Trump threatens 100% tariffs on any country imposing digital services taxes on US tech firms

[scoffer]

What a complete ****-show the USA is now. Whatever happened to (semi)honest, patriotic politicians, on both sides of the aisle, working together for the good of the country? All I see now is greed, schadenfreude, and the frightening rise of some kind of Islamist /Marxist agenda. Couched in terms of Democratic Socialism. My God America -you need to wake up and smell the roses!
Yes, I know that MY country is sliding down the same slippery slope. However, the demise of the UK is hardly noteworthy nowadays. A mere footnote. The loss of a truly democratic USA would be a disaster.

A Brit -outside, looking in.

 

[ET3D]

2. Every nation on Earth uses tariffs to support the economy.

The point of tariffs is to reduce competition from cheap imports, to support local products. Most countries have this for specific products. No country does what the Trump administration does, which is use blanket tariffs on imports based on the country of origin. This makes no economic sense, because it hurts the US economy, causing US residents to pay more for products even though this doesn't help local producers, and causing some US businesses to go under because they depend on imported products that have no local alternative and now cost significantly more.

Currently US tariffs are only used for bullying. This case is an excellent example. France wants to charge 3% extra on digitial revenue, Trump threatens 100% blanket tariffs. Will 100% tariff do any good for the US? Not at all. It will mainly hurt US customers of French products. US businesses might move to import from China instead, or another alternative that currently has a lesser tariff. So the only reason to propose them is the threat.

In the end, I think that just like the US lost to Iran, all these tariffs and threats of tariffs will make the US lose its global trading position.

 

[urielejh]

Trump loves America. Not France, Germany, Canada or Brungaria. he looks out for us. He is better at business than most anyone. I love Trump. He has saved the country from the eeeediot left for now

O my...

 

[urielejh]

He's just a tard buffoon chosen by tard buffoons

 

[Axeia]

I'm all for properly taxing the big tech companies. They're some of the biggest tax avoiders to begin with and contribute very little for all the wealth they accumulate.

Round 2 of the tariff 'war' I suppose. Europe is a lot better prepared this time having diversified its exports. Even in the first round it showed it had a backbone (to my own surprise). Guess it's back to more bluffing about the 'trade bazooka' and mainly Germany going "Wait guys, I need to sell cars..."

 

[Kirby1]

I said the Democrats created an environment that allows Trump to be elected by neglecting their base and chasing support from the far left. I said nothing in support of Trump's foolishness. Trump being an idoit and the Democrats handing him the election are not mutually exclusive concepts.

I said to quote me, you haven't. Perhaps you are the one who is detached from reality?

That's definitely not what happened.

It silly how you pretend you're not Maga. You comment on here all the time, we have seen years worth of your comments to know where you stand, and clearly you hate the left.

Now that you can't pretend your guy secretly knows what he's doing, you want to distance yourself.

How about you just stop arguing about Trump all the time. Ever think of that? Like, don't write me another love letter response to this comment and just leave. Learn to read a book, appreciate a fact, gain an understanding of reality instead of ranting ignorance here.

You are the most disingenuous person here, all you do is argue about the left as much as possible while claiming not to be Maga. No one falls for it.

I actually have always thought you are a bot because you are so consistent with arguing about political, bashing the left, and you just never stop. You reply to everyone to the point they they just move on because no one wants to reply to you 100 times, and you probably tell yourself you win debate that way even tho you're just the last one here, arguing with yourself about the lies you tell.

 

[yRaz]

That's definitely not what happened.

It silly how you pretend you're not Maga. You comment on here all the time, we have seen years worth of your comments to know where you stand, and clearly you hate the left.

Now that you can't pretend your guy secretly knows what he's doing, you want to distance yourself.

How about you just stop arguing about Trump all the time. Ever think of that? Like, don't write me another love letter response to this comment and just leave. Learn to read a book, appreciate a fact, gain an understanding of reality instead of ranting ignorance here.

You are the most disingenuous person here, all you do is argue about the left as mush as possible while claiming not to be Maga. No one falls for it.

If I post here all the time about the sort of thing then if should be easy for you to find the statements you accuse me of making. I said quote me, you haven't because you can't. I'm not a trump supporter and you can't make me one just because it suits your narrative. It's this kind of foolishness that lost the Democrats the election in the first place.

 

[Kirby1]

If I post here all the time about the sort of thing then if should be easy for you to find the statements you accuse me of making. I said quote me, you haven't because you can't. I'm not a trump supporter and you can't make me one just because it suits your narrative. It's this kind of foolishness that lost the Democrats the election in the first place.

I'm not going to go over your comment history just to show you what we all already know.

"I'm not a Trump supporter" then immediately blames democrats.

You're right, you're not a Trump supporter because you're clearly just a bot. No humans are this unaware.

 

[yRaz]

I'm not going to go over your comment history just to show you what we all already know.

"I'm not a Trump supporter" then immediately blames democrats.

You're right, you're not a Trump supporter because you're clearly just a bot. No humans are this unaware.

