I agree with you. I don't think any country has people prepared to live on air to keep the economy high. Trump could never manufacture goods in competition with the Asian countries. Why didn't Trump set up his own factories first? Perhaps he doesn't plan to?
I don't think it matters who is right and who is left. That just takes attention away from what is really happening.
It is not all about tariffs, in my view, either. There is a lot more beside amd the world is so fixed on that problem, it cannot see the wood for the trees. If there is not, then Trump may well be paranoid.
I would stick my neck out and say that even Trump's tariffs are masking a much bigger issue: what did Trump and Putin discuss in that 90minute phone conversation?
Trump doesn't want to buy his rare mineral needs from China. He wanted to mine his own in Ukraine. He demanded President Zelensky sign over the mineral rights to pay for the military assets that Biden gave freely. Zelensky refused, because Trump insulted him, and Trump would not tell him how much he would receive in exchange.
JD shouted at Zelensky, a guest in the White House. He did that, because when Zelensky started talking about the 2014 invasion, Trump retorted 'wasn't it in 2015'. That was another instance of Trump not having all his marbles, and Vance realised that and started shouting at Zelensky to stop Trump making a further ass of himself.
There was also the retort Trump made of ''Do you want to wait until bombs fall on your head'? To which was the answer they already are!
Zelenskyy refused to sign over the mineral rights. Trump then withdrew all military aid from Ukraine, knowing that Putin would step up the bombing.of Ukraine.
Trump made some sort of deal with Putin over safe shipping in the Black Sea. Why? It helped no one except Trump, not just now, but in five years. In 2023 and last year, Putin held up vital food exports from Ukraine, having taken over a great deal of Ukraine coastline. It isn't just the Ukraine coastline either. He has interfered in politics in Georgia. He declared conscription last year which led to thousands of Russians queuing at Georgia's border. How many Russians are now in Georgia? Enough for a phoney referendum? In any event, Putin probably has a say in that Black Sea coast.
Putin was persuaded to let the ships pass through to the Med. Putin has a base in Syria, he makes deals with Iran, who supports Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Because of the war, the Houthis, backed by Iran, bombed shipping in the Red Sea, preventing safe shipping in the Suez Canal, with the result that shipping now has to go the long way round and costly.
You could say that Russia has a very firm hand on world shipping. What has that to do with tariffs? I suppose you have to be a fly on the wall, but America is relying on the mineral imports from China for technology, and Trump wants to mine them in Ukraine, and be guaranteed safe shipping from the Black Sea to export to America. With the mineral rights, America would certainly be richer. Trump is not happy about the set up of the ''Willing''. That has shown Europe behind Ukraine, and will most likely trade the mineral rights for weapons instead of Trump.
Trump hates China. American industry needs the rare minerals, which China has. He doesn't want the cheap goods from China which he says are flooding America. I doubt China will let him pick and choose too much, but they need the American 'microchip' which at the moment they don't have.
Trump can only make America richer on the backs of other countries. With the tariffs he will succeed, but he will not be able to manufacture goods as cheaply.
I am sure China would love to stop importing American microchips, but cannot afford to, but I think Ji would risk that by increasing tariffs themselves for things America needs.
In the meantime, people retiring this month will find their pension pots 25% lower than expected.
It isn't all about left and right, or in between, nor can Trump boast that America is making 2bn a day in tariff charges, as he said yesterday, because so many are wanting to parlez.
Trump is looking to the future, and possibly one with Putin, carving up the minerals of Ukraine between them, making a no mans land of Ukraine, and slaves of the Ukrainians. Putin because he hates them, Trump for what monetary gain he can get out of them.
If Zelensky had signed over his country's wealth, Ukraine would disappear. Trump would only give security to the mines America would have until the minerals were no more, and Putin would increase his empire. There will be labour camps in Russia as Hitler had to boost the economy by not paying the workers. America would employ Ukrainians to work in the mines until the mines were exhausted, and Ukraine will return to the days of Stalin.
The 'Committee of the Willing' would go to war rather than let that happen.