God I hate politics-by-Twitter. I'm appalled that the US is turning into a fascist country, but I'm even more appalled by how pathetic, puerile and trashy our new fascist overlords are. At least Hitler dressed in Hugo Boss and made speeches that enthralled people: MAGA dresses like tramps, Steve Bannon-stylee and bullies other countries like kids on the playground.
No, Twitter is worse IMO. Truth social has always been a steaming pile of shit that non-fascists avoid. Twitter used to be viewed in a positive light and a lot of organizations and governments still use it as a communication medium - sometimes an exclusive communication medium.
That shows clearly that these tariffs are there to distract (yes it they hurt Americans, Canadians and Mexicans, but he doesn't care) to make media stop talking about Ukraine.
And ukraine is there to distract from tax cuts, and tax cuts and there to distract from the lost of medicare and the lost of medicare is there to distract from them stealing everything, etc etc
To be fair, the nazis were pretty fucking stupid too. The evil-cool, machine-like, storm trooper aesthetic they're known for is cultivated, at least by a significant portion, by nazis overseas that wanted them to be likeable.
Some of it is cultural momentum, for sure. I also like Storm Troopers. But nazis really like Storm Troopers.
Yeah, I remember watching speeches by Hitler back when I was in school. I didn't understand German so I didn't know what he was saying, but I could at least appreciate that the Nazis knew how to project power and competence.
I always understood the fascist aesthetic to be something very macho, very serious-seeming, etc. I always thought the idea was that you had an incredibly charismatic strong-man leader who had all the answers. And, given that, I could understand how people could be taken in.
But, the MAGA aesthetic is so ugly. Their rhetoric is so unserious. Their leader is so old, fat and caked in orange makeup, and he sounds like an absolute moron. The people attending the rallies do comical things like wearing diapers. And yet, half the US looks at that and thinks: yeah, I'll vote for them.
And then there's Elon Musk. Every time he opens his mouth it's less and less believable that anything he ever did was the result of skill or competence. Any time he talks about programming or system administration it's clear he has no fucking clue what he's talking about. When he talks about gaming he claims he's one of the top players in the world, and yet it's obvious he's barely played the games involved. But, apparently Americans are so brainwashed that being rich means you're "a genius".
I hated George W. Bush, but at least I could understand how some people found his schtick endearing. I could understand how he harnessed people's fear and hate and turned it into support for his "war on terrah". But, with Trump my opinion of Americans has gone down to the lowest level ever. This is what works for you? Really??
Trump has already blamed Canada, along with every US ally, for "taking advantage" of the USA. Not so fun fact, these are the very same trade deals that Trump signed during his first term.
They be talking about it for years. Kinda like how 'Lost Cause Confederacy' idiots call it "the war of Northern Aggression" even though it was started by the confederates shooting at an American fort.
He definitely has handlers writing his tweets. There was an analysis last time, coherent posts were written from an Android phone (the handler), rambling posts in all caps from an iPhone (Trump).
All Trudeau needs to do is implement a reciprocal tariff that also increases by like amount. Boom, now you have an infinite tariff loop and a single transaction in either direction is enough to create infinite GDP.
Ya honestly Trump is so fucking stupid that it's starting to feel like he's doing a bit. Like is he mocking his own supporters at this point? I think the world needs to respond to trump with something exactly like this. Infinite tariff loop is actually a policy I would support unironically.
Tbh, I've been pondering just how regulated organized market manipulation is nowadays. With the market going through "corrections" because of tariffs and the FCC being completely defanged, a large group of organized retail investors have the opportunity to get up to some pretty funny business.
If by "funny business" you mean raise prices on products that don't actually have tariffs on them, then it's a safe bet that yeah, there's going to be some funny business.
No, because Canada's economy will collapse long before the US economy if each side just keeps increasing tariffs. What Canada needs to do is make things cheaper for Canadians, not more expensive.
Take any law related to US intellectual property and decriminalize that.
Violating the copyright on Hollywood movies? Go for it. No charge.
Something you want to do is covered by a patent held by an American? Do it, you won't be prosecuted.
Want to bypass DRM on a tractor, a printer, an iPhone, sell or give away tools to allow anybody else to do it? Feel free.
The biggest advantage of this approach is that if the US did the same thing with respect to Canadian IP, they'd have so much less to work with. The US has geared its economy towards producing IP, and then used trade deals to demand that other countries respect that IP or the US will put tariffs on their stuff. Well, clearly the US isn't holding up its end of that bargain, so fuck 'em.
