"it fails a test that actual 5th graders can pass... Here’s how that conversation went:

“Imagine you want to buy a toy at a store which costs $50. You pay for the toy and walk away with it. The President looks at that transaction and says ‘wait, you paid the store $50 and the store paid you nothing, therefore the store is stealing from you. To “fix” this, I’m going to tax the store $25. From now on that same toy costs $75.”

https://www.techdirt.com/2025/04/03/trump-declares-a-trade-war-on-uninhabited-islands-us-military-and-economic-logic/

#Trump #Tariffs #GOP #Politics #USPol #News

Sweeping U.S. Tariffs Trigger Global Outrage

https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/03/us-tariffs-trump-retaliatory-measures-liberation-day-eu-canada-china/

While some countries hope to negotiate their way out of a trade war, others have pledged harsh retaliation

#Trump #destroyer #tariffs #press

I just started to have a look at this 417 page list of US imports that might get reciprocal #tariffs. What strikes me is why the hell are we even importing half of this stuff anyway, from a climate/animal welfare pov as much as anything. Yeah yeah, it’s always about money, but just makes me want to buy local more than ever.

🤣 🤣🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

Times: "Trump’s tariffs make Maga hats more expensive
President charges $40 for merchandise but cheaper bestsellers are made in China, which has been hit by the biggest levies"

https://archive.is/wzCZ9

#USPolitics #FAFO #Tariffs

If you've got a Republican representing you in Congress -- and I don't care who it is -- call them to complain about the tariffs. They're panicking.

#Trumponomics #Tariffs #ImportTaxes #RaiseTheBar #PrimaryThemAll #DemandMore #uspol #USPolitics #journalism #media #socialmedia #ImpeachTheFascist #immigrantRights #MakeThemFight #Hardball #impeach #impeachment #DoSomething #NoKings #NoDo #marker

Everyone glad that the dollar is the global reserve currency?

#USPolitics #Tariffs #OrangeLettuceDay

Trump’s tariffs are ‘a debacle of epic proportions’ for the auto industry.

As domestically produced cars obtain 40–50% of their parts from abroad, “the concept of a US made car with all US parts is a fairy tale fictional narrative.”

“This tariff policy will cause pure chaos to the global auto industry and will ⬆️ the prices of a typical car by $5-10k.” https://www.theverge.com/cars/642706/car-tariff-trump-price-increase-loan-ford-gm-tesla #press #tariffs

Do you think Lego Thatcher will finally realise she can't cut benefits for "growth" now?

GBLB: "Consultancy Oxford Economics is cutting its UK growth forecast after President Trump imposed larger-than-expected tariffs on US imports."

#UKPoitics #USPolitics #Tariffs

"Now, just because some tariffs are beneficial, it doesn't follow that all tariffs are beneficial. When the "Asian Tiger" countries were undergoing rapid industrialization and lifting billions of people out of poverty, they did so with tariffs – but also with extensive industrial policy and direct investment in critical state industries (Biden was the first president in generations to pursue industrial policy, albeit a modest and small one, which Trump nevertheless dismantled).

Trump is doing mirror-world tariffs: tariffs without industrial policy, tariffs without social safety nets, tariffs without retraining, tariffs without any strategic underpinning. These tariffs will crash the US economy and will create calamitous effects around the world:
(...)
But the fact that Trump's tariffs are terrible doesn't mean tariffs themselves are always and forever bad. Resist the schizmogenic urge to say, "Trump likes tariffs, so I hate them." Not all tariffs are created equal, and tariffs can be a useful tool that benefits working people.

