. They need to think about that.
Either way they’re out but if they stick with trump they don’t get threatening phone calls in the middle of the night.
"Anonymous sources report that Comrade Trump wasn't convicted by the Senate in his impeachments because the Senators feared for their safety and the safety of their families. Death threats anyone ? Pardoning J6 terrorists? Totally rational fears and prima facie evidence of fascism
Sadly, I think the fear is the biggest factor driving the Republicans who are so “loyal”. And the fear wouldn’t be there if there hasn’t been some real power behind the threats.
They will NEVER be able to redeem themselves!
No, they won’t. They have lost their humanity.
Well, some in the Senate seem to know, but I don't give a flip about McConnell. He's the reason that we are in this mess.
OY! What could possibly go wrong ‽ https://youtu.be/avEtMcELaPU?si=KOcCxx9kh_WFcWs0
My favorite saying these days
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court cases that have enabled Trump and Musk will outlive them. First, Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United, which have turned our elections into a scheme of legalized bribery, will survive both men and favor plutocracy/kleptocracy over democracy. Then, John Roberts’ decision providing immunity to presidents who commit times in office replaces our constitutional democracy with a monarchy, or worse, a dictatorship.
As a kingmaker, Roberts made himself more powerful than Trump. (He also of course voted for Citizens United, authored Shelby County eviscerating the Voting Rights Act and supported Dodds).
Yet we continue to focus almost exclusively on the Executive Branch as the source of all our ills. And one half of Democrats in the Senate voted to confirm Roberts despite his role in Bush v. Gore, among other things. (He was the main architect of the Republicans’ strategy for which he was rewarded by nomination to the Court by George Bush.
I believe that once we get rid of trump, we need to start on the Supreme Court. None of the Republicans on the Supreme Court are honorable. Therefore, they should be impeached and, those who have been bribed to vote a certain way, should be prosecuted and imprisoned.
Steve, please - it's Liberation Day! It's the day that Trump becomes completely untethered from reality.
Hoping it's the day more see that Trump is a madman who threatens their wallet, health, jobs, safety. Many will be liberated from some of their money.
No tariffs against Russian oil. There won't be any. Putin's the one.
I suppose that Russia is still subject to sanctions. However, I did wonder about why the penguins were under fire as well. It's apparently because of some crazy forumla Trump's people are using to decide the level of tariffs - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/03/trumps-idiotic-and-flawed-tariff-calculations-stun-economists
I have to tell you over on Blue Sky the Quants and Economists are having a FIELD day with jokes about the utter stupidity of the formula used to calculate the tariffs. 🤡 in the Oval Office. Oh I read, "Put a clown in the White House and you get a circus." Perfect. The spelling errors that emerge in the documents issued by that cesspool are chronic & pathetic.
They've presumably had months to think through what a tariffs policy might look like. Part of the reason is surely that Trump has surrounded himself with fanatics like Peter Navarro, but I wonder if this was the pardons fiasco all over again. In that case, they tried to get Trump to look at the J6 pardons individually and then in various categories but he has the attention span of a squirrel and eventually he just said "Ah, fuck it! I'll pardon them all!" As the deadline approached for Liberation Day, it would have become increasingly likely that something utterly absurd like this would be the end result of their, er, 'deliberations'.
I love the Press pundits already trying to explain WHO will be effected most by these insane tariffs---their answer--middle/lower classes. DIUH??? But come ON, this effects THE ENTIRE NATION, as this will send our economy into a DEATH SPIRAL. Watch---the rest of the world WILL ban together and regardless of how Trump reacts this is going to hurt our nation and economy for YEARS TO COME.
Frickin' Nero eventually committed suicide; wish Trump would go the way of his idol.
It looks like a standard "short bus," only it's orange, rimmed with cheap gold paint bought from Mexico and has HORRIFIC gas mileage!
Here is my AI rendition before your comment. Scroll down.
https://www.facebook.com/MOProgressiveActionGroup/
You think the Repub members of Congress know the end is coming? Only the strong MAGAcultists seem to be aware of it. Meanwhile for the rest of us the question remains; where in hell are the Democrats? Where in hell is the vaunted jurists? Is everybody sitting back thinking about holding off while the ageing old man destroys the nation? And then the waiting will have to continue as the foolish pro-MAGA voters wake up. Next question; is this the beginning of the end for the once proud US of A?
The King will get very very mad. Too bad, so sad. 😆
I've Read that Russia is not on the Sanctioned Country List... Doesn't DJT want to Rehabilitate the Russians?....