There is literally a known MAGA in this thread accusing me of being a liberal. Yes, I blame Democrats for things that are their fault and I will hold them accountable for what they did because that's how you change and improve things. I think the lack of accountability on the left is the reason that they lost. Until the left starts holding themselves accountable, they will keep losing. What happened with trump was that the Democrats didn't hold themselves accountable so the voters did.

 

[Kirby1]

There is literally a known MAGA in this thread accusing me of being a liberal. Yes, I blame Democrats for things that are their fault and I will hold them accountable for what they did because that's how you change and improve things. I think the lack of accountability on the left is the reason that they lost. Until the left starts holding themselves accountable, they will keep losing. What happened with trump was that the Democrats didn't hold themselves accountable so the voters did.

Enjoy that alternative reality you live in.

Literally the same argument over and over. "I'm not maga, I just think everything is the dems fault."

 

[yRaz]

Enjoy that alternative reality you live in.

Literally the same argument over and over. "I'm not maga, I just think everything is the dems fault."

I told you specifically why the Dems had such poor voter turn out. Trump didn't win because tons of people showed up to support him, the Democrats had very poor voter turn out in the last election. I keep saying that the Republicans didn't win, the Democrats lost. I don't know why this is such a difficult concept for you to grasp.

I'm going to call it now, the Democrats are going to win this November for the same reason. Trump has spent the last year and a half disenfranchising Republican voters. The Democrats aren't going to "win", the Republicans are going to lose.

You are the left's equivalent of a MAGA.

 

[Kirby1]

I told you specifically why the Dems had such poor voter turn out. Trump didn't win because tons of people showed up to support him, the Democrats had very poor voter turn out in the last election. I keep saying that the Republicans didn't win, the Democrats lost. I don't know why this is such a difficult concept for you to grasp.

I'm going to call it now, the Democrats are going to win this November for the same reason. Trump has spent the last year and a half disenfranchising Republican voters. The Democrats aren't going to "win", the Republicans are going to lose.

You are the left's equivalent of a MAGA.

And you're clearly upset about it, because you're Maga.

 

[Endymio]

No country does what the Trump administration does, which is use blanket tariffs on imports based on the country of origin. This makes no economic sense, because it hurts the US economy, causing US residents to pay more for products even though this doesn't help local producers

Who told you something so absurd? Every nation that implements tariffs also alters tariffs by origin country. Look at this chart for EU tariffs which shows the variance by region (the AHS and MFN weighted averages). That variance would be much larger if we examine tariff rates for individual products. Imported beef, for instance, has a tariff that varies from 0% to up to 60% based on country of origin.

European Union Imports, Tariffs by country and region 2022 | WITS Data

Merchandise trade and tariff statistics data for European Union (EUN) imports, from partner countries including trade value, number of products, Partner share, Share in total products, MFN and Effectively Applied Tariffs, duty free imports, dutiable imports, and free lines and number of trade...

wits.worldbank.org

Also, you've been misled by the media. Trump's "blanket" tariffs included up to 25,000 carveouts for individual products, which lowered or even reduced tariffs for those particular goods to zero.

Finally, the idea that the tariffs didn't "help US manufacturers" is contradicted by those manufacturers themselves, which welcomed the (unfortunately short-lived) tariffs as revitalizing their business:

• "Automakers: Executives from Ford and General Motors publicly thanked Trump for tariff developments. Ford CEO Jim Farley lauded policies that favor domestic manufacturing volume, while GM praised offset programs that improve the competitiveness of U.S.-built vehicles. [1,2]
• Metals & Materials: Domestic metal producers, such as Century Aluminum, strongly supported the administration's aggressive enforcement of Section 232 tariffs on foreign steel, aluminum, and copper. [3,4]
• Industrial Manufacturing: Groups such as Westminster Tool noted that past tariffs significantly leveled the playing field against cheaper international competitors. [1,5]..."

 

[LordVile95]

Who told you something so absurd? Every nation that implements tariffs also alters tariffs by origin country. Look at this chart for EU tariffs which shows the variance by region (the AHS and MFN weighted averages). That variance would be much larger if we examine tariff rates for individual products. Imported beef, for instance, has a tariff that varies from 0% to up to 60% based on country of origin.

European Union Imports, Tariffs by country and region 2022 | WITS Data

Merchandise trade and tariff statistics data for European Union (EUN) imports, from partner countries including trade value, number of products, Partner share, Share in total products, MFN and Effectively Applied Tariffs, duty free imports, dutiable imports, and free lines and number of trade...

wits.worldbank.org

Also, you've been misled by the media. Trump's "blanket" tariffs included up to 25,000 carveouts for individual products, which lowered or even reduced tariffs for those particular goods to zero.

Finally, the idea that the tariffs didn't "help US manufacturers" is contradicted by those manufacturers themselves, which welcomed the (unfortunately short-lived) tariffs as revitalizing their business:

• "Automakers: Executives from Ford and General Motors publicly thanked Trump for tariff developments. Ford CEO Jim Farley lauded policies that favor domestic manufacturing volume, while GM praised offset programs that improve the competitiveness of U.S.-built vehicles. [1,2]
• Metals & Materials: Domestic metal producers, such as Century Aluminum, strongly supported the administration's aggressive enforcement of Section 232 tariffs on foreign steel, aluminum, and copper. [3,4]
• Industrial Manufacturing: Groups such as Westminster Tool noted that past tariffs significantly leveled the playing field against cheaper international competitors. [1,5]..."

