Trump+Musk: Folie à Deux - Trump thread #137

[Spandauer]

The clock is already ticking and he's an old man. Mid-terms: November 3, 2026

Thanks to @AcrossThePond55 for the thread title.

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5206120-the-grown-ups-have-left-the-building-trump-thread-136

@AcrossthePond55
The key difference in the UK is that the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition
are NOT eleccted separately from MPs
so PMs can be sacked by their own party at any time - see Liz Truss

The Cato Institute isn't my usual cup of tea, but this is a fantastic explainer of the tariffs, what they include and what they don't and likely outcomes. I recommend it highly.

Trudeau: Tariffs on Canada paused for 30 days as we work on additional border measures

More Trudeau on 30-day tariff pause:

"We will appoint a fentanyl czar, add Mexican cartels to the list of terrorist entities, ensure we keep an eye on the border 24/7, and launch, with the US, a joint strike force on organized crime, fentanyl trafficking and money laundering.

I also signed new intelligence directive focused on organized crime and fentanyl, which will be supported by an investment of $200 million."

https://bsky.app/profile/alexpanetta.bsky.social/post/3lhcivnie422a

Trade war with Colombia - an afternoon.

Trade war with Mexico and Canada - a long weekend.

Why didn't Trudeau do this for his own people before.

Organized crime
fentanyl
Mexican cartels
Tight border controls

Don't the Canadians deserve this from their government?

Most of that had already been announced before Trump's tariffs

According to CNN (edition.cnn.com/2025/02/03/p...), US border authorities seized 21148 pounds of fentanyl at the Mexican border last year and 49 at the Canadian border. The job of Canadian Fentanyl Czar is going to be a weird one.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2024/12/the-government-of-canadas-border-plan-significant-investments-to-strengthen-border-security-and-our-immigration-system.html

Damage is done.

Is this how you treat a country that is supposed to be your ally?
Canadian consumers will remember this

Thanks for that link to the December Canadian press release, entitled "The Government of Canada’s Border Plan: significant investments to strengthen border security and our immigration system".

It describes measures against organized crime, fentanyl, weapons, sex offenders and terrorists.

So yes, looks like today the Canadians have re-announced a load of stuff they announced in December. Drug czars they've had for years, of course.

I suppose it's obvious when you think about it, because Canada won't have magicked up $200 million over the weekend. Most of this stuff was already budgeted for.

Clearly the Canadians have now also had a response from the US about this item they announced in December:

Propose to the United States the creation of a new North American Joint Strike Force to target transnational organized crime, including operational surges, dedicated synthetic drug units, expanded Combined Forces Special Enforcement Units, Binational Integrated Border Enforcement Teams, and new technical operations capacity and infrastructure.

Thanks. Do they sack them by vote and it's 'final' or is it based on pressure to resign?

The GOP pressured Nixon into resigning over Watergate by telling him he'd lost the 'confidence' of the party and that they'd vote to impeach him, and he did resign. But it takes both parties to impeach & remove a POTUS unless one party had an over whelming majority in both houses.

Does the opposition have any real 'power' as far as legislation goes or is it like here where one party would have to get the other party to join them in passing a bill?

Anyway, Canada does what it was already doing, and Trump gets to claim anything good happens because of him.

This is another pattern we've already seen a lot of – and I anticipate seeing much more of, from Trumpists as well as Trump.

It's like appeasing a spoilt child isn't it.

I think DT wants Canadian mineral wealth not it's people. Hopefully Canadians will unite. Not sure Trudeau is the one to do it. He's an odd bod. I was shocked at the treatment of Canadian farmers last year.

Until women’s sex-based rights are all eviscerated again and men are back in women’s sport.

No-one asked the Dems to go do batshit crazy

No one asked the Republicans to go batshit crazy, either.

Yet here we all are.

I come back to, the Republicans had every opportunity to run a candidate who could offer policies we might want to see about genderism, but who wasn't an authoritarian insurrectionist who hands over control of sensitive government data and payments to an unelected tech bro just cos he's his buddy.

China announces retaliatory action as Trump tariffs take effect

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/el-salvador-to-accept-us-deportees-of-any-nationality-as-well-as-imprisoned-americans-in-unprecedented-deal/ar-AA1ymAAb

El Salvador has agreed to house violent US criminals and receive deportees of any nationality, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday, in an unprecedented – and legally problematic deal – that has alarmed critics and rights groups.

https://bsky.app/profile/darbysaxbe.bsky.social/post/3lhcvn4hxwk2o

‬
🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

Hi - hoping I can access the great knowledge on this board for a couple of queries I have. I despair with a Trump administration and presume all he does is awful, and mainly stupid - however, I don't have full clarity in my head around the following-
Panama Canal - I was surprised it's now agreed China won't get its contracts agreed for future use but USA military can have guaranteed access? (If I've read it right in the right places) but it seems to be Panama caved to Trump's demands. Is that the case? I'm hazy on history of this and tbh rights/wrongs of who should or not access freely, but always hope countries will just refuse Trump's demands.
Tariffs - I learned before that putting tariffs on countries' products caused more issues for USA citizens, but now seeing tariff 'wars' as in other country equally imposes some in a tit for tat - I'm not totally clear where that ends up and who comes off 'the poorer'. I know Canada and Mexico are now on pause - broadcasted as a USA win? But now China joined in - how does that affect USA overall?
Tbh I just hope trump admin is so dire his policies end up hated and all fade into oblivion but I don't know enough to understand the 2 things above and guess I worry he's actually achieving some stuff - a bad look for me probably I know as USA citizens deserve better than complete failure.
I know other stuff that I am confident is appalling btw!

I wouldn't mind someone explaining what is happening with Musk and accessing federal accounts/data.

It is going nuts over there. I'm a bit concerned tbh, even as a Brit. They are all unhinged.

This is a summary from the NYTimes.
gift token should work.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/musk-federal-government.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uU4.rgVn.13Mn6nq5TOdc&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShareIt

That's chilling.