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Their lack of specificity does not invalidate my comment. > and countries in general being a lot less willing to negotiate for trade agreements the Americans c

• ben_w 2mo ago
  > We have a lot of trade deals and have created new ones while Trump has been in office. Countries have willingly negotiated with us and us with them. What you are writing is ideological wishful thinking, not what is reflected in reality. Those trade deals aren't worth the paper they're written on while Trump is around. Everybody is aware of this, the only difference is that Trump seems to think he's the only one who knows.
  • ericmay 2mo ago
    > Those trade deals aren't worth the paper they're written on while Trump is around. Everybody is aware of this, the only difference is that Trump seems to think he's the only one who knows. But they are still real trade deals, the rules are still followed, &c. Your personal distaste for Donald Trump (I believe he belongs in jail and didn't vote for him either time) doesn't change that fact.
    • ben_w 2mo ago
      > But they are still real trade deals, the rules are still followed, &c. No, that's the point, they're not. > Your personal distaste for Donald Trump (I believe he belongs in jail and didn't vote for him either time) doesn't change that fact. Same in reverse. He could be everyone's favourite uncle and it would still be rendering the US's word worthless. Me, I'm not eligible to vote for him, what with having repeatedly turned down opportunities to move to the USA, the most recent occasion of which having been in 2016 specifically due to him having won.
      • ericmay 2mo ago
        > No, that's the point, they're not. Do you want me to quote formal trade agreements that were made or are you able to just do a Google search yourself and see? > Same in reverse. He could be everyone's favourite uncle and it would still be rendering the US's word worthless. Ok our word is worthless and all that stuff so who cares then what anyone in Europe or whatever thinks. Oh well so sad we should withdraw from NATO immediately, send troops back to the US, and remove sanctions on Russia so we can bring down gas prices - who cares what Europe thinks since our word is worthless and all. Guess we'll just have to keep doing whatever we're doing.
        • ben_w 2mo ago
          > Do you want me to quote formal trade agreements that were made or are you able to just do a Google search yourself and see? I wrote "Those trade deals aren't worth the paper they're written on", you seem to be responding as if I wrote "nonexistent". > Oh well so sad we should withdraw from NATO immediately, send troops back to the US, and remove sanctions on Russia so we can bring down gas prices - who cares what Europe thinks since our word is worthless and all. Those troops are in Europe for your benefit, more than ours. Those bases are a big part of how the USA gets to do force projection. Can you really not see the cost to yourself? Your reaction is like committing suicide after getting caught cheating. You're not coming back from cheating, but if you really, genuinely, seriously, cannot see how much worse it can get… wow, things are going to get so much worse.
          • ericmay 2mo ago
            > I wrote "Those trade deals aren't worth the paper they're written on", you seem to be responding as if I wrote "nonexistent". That's just your opinion though. I say they're worth the paper they're written on, and other countries have agreed to them and are following them. That's my opinion, and the opinion of the countries who have signed and are following trade deals. So it's like, me, America, the countries we've done trade deals with and then there's you who disagree with all of us. > Those troops are in Europe for your benefit, more than ours. Those bases are how you get to do force projection. This is cope. Certainly those bases do benefit the United States, but it's not as lopsided as you are making it out to be. If the US turned to be more isolationist (not something I advocate really) we wouldn't need those bases to, say, project power in the Middle East or provide a backstop to Europe due to Russia. And we know this is true because when the United States under Trump has threatened or started to remove troops, the NATO alliance and European leaders either treaded carefully, or made overtures to keep the troops/bases operational in Europe. I don't know why people keep parroting these talking points - they really don't make a lot of sense. Like if you are going to claim those bases are just there for our benefit, then why do you care if we remove them? Leave us alone and let us make our own choices. > Can you really not see the cost to yourself? Your reaction is like committing suicide after getting caught cheating. You're not coming back from cheating, but if you really, genuinely, seriously, cannot see how much worse it can get… wow. Sure, I see the cost. The degradation of these relationships is not something I advocate for. But if you're saying everything is done and over, untrustworthy, &c. then sure it's over - it's just like you said and want. So why do you keep trying?
    • rjrjrjrj 2mo ago
      The US isn't even following its own rules. The "liberation day" tariffs were illegal.