Is anyone watching this Trump car crash?

[soundsys]

WTF is happening? It’s like some bizarre performance art piece.

He’s holding up signs and shouting and throwing out hats it’s just 🤯

People are making fun of Donald Trump's tariffs after he put a 10% tariff on an island inhabited only by penguins. Photo / Getty Images/ Digitally enhanced

I think he must do it himself. I doubt if she touches him with a barge pole - or maybe she does apply his make-up WITH a barge pole and that's why it's so bad!

I think business likes some degree of certainty with the policy framework. Trump hasnt delivered this as yet, he changes his mind frequently. This is not a good basis for a company investing millions to manufacture in the US. He frequently talks about taking over Greenland which is effectively invading a Nato country engaging the US into a war with Nato. Its probably unlikely to happen but nothing is off the table where Trump
Is concerned.

What on earth are you on about?

The de industrialisation of the West has been happening since the 50s and 60s, long before any of what you re mentioning happened.

China, Taiwan & other Asian countries have state of the art manufacturing facilities, making products and components we can only dream about.... China has eco growth we haven't had for decades, they also lead the way on "Green" tech and generation of energy and associated products... much of which ends up in Europe, the UK invented a new high efficiency Solar panel, the Tories refused to fund its start-up, Germany didn't, manufacturer now in an economy with higher wages, higher standards and taxation....

UK can compete but choses not too....

I think you are misleading and confused about what Trump is doing, did do in his 1st term and what he will cause to the global economy and its stability.

We need to form free trade alliances that benefit its members, whilst discriminating against the USA, the EU is what the 2nd or 3rd largest tradng block in the world, we need to get on-board with them and forge closer low/zero tariffs with other regions too.

I know right!
This "proves how well thought this strategy is. They have planned it all meticulously. Not just put some silly table together and go with that"
It is all very well calculated 😃😃😃😃😃

The UK does not have a FTA with China so I’m not sure what your point is.

Melania spends most of her time in New York, if she has to turn up with the orange sack of porridge I would imagine she gets paid

😂

Details are not their strong point

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/04/revealed-how-trump-tariffs-slugged-norfolk-island-and-uninhabited-heard-and-mcdonald-islands

Not that Norfolk! Mislabelled shipments led to Trump tariffs on uninhabited islands and remote outposts with no US trade

Perhaps he has help…

China hits back. Brace yourselves everyone. And just don't look at your pensions for a few months..

Trump has gone to play golf in Florida. Analysts predicting at least a 5% drop as the US markets open.

Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

Yes, the Saudis are paying him mega bucks for this Golf tournament. And today's the day the very sad day, the bodies of the 4 servicemen who died in Lithuania return home. I doubt Trump will even acknowledge this, he is too busy playing golf.

The other thing that I am confused about is that the unemployment rate in the US is low at the moment. So who is going to work in these factory jobs that will be created? Immigrants?

The issue that people seem to have in the US is the cost of living. But Trump has essentially just raised the price of many items.

Florida is seeking to relax their child labour laws....

The tens of thousands of doctors, scientists and national park rangers being laid off by DOGE obviously…

Unlikely to be immigrants seeing as he’s shipping them all off to camps in El Salvador.

Absolutely brilliant 😂

Yep, that’s pretty extraordinary - the proposed bill would allow 14 year olds to work up to 40 hours per week including overnight shifts on school nights.

There are currently 99 million people between 16-64 that economically inactive in the US. Yes a large number are either in further education or early retirement but that still leaves many millions that are able to work but are unable to get a job.

Previous administrations may have given up on them and dismissed these people as unemployable or lazy but I believe in giving these people a chance.

I think she's already done a runner, Maybe she was going to be picked up by ICE. I watched DT's "press conference" on the plane today and he seems mad. Did I get it wrong or did he say this is the Trump credit card , you got 5 million you can buy one. Holding up a gold card? Whed did American politics turn so tragic. Had some of the most amazing leaders in the word and now a deranged reality tv show host ( lets not mention the hair or the face). It's sad . It was a good/ relatively good country and they ( for some mad reason) half of them have let a crazy man take over. Are Americans not taught history?

Also I saw today that the US makes up 25% of the world GDP. And Europe makes up 23%. Well if you throw in Japan, South Korea,Brazil, Canada and Australia , NZ, India and Indonesia. I think we've smashed him out of the park. Don't cave to a bully. Best idea is to ignore them. DONT BUY ANYTHING MADE BY A US COMPANY. Just don't it's not that hard. Now that I know Heinz is owned by the US I won't buy it anymore. But there will be a little local brand somewhere in the supermarket ( or might have to trek to a farmers market). Just keep looking. Not where its made ( sorry my NZ cousins but they are renowned for this). Product comes in 90% made and then they package it and label it as "made in NZ". Just check your packaging. If the whole world did this then, Trump would be put out to pasture in a month.

Just check at least 3 things in your shop today ( not made in.....) but the company that owns it. Sorry for rant

It’s not a credit card but rather a gold citizenship card. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-gold-cards-tariffs-markets-b2727169.html

Are you AI or just a Trump supporter? So you are seriously saying that millions of people in the US are choosing to live in poverty except now they are going to be ok because a new autoplant is going to open in Detroit?

I can't believe you included 16-18years olds. They are still in high school you stupid chat GPT

I think a lot of what he has done is connected to the fact that he didn't get his hands on the mineral wealth of Ukraine. Look at the US imports of rare minerals that they have had to buy over time.

You might ask why this is connected to the thread? It goes some way to see why he needs to raise money from tariff charges.

He thought persuading UKraine to allow him the mineral rights to the rare earth would make America richer. It could have done, had he not been so nasty to Zelenskyy. Now he has to raise the money elsewhere. Look at the minerals America imports. A great deal is from China.

If he could have done a peace deal with Putin, they would have ''shared'' Ukraine between them. The only security Trump offered to Zelenskyy was the military to secure the mining sites. Putin invaded Ukraine for the same reason. With the mineral rights Trump would not have to import the minerals from elsewhere if he had the rights. Putin made it easy to ship them out by giving Trump access in the Black Sea where there are no mines.

It is a problem for people to connect what Trump is doing around the world. He convinces his people that it is all to make America first. That is not possible, because it takes time to build factories and make the goods they are importing. Trump can only put America richer if he makes half the countries poorer

I suppose I would be wrong if I said that Trump and his family and rich friends would be seeking to gain financially from all this personally by selling stock before his tariff announcement and buying stock before removing tariffs. I'm sure there would be officials keeping an eye on all that 🤔