Trump announces tariffs

[Gagaism 12,490]

Serious question for serious response only: why Canada and Mexico aren’t on the list given those tariffs thing he’s milking since inauguration? I don’t get it? 

[SpadesToStart 3,853]

1 hour ago, LOVEDRUG said:

If there's any Americans here, may I just ask, what the hell are Democrats doing?

I'm sorry but it's mad to me that people aren't protesting en masse. In any other country (see Turkey, Hungary, Serbia) people would be out in the streets at the madness we've seen over the last few months, with people being questioned on their support of Trump at the border and the line between corporate interest and government being so brazenly eroded, yet it feels like anyone to the left of Reagan is just rolling over and accepting it?

I think specifically on the economic front, a lot of us on the left are just sitting back and letting middle America see exactly what they voted for. We told people exactly what would happen and they still voted for him, so we’re done harping on it…for now. It’s time to let people suffer and learn the hard way, and then restart the conversation in 2026 in time for the midterms.

edit: also, idk if you’ve seen videos of the town halls of a lot of Republican Congress members floating around social media, but people are pissed about how this administration is acting. It’s just still in the process of coming to a boil. Once people actually start to feel it in their wallets later this year, I suspect it will erupt in much bigger ways.

[Chris Thomason 1,036]

I hope all Americans out there realise that your cost of living and your luxuries you take for granted is going to increase by quite a bit. Even when a new president is elected, if they decide to reverse all of the tariffs Trump has put in place, the prices will not be going down to what they are now. Trump's worried about the price of eggs, Americans will be worried about the price of everything soon enough. Make your voices heard to stop this madness before its too late.

[bionic 50,111]

13 minutes ago, Gagaism said:

Serious question for serious response only: why Canada and Mexico aren’t on the list given those tariffs thing he’s milking since inauguration? I don’t get it? 

The previously announced tariffs on Canada/Mexico that Trump paused are going to apply instead

[LOVEDRUG 11,349]

4 minutes ago, SpadesToStart said:

I think specifically on the economic front, a lot of us on the left are just sitting back and letting middle America see exactly what they voted for. We told people exactly what would happen and they still voted for him, so we’re done harping on it…for now. It’s time to let people suffer and learn the hard way, and then restart the conversation in 2026 in time for the midterms.

I'm conflicted on that approach.

On the one hand, yeah, considering how hard Democrats fought, it makes a lot of sense to take a backseat and let people see what they voted for, especially in cases where the economy informed people's vote for Trump.

At the same time though, I think particularly in regards to the tariffs, one thing that Americans need to consider, is that a lot of this stuff is quite irrevocably damaging America's reputation internationally. On the domestic front, standing aside for two years and letting it all play out is an entirely fair approach. But it's unlikely that anyone will trust America anymore in two years, and not in the 'oh we hate Trump but put up with him' kind of way, but in the 'why on earth would we sign a contract with an American company?' kind of way. That would be even worse for the American economy.

[Ronk 14,930]

This was written long ago, but the lyrics apply precisely to the situation in America today:

With lyrics:

 

[PartySick 174,630]

1 hour ago, River said:

17% to Israel

"Trump is the best president for Israel, Kamala is antisemitic" - dumb Israelis up to yesterday

I mean...if he has his way Israel will like...double in size so  

But as usual, even his "friends" lose how many people have gone to prison for this man lmao

[Ivy 13,813]

44 minutes ago, gagzus said:

The thing is though, aren’t the tariff’s affecting the goods on America’s side? Like it would cost for example 10% more than usual to have UK produced goods in your country so say you had a UK made car that cost $100,000 it would now cost you $110,000 instead? These tariffs confuse me. And why republicans are praising them. Isn’t he like f*cking import to your country.

Yes, they want to bring manufacturing back to the US, and we all buy US made stuff I guess

But I don't think ths will work out really they way they think it will 

[Morphine Prince 109,998]

33 minutes ago, LaLa said:

I gotta admit, even after all this, I still don't really understand how tariffs work, or even what they apply to here in Canada as of today  

If he's doing to this to create confusing, it's fvcking working on me 

Took this from Oxford Economics, I found it straight forward, hope it helps anyone trying to understand: 

What are tariffs?