The only difference is we're putting tariffs on things that we can source elsewhere vs the blanket tariffs from the states. But I agree we should also do all the IP stuff you mentioned.
Canada should add a 100% tariff on USA crude oil that we import (Canada import 0 I guess) and with trump reciprocal thinggy, automatically crude oil from Canada to USA would have a 100% tariff on it lol
Not that it would matter if there was, mind you, seeing as there's a whole thing in the Constitution about not having insurrectionists who broke their oath to uphold the Constitution be allowed to ever hold elected office again, and well...
For my fellow Americans, the best way to respond if Trump gets his face on currency is to go full cashless. Let his ass sit abandoned and forgotten in bank vaults across the country.
I’ve heard a joke that utilizes a dollar boll for the execution normally. A challenge to find a bird, a National monument, a dairy product, and an award-winning film on the dollar.
The joke is not legal to do. The first two are obvious and legal.
An eagle
The picture on the back
Half & Half (tear it in half)
Gone with the Wind (throw the pieces in the air)
Not something people could feasibly do since it’s an expensive AND illegal joke, but would still be funny.
Don't get me wrong, if/when Trump dies, it'll be a day that I'm a bit happier, but if he dies during his presidency, I know he'll be immediately replaced by someone who is either just as bad or worse.
My only hope with Vance if he takes on the job, is that he's such a fucking bootlicker that hopefully he'll spend too much time sucking off corporate interests that he can't do too much more damage than Trump has already done.
It's possible, however unlikely, that someone will convince Vance to do the right thing for the wrong reasons (he definitely won't do it for the right reasons), because someone else told him too.... I have no illusions that he wouldn't come up with the idea himself. He's just not that bright in my mind.
The guy had a pretty good aim. It was down to luck.
I think the shittier part of this is that if that whole thing hadn't happened, Trump might have not won. He got the best PR of his whole campaign during that one minute.
Eh he was gonna win whether or not that happened. It helped his image certainly, but he was already well on the way to winning and Biden was already increasingly unpopular.
If the guy actually shot him we probably would have been okay though cuz I don't think Vance has the same pull with the Maga base
The real problem is that Trump's supporters don't understand tariffs, and wouldn't believe the explanation anyway because to them it just sounds like Orange Man Bad.
When the US imposes a tariff on Canada, importers of Canadian goods pay the tariff to the US government. To recover that cost they raise the prices they charge American customers. So Americans end up paying the tariff. The only damage it does to Canada is that the tariff could discourage US importers from buying certain goods from Canada if they can get them somewhere else without paying a tariff. That happens in some cases, but in others Canada is already the cheapest (or only) source of a high-demand item, so Americans will just pay the higher prices - the way they're still paying jacked-up COVID prices for so many things, for example.
Millions of Americans, being too dumb or unwilling to grasp this, think these tariffs are Trump heroically saving them from the evils of foreigners who want to destroy their Freedom.
Tariffs, and other taxes, are not entirely passed to the consumer. The producers are also losing money because they're selling less. Taxes are paid both by the consumer and the producers, the proportion on how much each part pay is unknown for me.
Let's say a bottle of Canadian Maple Syrup is $5 before.
25% Tariff is $1.25
Let's say the company makes $2 on each bottle before tariff. They really need to make $2 per bottle to cover expenses
So if a company still wants to make $2 a bottle still.
If they sell for $6.25 to try to cover the tariff (25% increase)
The tariff becomes $1.56
Instead of making $5, they would make $4.69.
Instead of $2, they would make $1.69
If they sold the bottle for $5, paid $1.25 tariff
They would make 75 cents
The number for $5 is $6.67
If the company sold the syrup bottle for $6.67. Payed $1.67 in tariff (25%). They would make $2.
Now, of course, they want to sell it for $6.67. Will people pay the increased price?
They can't just keep selling them for $5 and make basically a 1/3 of their previous profit.
Prices have to go up. How much is up to the consumer.
If the consumer is willing to buy Official Canadian Maple Syrup 🍁 for $6.67. The consumer is paying the whole $1.67 tariff.
An interesting thing happens when people pay $8. The syrup company makes an extra $1, Government gets $2 tariff. It's a win for everyone, but the consumer that lost $3. (Kind of scary if Trump gets a Maple Syrup company in Canada, goes around, ignores, or pays himself the tariff and sells a bottle for $5. Both are true Canadian Maple Syrup, it just has his name on it. Are you going to buy the $5 or the $8? Even if you buy the $8, he gets $2)
The consumer can't win. Free economy is better.