Sanctions already prevent most trade. However, Dmitriev is in DC today - gee, I wonder what behind-the-curtain talks are going on. You can bet it won't be televised.
No, he just wants to make his hero/Daddy happy.
Tariff is just another word for tax. I agree that those countries Reich listed should join together and form a free trade group without the US. I really hope they don't bargain individually. I agree that would be a big mistake. The way to deal with a bully is to present a united front against him, so that his power slips away and he is reduced to throwing tantrums. The other countries of the world don't actually need the US for trade, since they all can provide everything necessary for each country.
It looks like China, Japan, and South Korea are banding together already. I expect the EU to do the same.
I've mentioned before the idea that "conquest" of land and people is an idea from the past. In the modern era it's all about conquest of markets. I believe China has finally "turned their ship" in that direction. But large economies like large ships take time to show movement in the new direction.
Trump is going in the opposite direction. He is withdrawing from markets as if that will make America great again. He dreams of adding land to the USA. I think his supporters will see just the opposite if he and his friends stay on their current course. New land is not needed as long as functioning markets exist serving large populations. Greenland and others are quite capable of being sources of critical minerals for everybody as long as there is enough of a market to pay for digging them up.
China, of course, has a long history of trading with other nations - the overland and maritime Silk Roads from the 2nd century onwards - in spite of its political isolation. Today, it uses economic power for political influence. For example, the US has some 800 overseas military bases; China has three. The extended version of BRICS (with 9 new members and 13 affiliates) now encompasses more than half the population of the world and China is the dominant force. British historian Paul Kennedy foresees a tripolar global power future - China, the US and India. Trump seems to be actively removing the US from the global power scene by his insanely inflationary and protectionist policies. He covets rare earth minerals without ever quite knowing what they are or what they're needed for (presumably someone like Elon Musk may have once explained their significance to him). There's a video of him regaling the importance of 'raw earth' to the United States. More recently, he's called them 'rare earth' but I doubt he even knows what a mineral is. Heaven only knows where he stumbled upon the idea of Canada as a potential 51st state.
Trump tells people what they want to hear, and then they think that he is a genius.
He's been especially successful in relating his story of imagined victimisation to the very real grievances of some of his supporters. He at least pretended to care about their concerns and offered them the prospect of a country in which everyone would prosper. He also cynically apppealed to their baser instincts by identifying those he said were responsible for their woes, relieving from them the burden of agency. There's a certain kind of genius in this, given that he has done this twice now - but not in the sense of being clever. Indeed, I would argue that he and his base have this peculiar affinity (elective in their case) because he's so transparently as dumb as they are.
Electric cars create more problems than they solve. The batteries are more unsustainable than oil. The CA wildfires made a toxic mess out of them. Do they even offset the amount of energy used by crypto? And now Musk turned on Dems who enabled his electric car scam and made him a Billionaire.
China will try (and should) to convince the rest of the world to join THEM in a alliance against the US. Together they hold more power than the US. Trump's tariffs cannot last, OR there will be no US economy left. Trump is running our economy (and way of life) INTO THE GROUND.
The ground is very much in Trump's mind: oil, minerals, timber, fisheries, luxury hotels.
Yes. The ground awaits with infinite patience.
Announcing tariffs on so many countries at once is a good way to start a world trade war against US. All of the countries will likely band together to create an alliance. One at a time is less likely to cause an anti-US group solution. Is this going to cause us to be isolated from the global market?
I wonder what Boeing is thinking now. Are US airplanes affordable when the price increases so much? I wonder if Boeing is the loser and Airbus is the winner? Tesla sales in other countries will likely tank now.
We are already being isolated in every way possible. Did you hear the prime minister of Canada announce it? They're essentially DONE with us. We cannot be trusted at ALL. Personally, I know it's the administration they're fighting and not us citizens, and I loved what he said. He's not horsing around. Neither is the EU and others. I believe the tariff "plan" is going to backfire. Everyone else is figuring out how to get the goods they would typically get from the US elsewhere, even expensive military jets and other equipment. They're all banding together and moving on without us.
No, I hadnt heard. I was afraid of that. I've heard, "we live in a global economy now," as long as I can remember. I didn't doubt it because of the origin of so many products on the store shelves... And all the mega ships coming into Baltimore with containers stacked several levels.
It's hard to understand how we were getting screwed just because other countries had tariffs on us. It's not like playing marbles because the marbles have different values. Are marbles are valued higher because of the value of the dollar.
We can have some tariffs to protect domestic products. But across the board tariffs could create across the board retaliation. This is what the trade experts are afraid of, I believe Not to mention unstable markets for producers. We had stability going for us.