Tariffs are taxes imposed by a government on goods and services imported from other countries. Think of tariff like an extra cost added to foreign products when they enter the country. They’re usually a percentage of the price of the goods. The level of the tariff will affect the significance of its impacts.

Why do governments impose tariffs:

Raise government revenue– tariffs serve as a source of income for governments.

Protect domestic industries and correct trade imbalances– tariffs shelter domestic industries from foreign competition and discourage consumption of imported goods.

Political tool for negotiations– tariffs can be used to apply pressure on the foreign government they are imposed on, as part of a trade negotiation or a political tool.

What impact do tariffs have on the economy imposing them?

Domestic industries may benefit from reduced foreign competition. If foreign goods are now relatively more expensive, this would drive up demand for domestic products, allowing domestic industries to expand and increase production.

However, some domestic industries have global supply chains that rely on imported materials and parts. As prices of imported materials and parts increase, domestic producers may face higher costs of production. If the domestic producers pass higher costs of production onto consumers, it will also push up prices of domestically produced goods. <----- This is what Trump is not understanding. The US imports a lot and even domestic products will go up. 

Notably, the economies that are initially ‘tariff imposers’ may end up facing retaliatory tariffs, which has been the case in the current climate. Below we highlight some potential tariff impacts on the economies tariffs are imposed on.

What impact do tariffs have on the economies they are imposed on?

In the country that tariffs are imposed on targeted industries will face lower export demand. As their goods have become relatively more expensive in the importing country, it will lead to lower sales and lost market share, as consumers switch to relatively cheaper domestic goods. The degree of this decline depends on the price elasticity of demand, how much consumers adjust their purchases of imports in response to the higher prices caused by the tariffs. This may be the case for example if there are few alternatives in the domestic market, or consumers have a strong brand preference.

The extent of the impact will depend on how much of the country’s production is exports, and particularly, exports to the country imposing the tariff.

 

It's important to note that COMPANIES pay tariffs and pass down the cost to consumers via raising prices.

Tariffs are a tool that can be used strategically in certain industries. Blanket tariffs like the ones Trump is imposing cause chaos and hurt consumers. 

[AsleepOnTheCeiling 7,017]

1 hour ago, LOVEDRUG said:

I'm glad to hear people are doing something, but as always, if the media isn't reporting on it, you need to go bigger. Make it so you can't be ignored. People here do have sympathy for Americans who didn't vote for Trump, but from outside of the US, it doesn't look like they're doing anything. They might be, but it doesn't look like it.

4 minutes ago, LOVEDRUG said:

I'm conflicted on that approach.

On the one hand, yeah, considering how hard Democrats fought, it makes a lot of sense to take a backseat and let people see what they voted for, especially in cases where the economy informed people's vote for Trump.

At the same time though, I think particularly in regards to the tariffs, one thing that Americans need to consider, is that a lot of this stuff is quite irrevocably damaging America's reputation internationally. On the domestic front, standing aside for two years and letting it all play out is an entirely fair approach. But it's unlikely that anyone will trust America anymore in two years, and not in the 'oh we hate Trump but put up with him' kind of way, but in the 'why on earth would we sign a contract with an American company?' kind of way. That would be even worse for the American economy.

You have to understand that Americans have been going at it over the past 10 years and I believe both sides are exhausted and drained. Neither side is winning, because neither are actually getting what they want (it's the same thing btw). And Corporations, news outlets, and politicians are wringing us out. There's a lot of Democrats that think the election was rigged (in part because Trump said so himself), and nothing has been done. So they've gone to vote and been cheated. And then they turn on the news and see all these blatantly illegal things happening, and absolutely nothing is being done by Congress despite checks and balances. The Administration is  disregarding court orders and it's not being taken seriously either. So it feels like the system is VERY heavily stacked against the people that do want change. And in the face of all of this, even if there were large-scale protests that media couldn't avoid, the government isn't afraid to tear gas it's own citizens. Nothing got done on a large scale in 2020 to guarantee people's rights following all the BLM movement events, so what exactly would change now? You want these people to be worried about how other countries might see us in 20 years, when a lot of Americans are worried about their own tomorrow. 

[LaLa 19,927]

7 minutes ago, Morphine Prince said:

It's important to note that COMPANIES pay tariffs and pass down the cost to consumers via raising prices.