~33% increase covers a 25% tariff
If the price settles at $6.
Company pays 50 cents
Consumer pays $1
Trump gets $1.50
Who even is in charge of the "tariff funds"?
Like people are happy with having to pay $1 to get the company to pay 50 cents? Like that's a win?
Sad reality is Americans should not buy anything with a tariff. Paying a premium to help support Canada seems like a good thing but if everyone does it and everyone pays 33% more. The tariff funds makes out like a bandit all thanks to the consumers.
TL;DR: Company facing a 25% tariff will look to raise prices 33%. If they can they are fine or better. Consumers lose. I really like Vermont Maple Syrup
Combined with a strong dollar that's a huge blow to U.S. agriculture and manufacturing. FYI U.S. Agriculture is in the worst overall depression of the past 50 years. The strong dollar has basically has given the entire industry a beating.
@imvii Perhaps since little donny says he does not need anything from Canada we should shut off his electric and oil now. That would be before he could effectively replace it.
There is a little buzz that Trump is going to back pedal in a day or two, which would be hilarious. But I think we keep the pressure on even if he does.
At this point, we just need to cut it all off completely. Oil shipments, electricity, lumber, aluminum. All of it.
I know that that's a hard ask for those industries that are affected, and if it means the federal goverment has to temporarily raise the deficit in order to subsidize those industries it'll be crazy expensive and inflation will shoot up. But I'm convinced that that would be only a short amount of time that that would actually be needed.
Let the United States go one week without our stuff. 100%...fuck 'em. They'll last one week. Maybe two. And when they quit their bullshit, make it clear that we are diversifying our business partners making it easier to pull it from them again anytime they let Trump open is fucking mouth.
I mean, if we play all our cards at once, we have no cards left for the next thing, and in the process that might raise enough American political will to invade for real.
It should be and I think is all on the table, though, and I have no problem with it if they want to escalate, because we also need to raise political will to sever our ties for good.
It’s a very complex subject that is difficult to solve
In a sane world, I agree with you. But we're dealing with a man who himself doesn't realise its complexity and only understands strategies that are "blunt and absurd".
We can use as nuanced and soft-toed strategies all we want and he'll never get it through his orange head.
The destruction is mutual, but not assured and total (total just didn't make it into the acronym). Nuclear war isn't a good analogy.
Basically, do we want to continue relying on the US, or not? Not doing so has a cost, but we might not have a choice. Canada can survive without the US, if in a slightly poorer form.
It's not Mutually Assured Destruction though. It's not even retaliatory. If Canada were to immediately stop all exports to the US and pivot to an EU/China based economy the fallout would disproportionately affect the US. The key to this is that Canada is the smaller and more insular trading partner.
Given that there are no ideal moves in any direction, I feel that standing up to the bully is the only option on the table. They failed to do that in 1939.
And another thing. Its America's job to police this mess, they installed him either directly or indirectly. The rest of the world didn't ask or vote for this dangerous toddler.
As a Canadian I agree but that is difficult. Canada is so integrated with the US that they basically refine all of our crude. Canadian crude is unlike crude from anywhere else and has to be refined a certain way. So we have to build refineries or you do, that can handle our capacity. That takes time and certainly won't be instantaneous. It's not like we can just divert.
We're already doing that. EVERYBODY is doing that. every western nation is doing their best to cut America out of their trading deals. Donnie has seriously fucked America over.
That's not acceptable. In two years I hope yall can win back congress but until then America needs to grind to a halt. The country is actively causing harm and that needs to stop.
I love seeing that video of a journalist asking trump about what he said about some tariffs and him responding "I think the other countries pay them". He truly doesn't know how they work.
In all fairness, a fringe economist told him that. Navarro still hasn't been able to successfully explain to anyone why tariffs won't raise prices. He gets as far as "they can't raise tariffs on the largest market in the world" as if there weren't high tariffs on the us before.
It's like he doesn't understand tariffs... It's hurting your country.
If you put a tariff, it increases the price you're paying. It makes the goods more expensive for your industry and your population. It makes your industry less competitive as your industry has to sell at higher prices.
Then comes the reciprocal tardif what makes your industry even less competitive. Putting more tardif will hurt your industry.
Did he say "he was the champion of the industry" or whatever similar? Well people voted for the person who doesn't know what 2+2 makes.
Thing is, America isn't Trump's country. Not in any patriotic sense. Far as he is concerned, it is just a random McDonald's he can ransack and sell off in pieces to whoever can pay him.
