5 ms·

> if the aim is to revitalize America's industrial base, the present strategy isn't working The issue is that the aim clearly isn’t to revitalize the industria

by parsimo2010 1y ago

> if the aim is to revitalize America's industrial base, the present strategy isn't working The issue is that the aim clearly isn’t to revitalize the industrial base. If it were, then the tariffs wouldn’t be removed after negotiating with other countries. Since other countries can make deals to reduce the tariffs on their products, then it’s clear that the aim isn’t to get Americans to build things at home. The tariffs are clearly some kind of brinkmanship game to pressure other countries into making concessions.

neogodless 1y ago
Don't forget that the 10% for everyone tariffs were not paused, nor can they be negotiated away.
- parsimo2010 1y ago
  > 10% for everyone tariffs were not paused, nor can they be negotiated away But "everyone" doesn't mean everyone because everything on this list is exempt from the global 10% tariff and recriprocal tariffs (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Annex-II.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Annex-...). Categories have been added to the list after influential people called the President. So even the 10% for "everyone" tariff can be negotiated away if you give the President something he values.
  - thayne 1y ago
    Which suggests it isn't just a way to get foreign countries to negotiate, but also a way to get domestic companies to negotiate with him, possibly in a way to increase his personal power.
    - deleted 1y ago
      [deleted]
StackRanker3000 1y ago
I think the aim of the tariffs changes depending on President Trump’s mood, what the market is doing, what the press is saying, and who he spoke to last.
tmountain 1y ago
There is no "aim". The tariffs are something Trump has been "wanting to do" for decades, and now that he has almost absolute power and is surrounded by sycophants, he gets to do whatever he wants. This is a flex. A way for him to "play hardball" with the rest of the world but without any clear notion of what the next step us. He's said that other countries will have to "pay a lot". What does it even mean? There is no plan. There is no ask. There is no endgame. His cronies are too afraid of him to tell him that this is a terrible idea, and now that he owns it, he'll sooner go down with the ship than admit he was wrong.

neogodless 1y ago

Don't forget that the 10% for everyone tariffs were not paused, nor can they be negotiated away.

parsimo2010 1y ago
> 10% for everyone tariffs were not paused, nor can they be negotiated away But "everyone" doesn't mean everyone because everything on this list is exempt from the global 10% tariff and recriprocal tariffs (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Annex-II.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Annex-...). Categories have been added to the list after influential people called the President. So even the 10% for "everyone" tariff can be negotiated away if you give the President something he values.
- thayne 1y ago
  Which suggests it isn't just a way to get foreign countries to negotiate, but also a way to get domestic companies to negotiate with him, possibly in a way to increase his personal power.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]

StackRanker3000 1y ago

I think the aim of the tariffs changes depending on President Trump’s mood, what the market is doing, what the press is saying, and who he spoke to last.

tmountain 1y ago

There is no "aim". The tariffs are something Trump has been "wanting to do" for decades, and now that he has almost absolute power and is surrounded by sycophants, he gets to do whatever he wants. This is a flex. A way for him to "play hardball" with the rest of the world but without any clear notion of what the next step us. He's said that other countries will have to "pay a lot". What does it even mean? There is no plan. There is no ask. There is no endgame. His cronies are too afraid of him to tell him that this is a terrible idea, and now that he owns it, he'll sooner go down with the ship than admit he was wrong.