And also: the fact that tariffs can be useful doesn't imply that only tariffs are useful. The digital age – in which US-based multinational firms rely on digital technology to loot the economies of America's trading partners – offers countries facing US tariffs a powerful retaliatory tactic that has never before been seen on this planet. America's (former) trading partners can retaliate against US tariffs by abolishing the legal measures they have instituted to protect the products of US companies from reverse-engineering and modification. Countries facing US tariffs can welcome US imports – of printers, Teslas, iPhones, games consoles, insulin pumps, ventilators and tractors – but then legalize jailbreaking these devices:"

https://pluralistic.net/2025/04/02/me-or-your-lying-eyes/#spherical-cows-on-frictionless-surfaces

#USA #Trump #Tariffs #TradeWar #Protectionism #FreeTrade

"Trump hits Myanmar with a 44% tariff days after earthquake that killed over 3,000. Myanmar is among the tranche of developing countries hardest hit by Trump’s severe and sweeping tariffs, with a 44% rate levied against it. The nation is reeling from an earthquake on Friday that killed more than 3,000, and years of civil war following a 2021 military coup."

~ Clea Skopeliti

#Trump #tariffs #Myanmar
/1

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/03/first-thing-trump-announces-sweeping-tariffs-upending-decades-of-us-trade-policy

Trump will consider this, "funny"

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/03/donald-trump-tariffs-us-administration-countries-biggest-rates-china-myanmar-mandalay

#Tariffs #Myanmar #Trump

In #Myanmar, where a devastating earthquake left more than 3,000 dead, #Trump has imposed a 45% import tax. The #American people are better than this and what’s the point of #tariffs anyway? #thisweekthosebooks has two great reads that explain a lot. thisweekthosebooks.substack.com/p/whats-the-...

What's the deal with Trump's t...

In #Myanmar, where a devastating earthquake left more than 3,000 dead, #Trump has imposed a 45% import tax. The #American people are better than this and what’s the point of #tariffs anyway? #thisweekthosebooks has two great reads that explain a lot. https://thisweekthosebooks.substack.com/p/whats-the-deal-with-trumps-tariffs

#howardlutnick wants Americans to "hope" #Trump #tariffs will bring prosperity to #economic #markets after #Republicans destroyed over $10 T in market wealth in Q1.
#premarket
#investing
#2026election
#election2026

Asian countries riven by war and disaster face some of steepest Trump tariffs https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/03/donald-trump-tariffs-us-administration-countries-biggest-rates-china-myanmar-mandalay #Trumpadministration #SouthandcentralAsia #Internationaltrade #USforeignpolicy #Trumptariffs #AsiaPacific #USpolitics #Worldnews #Economics #Cambodia #Business #Myanmar #Tariffs #Lesotho #USnews #Africa #China

Import taxes are like radiation. They're dangerous and should be avoided. There are times and places where small amounts properly applied can be very useful. Like X-rays, or in the treatment of certain kinds of cancers.

#Trumponomics #uspol #USPolitics #media #socialmedia #tariffs

1/2

“…economists agree that tariffs are a tax on consumers and will raise inflation and slow down growth. Today’s tariffs are higher than expected, and business leaders are alarmed.”
—Heather Cox Richardson, April 2, 2025 (Wednesday)
#trump ‘s #tariffs

#Trump's destructive incoherent #tariffs based on trade surplus as a proxy, this is unsound, has Trump never heard of comparative advantage? These measures directed at making the richest Americans richer. The poor will suffer, US citizens will suffer from rising business costs, increased inflation. #StandwithUkraine #peace #internationalism #generosity

"Donald #Trump says the #tariffs he has announced will generate “$6tn in investments” but experts explain that tariffs are actually paid for by American businesses and consumers. That would make it the largest “#tax hike” in US history." - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/apr/02/donald-trump-tariffs-trade-latest-live-us-politics-news?page=with%3Ablock-67eda0f38f0800d4cb06c411#block-67eda0f38f0800d4cb06c411 what a moron #whoops

I made this to help people understand: Tariffs Are Taxes

Tariffs are taxes, on Americans, companies and individuals like you and me, whenever they buy something imported.

Look at your food, your clothes, your electronics, even your house: a huge portion is imports or made from imported materials. Plus the gasoline used to get it all to us.

#TrumpTariffs are a #tax on us.

https://youtube.com/shorts/4R0Y4yF8WMQ

#economy #economics #USpol #tariffs

The U.S. apparently buys expensive machinery from penguins…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/03/donald-trump-tariffs-antarctica-uninhabited-heard-mcdonald-islands

#tariffs #trade #trump #australia

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

They got the tariff formula by asking some AI models.

