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 🤯

I'm very confused about exports from Heard & McDonald islands.

The Guardian is reporting "The export figures from Heard Island and McDonald Islands are even more perplexing. The territory does have a fishery but no buildings or human habitation whatsoever.

Despite this, according to export data from the World Bank, the US imported US$1.4m (A$2.23m) of products from Heard Island and McDonald Islands in 2022, nearly all of which was “machinery and electrical” imports. It was not immediately clear what those goods were.

In the five years prior, imports from Heard Island and McDonald Islands ranged from US$15,000 (A$24,000) to US$325,000 (A$518,000) per year.
The White House, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Antarctic Division were contacted for comment."

How are freaking penguins running a fishery & exporting machinery?

@SpidersAreShitheadsas if our industry’s wasn’t in free fall already after COVID and now AI my sector is pharmaceuticals in the US so equally screwed!!

Time to retrain.. but god knows what as.

Since tariff increases where floated companies have announced an estimated $4 trillion in manufacturing will be relocated back to the US - largely motor industry and electronics/technology - so I think that will encourage Trump to keep pursuing tariffs for the time being and see what else happens.

Was there a Clap-o-meter or is that 1970s?

They’re on your link - with a tariff of 10%. They’re second from last on the table in the article (above Reunion).

I don't know what we're all worried about. He's an economic genius! He's definitely got his finger on the pulse:

Trump: "An old fashioned term that we use -- groceries. I used it on the campaign. It's such an old fashioned term, but a beautiful term. Groceries. It says a bag with different things in it."

I imagine Trump’s Clapometer is off the scale, with his proclivities 🤢

Samsung phones are made in Brazil and Vietnam -a good buy if you are boycotting American goods.

Suggest you listen to more or less which is a radio four show , it was talking about tariffs this week and it’s not as simple as you are outlining (although it’s obviously a view that a lot of Americans hold). It will explain why.

Also sign off streaming companies- even if you seldom watch them they can sell more advertising if the numbers signeed up are high.

(from X) If you're wondering about the numbers on the charts, they aren't reciprocal tariffs:

It's trade deficit divided by their exports. EU: exports 531.6, imports 333.4, deficit 198.2. 198.2/531.6 is 37, close to 39. Israel: exports 22.2, imports 14.8, deficit 7.4. 7.4/22.2 is 33.

All the countries the US has trade surpluses with are just listed as "10%."

None of it has anything to do with "Tariffs Charged to the USA."

https://x.com/JamesSurowiecki/status/1907559189234196942

This made me spit my tea out 😂🤣

But people won’t be able to afford to buy one! They’ll buy the cheaper foreign one as even with the tariff it will be cheaper.

Except it won’t because this takes several years by which point trump won’t be in power and these ridiculous rules won’t apply

and he might well change his mind in two weeks anyway

why would you invest millions according to a rule which is going to be medium term at best?

My thoughts too!
It’s terrifying.

^^This. It would take years and years to set up a new manufacturing outlet in the US and sort out its supply chain and be profitable.

The orange sack of porridge is completely deluded and the only reason his henchmen are going along with it is because of fear. He will target anyone who disagrees with him and they are thinking of their families, their children because disagreeing invokes violence on them by the cult MAGAts.

Thanks for the info Torro, going to listen to this on iplayer now

How are freaking penguins running a fishery & exporting machinery?

I always thought cats would rule the world, but maybe cats are too lazy to run the exporting gig? Fisheries they could get excited about, though.

Total arbitrary nonsense.
@Justsaynonow I read that also.
He just wants the trade deficit to disappear.
I read another tweet explaining that this will cost ordinary American families $3,500 per year.
They will be the real losers in all this.

What are you talking about? If you shop in America you literally have the sales tax added on so your bill is always higher than you think it is. VAT is just our term for a sales tax.

If you have access to the New York Times, this is very good

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/us/politics/trump-tariffs-global-trade.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c&pvid=4E418BB7-FC61-41DA-8663-31E31B6C7B52

Batshittery of the highest order. The hair, the lurid orange face, the stream of consciousness nonsense coming out of his mouth. That fucking board.

I’d wager his cronies have shorted the shit out of the stock markets ahead of this or at the very least be poised to hoover up anything that tanks.

Penguins of Madagascar have been found out. Smile and wave boys, smile and wave.

Which use the US owned Android operating system.

If you want to go non US, you need to go Chinese and use HarmonyOS.