Thanks for your whole post, but this part especially was something I didn't quite get.

So is this saying that a shop in the US that sells a lot of clothing manufactured in Cambodia for example would pay an extra 49% tax to the US government when importing the goods? (And then most likely pass that cost on to consumers). 

Because I don't see how any American is going to think this a good idea, real real quick 

 

[Pablo 8,697]

1 hour ago, gagzus said:

The thing is though, aren’t the tariff’s affecting the goods on America’s side? Like it would cost for example 10% more than usual to have UK produced goods in your country so say you had a UK made car that cost $100,000 it would now cost you $110,000 instead? These tariffs confuse me. And why republicans are praising them. Isn’t he like f*cking import to your country.

people praise him because they're dump and follow everything he does

[LOVEDRUG 11,349]

7 minutes ago, AsleepOnTheCeiling said:

You have to understand that Americans have been going at it over the past 10 years and I believe both sides are exhausted and drained. Neither side is winning, because neither are actually getting what they want (it's the same thing btw). And Corporations, news outlets, and politicians are wringing us out. There's a lot of Democrats that think the election was rigged (in part because Trump said so himself), and nothing has been done. So they've gone to vote and been cheated. And then they turn on the news and see all these blatantly illegal things happening, and absolutely nothing is being done by Congress despite checks and balances. The Administration is  disregarding court orders and it's not being taken seriously either. So it feels like the system is VERY heavily stacked against the people that do want change. And in the face of all of this, even if there were large-scale protests that media couldn't avoid, the government isn't afraid to tear gas it's own citizens. Nothing got done on a large scale in 2020 to guarantee people's rights following all the BLM movement events, so what exactly would change now? You want these people to be worried about how other countries might see us in 20 years, when a lot of Americans are worried about their own tomorrow. 

By and large, I don't agree with you, as I think the damage that's being done with these tariffs will hurt ordinary Americans. They're not going to hurt people overseas. People in Europe have other countries that they can source their personal electronics from, or to source their raw materials from, or to source their cars from. However America is alienating everyone with these tariffs–including countries that would've otherwise happily bought from American companies. That damage isn't going to be done over the next twenty years, it's going to be done over the next few months.

However, I get how you feel. The last decade has been just as frustrating and baffling to all of those keeping up with American politics from overseas as it must be to progressives, liberals and moderates in the US. Some of the most straightforward political opportunities have been missed completely because of the incompetence and selfishness of those in power, on both sides, and the incompetence of the Democrats especially is utterly infuriating. Your frustration is felt and understood.

[Morphine Prince 109,998]

6 minutes ago, LaLa said:

Thanks for your whole post, but this part especially was something I didn't quite get.

So is this saying that a shop in the US that sells a lot of clothing manufactured in Cambodia for example would pay an extra 49% tax to the US government when importing the goods? (And then most likely pass that cost on to consumers). 

Because I don't see how any American is going to think this a good idea, real real quick 

 

Yes, that's exactly what would happen.

The idea is to push these US business to produce domestically. Only issue is, changing suppliers, building production infrastructure takes time. It's not something that happens overnight. 

Furthermore, consider supply and labor costs. It is much cheaper for a US business to pay low costs for a product made in Cambodia than pay a US supplier who has to pay American workers a higher wage, which will make their products more expensive.

Basically, the idea that a country should produce its own isn't wrong. But the reality is we live in a global market. Even domestic goods are made with imported parts. It's chaotic to impose tariffs this way. 

[gagzus 25,204]

39 minutes ago, Ivy said:

Yes, they want to bring manufacturing back to the US, and we all buy US made stuff I guess

But I don't think ths will work out really they way they think it will 

The thing is though, while good in theory “it’ll create more jobs” most westerners literally refuse to work the jobs of people who make items of import. Like especially in the states that doesn’t pay an hourly rate. Plus some things like the growth of certain fruit and vegetables is entirely impossible climate wise. 
 

Like no American is gonna be picking fruit and vegetables from fields for 14 hours a day for no assigned wage. Or helping manufacture cars for 12 hours a without a proper salary. Westerners are notoriously lazy hence why we import.

Unless they bring back slavery (which I think Trump FULLY would attempt if he wins another term) and force people to work.