Four out of four models agreed that this half assed 2nd grade arithmetic formula was a great approach to geopolitics.

"This is vibe governing" b/w this is the first demonstrable AI safety issue.
https://x.com/krishnanrohit/status/1907587352157106292

#tariffs #uspol #AI #Trump #MAGA

Trump's tariffs list is missing one big country: Russia

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/02/trump-tariffs-russia-ukraine-ceasefire

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios Wednesday that Russia was left off because U.S. sanctions already "preclude any meaningful trade." However, the U.S. still trades more with Russia than with countries like Mauritius or Brunei that did make Trump's tariffs list.

#TRUSSIA #LEAVITT #PROPAGANDA #TRUMP #PUTIN #TARIFFS #PRESS

10% Tariff on Ukraine.
Tariffs on almost every country on earth

NO TARIFFS ON RUSSIA!
I at least hope Putin was considerate enough to use Lube!

#politics #political #pol
#usa #uspol #USPolitics #maga #trump #resist #musk #putin #russia #resistance #tariffs #liberation #liberationday

Via Angry Staffer:

I was thinking that none of those numbers made sense, but holy fuck this is insane

#TrumpTax #tariffs

The markets have examined the #Trump #tariffs and know what will happen to the #economy.

Donald Trump's hysterical tariffs are here... "Liberation Day" will negatively impact global markets! And American citizens themselves will pay these new import taxes. This is total madness!

#quebec #france #europe #usa #media #news #trump #canada #tariffs #tariff #war #canadian #picture #mastodon

"Trump is therefore not the first President to seek the controlled disintegration of the world economy by means of a devastating blow. Nor is he the first to purposely damage America’s allies to renew and prolong US hegemony. Nor the first who was prepared to hurt Wall Street in the short run in the process of strengthening US capital accumulation in the long term. Nixon had done all that half a century earlier.

And the irony is that the world the Western liberal establishment is grieving over today came into being as a result of the Nixon Shock. While admonishing the idea of a US President delivering a rude shock to the world economy, they are lamenting the passing of what only came into being because of another President’s readiness to deliver an even ruder shock. That is, the Nixon Shock gave birth to the darlings of today’s liberal establishment: neoliberalism, financialisation and globalisation."

https://unherd.com/2025/04/will-liberation-day-transform-the-world/

#USA #Trump #TradeWar #PoliticalEconomy #Tariffs #Protectionism #Nixon #Dollar

Tesla lurches as Musk hits the gas for Trump https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/02/elon-musk-alliance-with-trump-turns-off-potential-tesla-buyers-00249228?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication #Healthprofessionals/workforce #Electricvehicles #Dumping/Duties #Climatechange #SocialMedia #WallStreet #Technology #Buildings #Companies #Elections #Conflict #Research #Robotics #Mobility #Markets #Tariffs #Courts #Crisis #Media #Roads #Cars #Data

Good afternoon. It's 4PM, Wednesday, 2nd April. The headlines: Donald #Trump plans to unveil 'Liberation Day' #tariffs worldwide, with Europe and the #UK poised for repercussions. A Myanmar earthquake has resulted in 2,886 fatalities, with numbers expected to climb. #Israel escalates its military action in #Gaza as the BBC reports from Sudan's capital following a military triumph. Actor Val Kilmer has passed away at 65. Susan Crawford secures a position on #Wisconsin's Supreme Court. #BBC #News

You know what would make life better for everyone? If the British left Northern Ireland and returned it to be part of an independent whole country, all of which is in the EU. Then Hilary wouldn’t have to try and boss Ireland or the EU over tariffs. What would work well also would be the UK aligning themselves with the EU, rather than cowering in acquiescence before the toxic bullying of the USA.
#Tariffs #USPol #UKPol #RejoinEU #Brexit #IrlPol #Think32 #UI https://www.eppingforestguardian.co.uk/news/national/25057871.hilary-benn-warns-issue-ni-eu-imposes-tariffs-us-trade-dispute/

#Trump "couldn't care less" about us..be ready for the damage he's about to cause w his tariff idiocy. ("LiberationDay" - If only it were from him).