Simple math told me that if we import more than we export, we lose in a trade war. We're more of a "service economy," for better or worse. Do we really want plastic goods made here and the pollution that comes with it? No thanks.
Corporations moved overseas for cheaper labor. Not to make a profit,but for greater profits. Tariffs don't seem like an effective way to deal with greedy US based corporations.
I've wondered why we don't give lower tax rates for US corporations make products in the USA? This seems like a better way to make an incentive for more domestic production. Use the tax rate as leverage to create domestic jobs.
Low corporate taxes for foreign made products is not a good combination for creating domestic jobs, IMO.
I'm not buying trump's claims that all the countries he's tariffing have been screwing us. Of course, he's the king of contradictions, lies, exaggerations, switching positions within in 24 hrs (then switching them back or caving etc etc.), so...... But does he also think we've forgotten about how YEARS ago, American manufacturers decided all by themselves to move operations to China and similar YEARS ago because labor & regulations were so much tantalizing? Aside from this, even if EVERYONE agreed that the manufacturing should be returned, think about all the steps that must occur before that can happen. This could take YEARS, and in the meantime, Americans will have been totally bankrupted in every way possible. Meantime, didn't trump early on stop the (already authorized) funding of some of the Infrastructure Act projects in the works? Same for the chips act, which was establishing American manufacturing of chips? Why? And will he now reinstate that? (And why did he get away with that when CONGRESS bilaterally support that legislation? So what is REALLY going on here?? What is the real, behind the scenes gameplan?? Too big and time-consuming to be used as just a distraction. Too ruinous to our relationships around the world .... ...... unless it fits vlad's overall personal goals for us... Thoughts??
Trump was raised by a bully. He is recreating his childhood but now is the bully and is taking aim at the whole world. He creates enemies and accuses anyone he can of taking advantage of his regime. I would bet that his father was also paranoid and expecting enemies around every corner. He is drawn to the other bully leaders because he is still trying to get his father's approval. In the end he wants to "own" the world, all in the service his flagging ego. He is intent on holding the world hostage, probably the way he felt held hostage by his authoritarian father. And the way he will do this is with economics. Consequences of his actions are less important then that he can continue to bully and be king of the hill leaving suffering and pain in his wake.
But tRump has no, nada, zip, zero understanding of economics. This is factually proven by his multiple companies' bankruptcies, including casinos; "The house always win" businesses. I felt it in my bones right after the election that the US was headed toward a Depression, and that economic disaster will affect the whole world. This seems inevitable now.
I believe Trump is both crazy and "obsessively" greedy. His entire self worth is based on money. Sadly, he's never been able to earn it honestly. When he's broke he lies about it then cozies up to mafia types, hatches some illegal caper or starts a new grift. He's a crook. That's his sicko, psychotic pathology. Without the money he's knows he's an unworthy, unlovable piece of ShIt on a gold plated toilet.
I suspect the tariffs are his ultimate 'cash cow'. He's EXTORTING the ENTIRE WORLD - oodles and oodles coming in tax revenue, paid for by the entire population of the USA. Much the cash will surely end up in his pocket. Next stop, Fort Knox.
The bonus? He gets to bully and exert his dominance over the wealthiest countries in the world, all those leaders for whom he harbors a "deep" resentment and he's jealous. He knows he's never been accepted or respected on the world stage with these 'serious' people. Trump knows he could never legitimately rise to their level of achievement or status and is sadistically enjoying watching them squirm. He's the winner now and they are all going to feel it.
Of course he hasn't thought it through because he's blinded by the $ signs and "revenge". He's left his lackeys to deal with the ensuing carnage, but there is no cleaning up the mess.
The man is out of his mind. Who knows how this will end (heavy sigh).
A petty shallow conman.
Yes, the real question is why. He and his allies must see a way they can make money, which means an enterprising reporter should be looking at companies and products that will benefit.I admit I have no clue.
One example: the UK is planning to tax Amazon's online sales. Trump wants to stop that and also exempt US companies from the standard British sales tax (VAT). He wants to strengthen the position of American companies in world markets. It could backfire if all US companies get treated like Tesla.
Why don't we tax Amazon? They use the US infrastructure. Protectionism starts on Main St, not Wall Street.