You’ve literally proven yourself incorrect by showing that the EU tariffs aren’t blanket measures but per individual item.

Also automakers generally don’t like the tariffs as it drives up their costs. They also didn’t help the consumer as they just raised the prices they had to pay.

 

[Endymio]

You’ve literally proven yourself incorrect by showing that the EU tariffs aren’t blanket measures but per individual item.

You failed to read properly. As the post clearly expresses, both sets of tariffs -- the EU and the US -- vary by country of origin and by product. Not that it's even crucial to the point: anyone who believes that 10% tariffs on one cut of beef and 100% tariffs on another is ethically and economically sound, whereas 50% tariffs on all is not, is a person who should be allowed to wander around outside without professional supervision.

 

[yRaz]

And you're clearly upset about it, because you're Maga

not really, no. Although It was nice to see that you aren't ashamed to admit that you are the left's version of MAGA. A warrior for the cause that does not understand the issue and is not embarrassed by their own lack of knowledge or accountability.

 

[Kirby1]

not really, no. Although It was nice to see that you aren't ashamed to admit that you are the left's version of MAGA. A warrior for the cause that does not understand the issue and is not embarrassed by their own lack of knowledge or accountability.

You saying a thing does not make it true, only a fool would think that way.

Grow up dude. Your arguments are consistently weak and unintelligent, and basically just boil down to political name calling. Typical Maga behavior really.

Too all the magas out there, just being in touch with reality and having a clear recollection of all the BS Maga has done makes you an extreme leftist, because to them reality is a problem.

 

[yRaz]

You saying a thing does not make it true, only a fool would think that way.

Grow up dude. Your arguments are consistently weak and unintelligent, and basically just boil down to political name calling. Typical Maga behavior really.

What arguements are those. I keep asking you to quote me. The Maga guys in the thread don't want me at their party but you keep saying I'm one of them. I can't be rejected by the maga community and part of it at the same time.

 

[Kirby1]

What arguements are those. I keep asking you to quote me. The Maga guys in the thread don't want me at their party but you keep saying I'm one of them. I can't be rejected by the maga community and part of it at the same time.

You asking for something doesn't mean you're gonna get it.

No one wants you at their party because you are fully disingenuous.

 

[yRaz]

You asking for something doesn't mean you're gonna get it.

No one wants you at their party because you are fully disingenuous.

I know I'm not going to get it because the statements you accuse me of making don't exist, that's my entire point. This entire thread you have been trying to gaslight me and act like you're superior. So, to be clear, you are now saying that I'm not part of MAGA? Because nothing would bring me more joy than to be rejected by the two most absurd political ideologies in modern politics

 

[Endymio]

No one wants you at their party because you are fully disingenuous.

As much as I like to see the Left eat their own, any suggestion that @yRaz falls anywhere but to the Left of the political spectrum is farcical. He may not have his head as fully up the anus of the reality-distortion rectum of today's neo-fascist liberals, but by the standards of, say an '80s Democrat, he's solidly liberal.

 

[penn919]

I'm not a Maga, I'm talking about how the Left rolled out the red carpet for Trump to get elected when he very much should have lost. This is what I'm talking about when I say that the Democrats layed the ground work for him to get into office. If the left can't recognize how they're disenfranchising voters and learn from their mistakes then this crap is just going to happen again.

I fully agree that Trump didn't just happen upon the presidency, but your take is far more optimistic than mine. Trump isn't some generic politician. The fact that a character like him could muster enough support in ANY democracy signifies a catastrophic break in our collective psyche. Structured and sustainable civilization? Our society isn't up to the task. Whether or not America has ever been "great" can be debated, but there can be no greater indication of the negative than Trump.

 

[penn919]

Duplicate. Please delete

 

[Endymio]

The fact that a character like him could muster enough support in ANY democracy signifies a catastrophic break in our collective psyche.

You must be talking about Zohran Mamdani, the self-avowed socialist and mayor of the US's largest city, who just two days ago vowed to openly defy the Supreme Court Order revoking TPS status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, generating the constitutional crisis that liberals long predicted Trump would cause, but never did.

Even more shocking is that Democrats around the country refused to condemn Mamdani for this brazenly illegal act, and many have actually come out in support of it.

 

[penn919]

You must be talking about Zohran Mamdani, the self-avowed socialist and mayor of the US's largest city, who just two days ago vowed to openly defy the Supreme Court Order revoking TPS status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, generating the constitutional crisis that liberals long predicted Trump would cause, but never did.

Even more shocking is that Democrats around the country refused to condemn Mamdani for this brazenly illegal act, and many have actually come out in support of it.

Putting politics aside, how exactly would the defiance of a single mayor trigger a "constitutional crisis".