"Will Trump's #Tariffs Lead To COMPLETE Economic Collapse?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apfon5bxttU #news #media #press #economy #donaldtrump #elonmusk #usa #eu #europe #canada #ukraine #russia #china #us #america #video

Of Course Trump Will Tank the Economy. It’s What Republicans Do.

https://newrepublic.com/article/193360/trump-tank-economy-liberation-tariffs

As the president’s “Liberation Day” nears, it’s time to liberate ourselves from the vicious cycle of Democrats having to clean up the GOP’s messes.

#Trump #GOP #economy #tariffs #press

Via #RawStory - March 31, 2025

The #Canadian government is bombarding #voters in key swing states with anti-trade war #propaganda as President Donald #Trump vows to enact his biggest package of #tariffs yet next month.

Multiple #media outlets are reporting that #Canada is paying for billboards and signs across the United States that bluntly inform Americans that "tariffs are a #tax" on items ranging from gasoline to groceries.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-trade-war-2671643925/

You need #trade for #tariffs to work at all.

This is why everyone has been utilizing #sanctions instead of tariffs to pressure #Russia.

Besides, the #Trump tariffs aren't even working towards "friendly" countries anymore.

"Finally, in the 1970s, a group of people on the right and left, today known as neoliberals, attacked New Deal controls over finance and the corporation as silly. They argued, in an age of “microchips, robots, and computers,” mucking around with making things like t-shirts and steel was foolish.

This argument came into politics through both sides of the aisle. The Reagan administration was run by Wall Street, with men like banker William Simon and Chicago Schooler Robert Bork organizing policy. But it was preceded by Jimmy Carter’s deregulation of shipping, banking, trains, buses, trucking, airlines, energy, and even skiing, and his appointment of Wall Street-friendly Fed Chair Paul Volcker.

In 1980, the Democratic-led Senate Joint Economic Committee published a report titled Plugging in the Supply Side. Lloyd Bentsen, who later became Bill Clinton’s Treasury Secretary during the NAFTA fight, authored it. Everyone from Paul Tsongas, to Gary Hart to Robert Reich bought this frame, as did magazines like The New Republic. By 1980, neoliberalism had become consensus. Ted Kennedy, Jimmy Carter’s ostensibly “liberal” nemesis, fought to go further than Carter in ending rules on airplanes, and Ralph Nader aligned with Citibank on deregulating finance. Many of the unions, with the exception of the Teamsters, bought into deregulation.

The consequences were immediate. The U.S. manufacturing base took a major hit as the trade deficit exploded under Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton continued and expanded it, focusing on high-technology pursuits and a “Bridge to the 21st Century.” When you think about it, that’s weird. How can a nation keep importing more than it exports, on a permanent basis? Why would trade partners keep sending them stuff? The answer is in the part of the story that the proponents of this model suggest, which is services."

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-tariffs-abundance

#USA #Tariffs #Neoliberalism #Protectionism #Manufacturing

Erst #SauerAufPutin und dann #Selenskyj und der #Ukraine drohen.
Wackelt #Trump jetzt schon? Allem und jedem mit #Tariffs drohen. Schon irgendwie schwach. #SmallHands #SoSad #CptOrange

Trump Announces 25% Tariff On Talking Cars

https://theonion.com/trump-announces-25-tariff-on-talking-cars/

#TRUMP #TARIFFS #SATIRE #GOP #MAGA #PRESS

Forgot to mention at least one important caveat.

To some analysts current data doesn't suggest an inflationary pressure as a result of the #Trump #tariffs but, given the sorry state of the #US #economy right now, rather a #MarginSqueeze with (more) #layoffs & mass #bankruptcy as a result.

That of course would not be helpful at all, meaning a jump from the frying pan into the fire.

Others even foresee a #stagflation, combining the worst of two worlds.

Anyway, change will come. 🌎