After the war, the US itself created the modern global financial system (the Bretton Woods Agreement), with currencies pegged to the US dollar and the rules for global trade (the WTO and the GATT). The system has its critics, but it has worked effectively and mostly fairly, at least amongst the richer nations and America most of all. Poorer nations have done less well. Trump has no legitimate cause for complaint simply because other countries have developed their own economies and become more competitive - that's what was supposed to happen. America has been pre-eminent in scientific advancements (420 Nobel laureates - the next highest being the UK with 143) yet has failed consistently to turn this into economic superiority due to the ignorance and complacency of its politicians and its public. One can see this clearly today with the anti-scientific policies of the Trump administration. The prestigious Nature journal recently interviewed the EU's new research chief Ekaterina Zaharieva about her plans to woo disaffected American scientists to european shores - the lure being the $101bn Horizon programme. This will the Trumpian brain drain.
He thinks that once he impoverishes everyone and inveigles his way into a third term and then "life," for whatever is left of him, he and the rest of the oligarchs can carve up America's treasure, like Vlad and the oligarchs of Russia did. I'm sure Vlad is whispering to Dump *all the time.* And Muck doesn't care--he's already the richest man in the world. Why not seize power once the old man croaks, even if he was *not* born in America but in apartheid South Africa.
You are correct. The numbers quoted in the tariff rollout were lies. Just like everything else he says. He's an idiot leasing a Party of idiots.
Trump's tariffs will raise revenues by taxing US consumers. By promising protection for US workers they will also set consumers against producers, thus further dividing American voters. Divide and rule is how oligarchs rule.
I think the tariffs are mostly a bully's power demonstration. But there is a secondary motive. Tariffs give him a big advantage in any trade negotiation. Signs of that flashed the next day.
Mary Trump says the same thing about uncle drumpf, and that he is "the weakest man I've ever known". Well, he surely is the president weakest in the noggin since Warren G. Harding at least, and maybe ever, and as such not a grain of sense possibly could issue from his addled brain. To try to negotiate with such a twit is a fool's mission. As Dr. Reich so aptly infers, the only viable option for our soon-to-become former trading partners is to band together and shut him down.
https://www.meidasplus.com/p/cartoon-of-the-day-a-bit-of-pain?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=3078900&post_id=160441083&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=1l3a85&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
The other countries can do very well trading with each other. However, the US is the largest consumer market the world has ever seen. The other countries will have to unite and develop different marketing strategies which may/may not be the same as their current (and past) strategies for the US consumer.
Yes, it will definitely hurt us here, but it will likely lead to the downfall of these dictatorial oligarchs here, including Trump as he is their puppet, their “b…h”. Sigh.
Tariffs are extremely regressive income tax is progressive
If Billionaires can spend hundreds of millions to spread misinformation and buy elections, it's going to keep getting worse. Free and fair elections are a thing of the past. When a labor guy like Sherrod Brown cannot win in an auto state, good luck.
The problem isn't Trump. It's the SCOTUS that opened the floodgates of money into elections. Most of the money goes to the media for ads, so not a word about the problem created by Citizens United. Now we have crypto, the choice of organized crime because it's hard to trace.
of COURSE Trump waited until the Stock Market had closed for the day! Futures for tomorrow indicate a drop of 1,000 for the Dow....This might come to be known as "Black Thursday...."
Liberation Day- liberation from financial security.
They should've burned their "Manssieres" in the Rose Garden. I hear it was the weirdest press conference ever. How great would it have been if Bernie (or Larry David) showed up to burn a Manssiere? "Bros unite!"
Correct - and with no Green Zone required (though maybe there is something to that "occupation" concept)...
Yeah - a 4:00 address.
I thought that timing was a big tell about what he was going to do. I'm surprised the markets hadn't started down before the announcement.
My thoughts exactly.
Robert, I hope you can find a way to get this message across to the foreign entities you referenced. Your economic expertise is so appreciated because you take the time to explain things in layman's terms, you discuss the consequences and offer advice when you have it and since this is your area of expertise, I know it's well thought out and based on experience.
I have so much confidence in your words that I tell people whenever I go and on YouTube to find your substack. It has really educated me and given me courage to try to spread the word, something previously well out of my comfort zone. I'm not looking for any likes, for real here, I just want you to know your words are making a difference. I'm sure other subscribers are doing the same and I know many have taken the time to tell you. Very interesting stuff here, thanks.
I tell people about your site too. A number of people from other countries often comment on this site. I hope that means they will actively pass these suggestions to their representatives.
You said you weren't looking for any likes, but i like. : )
ORGANIZE ORGANIZE ORGANIZE!!!!!
ORGANIZE OVER THE COMMON GOOD DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM. JUST READ THE PLATFORM BULLET POINTS. ORGANIZE!!!!
ALLEGIANCE TO OUR PLATFORM AND THE CANDIDATE THAT PROMOTES OUR PLATFORM!
GOOGLE YOUR STATES DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM TO READ IT!