It's like he doesn't understand tariffs... It's hurting your country.
It doesn't hurt his wallet when he is raising prices for all his hotels for secret service and employees 10x and pocketing it. He doesn't give a shit about the average American or this country. Fuck you, I got mine.
His goal is revenge on everyone he doesn't like, and to cause pain for those not like him.
Canada did sign and ratify a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the EU like eight years ago. Still waiting for some EU members to ratify it :(
I'm sure there's no shortage of actual stupid people, but don't forget that he's posting to truth social. Something tells me they lack robust bot detection measures.
Come on now, calling Trump the dumbest man on Earth is doing a great disservice to JD Vance who has put in an enormous amount of effort this last year to pip him at the post.
My coworker loves Trump loudly and obnoxiously. But she's mad about the tariffs and votes for the NDP here, but says he's "doing good things for his country", but can't identify what. She doesn't know anything about weaponized disinformation, Russian troll farms, or dark money, and I very gently explained these things to her today, and saw this dim light turning on behind her eyes. So many people don't know how badly they've been suckered by weaponized disinformation and dark money.
Governor? It's he really referring to the Canadian prime Minister as though he is the governor of a state? And they said Biden was losing his grasp on reality.
Probably but I don't think we've had an actual doctor come to any conclusion and probably won't until he's dead. Barring that Trump does the same shit but instead of freezing he just goes full word salad. It also seems like he's having some pretty severe mobility issues.
Yeah that's still fucking dumb because it's not a state. You don't call the car you want to buy "your car" because it just isn't.
Well no, Putin couldn't openly declare war without forcing Europe to get involved, if they claim it's anything else we'll that's more grey.
It's deliberately disrespectful. He has said that Canada should become a US state. This is convicted felon Trumps way to belittle both PM Trudeau and the sovereign nation of Canada
The funny thing is this is Trump's way of trying to insult Canada and our PM, but he comes off sounding like an idiot who doesn't know Trudeau's proper title.
Like, come on USA. Your grandfather is wandering down the street with his pants off again. Can you come get him?
It's all going to be used as an excuse to invade us. Oh look at Canada they made your lives more expensive. It's Canada's fault and once the people believe it, they'll have their support and invade us.
It would be an uphill battle. Yes Americans are overall less educated because they don't invest in education and let their media spread lies unchecked but invading Canada is a big leap (for now).
It's funny that he's trying to imply that he's reacting to our tariffs by saying the US ones are reciprocal, but then immediately contradicts that by (correctly) identifying ours as retaliatory.
Which is it, Don? How do we retaliate against something we allegedly started? Stupid fucking lying bastard. US stocks are plummeting and I hope it continues. FAFO.
I like that Trudeau announced he was fucking leaving and before he could get his ass out the door and let someone else take the lead, all this shit happens because Trump was elected.
It’s a very predictable result to this antagonizing. Tariff too high for the market and the idiot will self-embargo himself out of inputs that grow food, fuel cars, and make goods.
Who's he talking about? Was there a gubernatorial election I missed in one of the 50 states because a governor resigned? Was it Desantis? Please be Desantis!
I get why the USA doesn't see Melania anywhere ...... If I'd say half the things he said, my wife would not show herself to anyone either. If i'd say all of it she'd be gone far far far away long before i finished babbling
As if she has shame. She's the "I really don't care, do u?" first lady. All she has is a boatload of disgust for the physically detestable husband she's saddled with and no reason to appear beside him. If he were young and handsome, she'd be sucking him off in public.
I feel like it's a miss without words - the most obvious interpretation would be that Trump and Trudeau are equivalent and that's just false here - if you were intending that Trump is pointing at himself then that works but there are mirror memes that'd probably fit a bit better.
No matterhpw ypu look at it, it's the same. Trump on Trump or Trump on Trudeau.
Don't get it twisted, Trump is on a different level. However, Trudeau and U.S. Democrats being bad at governoring lead to extreme right-wing politics.
Poor regulation on the housing markets
Foreign interference harming the people
Stagnant wages
Relax regulation on the ultra wealthy
No consequences on corruption
Accountablilty on police/official abuse
Little/under investment in public services
Shit, We can be here all day.
77,302,5802 U.S. Americans are not all racist. A lot of them got tired of being fucked nonstop by shit officials.
Canada is not immune to a Trump clone. Look at Germany's election results. They might have their own Trump soon. 3-4 idiots like that and the world is a completely new place.