MAKE AMERICA GRATEFUL AGAIN!
Good on you Tom! It is all very well to use words which comfort one another, but quite another thing to get out there and work with others to DO concrete steps (i.e. organise resistance) towards the downfall of this ungodly mafia.
Good ideas.
Great Ideas! Don't negotiate with a bully. I hope the other countries read your column!
I fully agree with Dr. Reich. There is no point in negotiating at all. Agreements with the Trump administration are not worth the paper they are written on. Canada and Mexico HAD a valid agreement: The USMCA was negotiated by the Trump administration itself in 2018 and is not scheduled to expire until next year. Trump even heralded it as the "best deal ever made". That did not prevent him from breaking it as soon as he took office. Trump cannot be trusted. Far from it. Added to that is the failure of Congress to assert its constitutional role on the imposition of tariffs. With the total acquiescence of the Trump party, sadly, this reflects on the USA as a whole and it will take a long time before other nations will trust the USA again.
The fact that other countries are joining protests on April 5 against the regime gives me hope.
He's following Putin's example of 'no trust'.
Putin's the one.
Prof. Reich,
This is one of your best ever. Trump understands nothing but 'strength' (the ability to dominate through coercion), and 'divide and conquer' is one of his favorite tactics. I fervently hope that your addressed nations will take your advice. As an American consumer I would take even a very severe 'haircut', in Elon's terms, to bring the orange monster down.
I agree, this kind of content was concise, thorough and interesting.
I wish you could forward this to the people "in power". I feel like all the countries need to boycott trading with America. Trump is just acting like a bully. And his cult does not seem to mind that he's not done anything about driving the process of "eggs" down. They're buckling up for some hard times. Just a bunch of idiots.
How can not one single republican congress person not have any knowledge how this works and be okay with this without considering the consequences?
It is partly because many complex things are happening so fast that it takes time to sort everything out. That's no excuse because they are Trump cult worshipers, so whatever he does is OK with them.
Doc, These ideas, for instance, that "many things happening so fast" and "Trump cult worship" -- are certainly not original and probably occur in most every Robert Reich post. Not that there is anything wrong with that, i.e., I am not criticizing you, I am just reflecting on the nature of how we all respond, me included.
4 GOP senators voted with Dems to denounce the tariffs. That's progress.
Yup.
Yes, there are lots of "idiots"/stupid people out there, and Trump has them with him.
Doc, This idea, for instance, that "Trumpies are idiots" -- is certainly not original and probably occur in most every Robert Reich post. Not that there is anything wrong with that, i.e., I am not criticizing you, I am just reflecting on the nature of how we all respond, me included.
I agree. And I also agree with Robert. There are days when I simply need to blow off some steam, get mad and move on. Moving on for me here in Canada means not buying American products and services as best I can, and working for the Liberal Party candidate for our next federal government. I also volunteer with an inter-faith council to feed, house and support marginalized people. So, we all need to get mad and then do SOMETHING. Cheers,
I'm volunteering at our local food pantry (in Auburn Alabama) as a way to channel my rage in productive directions. Deleted my Twitter and Meta accounts (Facebook, Insta, and so on).
That's great, Charles. And I'm really glad you mentioned deleting the websites. It's easy for me because I'm too much of a Ludite to use them, but I have encouraged friends to get off them, and you did it! All the best to you.
Also canceled subscriptions to Quisling NY Times, LA Times and WaPo. No support for fascist enablers!
I suggested early on that Canada, Mexico,Japan and the EU set up trade without including the US.
Sounds reasonable. I don't know much about tariffs, but I do know that appeasing a bully only elicits more bullying.
Trump has shown his 'trading partners' that America is no longer honourable, that Trump's word (and therefore America's) cannot be trusted, that Trump is as great a threat to the 'West' as Russia was in the post WWII world. Frankly, those of us who are affected by these tariffs need to exclude trade with America altogether. Of course, making the bully angry will have far-reaching effects of a disasterous nature, but that's going to happen either way.
Right. It will happen either way.
Horrors! That means the dollar stores will have to be dollar-fifty-four stores now. The Dump's new venture may be to go into the sign-painting business.
Read about fascist autarky on web and Wikipedia
Why would fascists like tariffs?
POWER!
Why did Mussolini increase his support for tariffs after invading Ethiopia in 1935?
Hint…there were international sanctions to his invasion
Those tariffs sent Italy further into debt as well. That is what is going to happen to America as a result of trump’s tariffs.
Absolutely spot on, Robert. The U.S., unfortunately, deserves whatever difficulties are to come its way. We were WARNED.
But we are the US.