Leaked documents reveal hidden agenda behind Trump tariff demands

[ttwtt78640]

You're making arguments for Trump's tariffs using comparisons to subsidies and taxes.

Tariffs are taxes and subsidies are funded by taxes (or more borrowing).

If corporate tax rates increased 3% across the board atleast would be uniform and businesses would be able to plan around for 4 years. As opposed to On and Off again Tariffs with many not making much sense in their entirety.

I agree that Trump’s ‘deals’ and/or tariff rates changing frequently pose (create?) problems.

Goals of tariffs like bringing back manufacturing need to be much more defined. Where's the evidence tariffs will increase exports from products manufactured here? More manufacturing jobs here by increasing Tariffs? Pledges by Tech companies to increase investment are great and "maybe" will provide "some" higher paying jobs. Devil is in the details and i'm skeptical

More evidence siding with fewer/lower tariffs, not more/increased.

I share many of your frustrations.

 

[CimpleMan]

Tariffs are taxes and subsidies are funded by taxes (or more borrowing).

Correct if i'm wrong. You're making an argument for Trump's tariffs over taxes and subsidies right?

If i'm correct then I disagree Trump's tariff chaos is better than just an across aboard tax increase. Why? Because they could be uniform and be planned for. Unlike current haphazardly applied tariffs that go up and down, on and off again. Too much uncertainty for a global economy which depends being able to forecast.

Whether tariffs are better than subsidies you'd have to be very specific on a particular subsidy vs a specific tariff.
Tariffs and Subsidies are tools in the tool box and were already being used. Adjustments are fine, but currently don't see how anyone can determine if Trump's use will result in better outcomes.

 

[Kelby]

Instead of telling others to take their medicine for a reasonable post, maybe you should wake up and smell the roses.

I don’t expect anything less than a loyal GOP Congressman to tow the line for Trump’s tariffs.

Higher steel prices means higher domestic car costs, that get passed onto consumers. Meanwhile, Japanese cars have a lower tariff, which makes them more competitive than domestic cars.

We need a tongue in-cheek emoji for this forum..

 

[ttwtt78640]

Correct if i'm wrong. You're making an argument for Trump's tariffs over taxes and subsidies right?

If i'm correct then I disagree Trump's tariff chaos is better than just an across aboard tax increase. Why? Because they could be uniform and be planned for.

Many things “could be”, but it’s much harder (requiring congress critter approval) to ‘target’ tax increases to apply only to specific industries or products.

Unlike current haphazardly applied tariffs that go up and down, on and off again. Too much uncertainty for a global economy which depends being able to forecast.

Whether tariffs are better than subsidies you'd have to be very specific on a particular subsidy vs a specific tariff.

Exactly, since federally taxing (or subsidizing) a specific US industry or product is difficult to get done and can’t be done by the POTUS (alone) even by declaring (making up?) an ‘emergency’.

Tariffs and Subsidies are tools in the tool box and were already being used. Adjustments are fine, but currently don't see how anyone can determine if Trump's use will result in better outcomes.

Also true, due to the constantly changing ‘deals’ and ‘deadlines’ being ‘promised’ by Trump.

 

[Deuce]

Of course, it's not "normal". Normal is not doing anything to restrict China. Normal is not doing anything for US companies. Normal is letting the Globalists **** over the US at every turn.

You are correct. Trump is NOT "normal". Trump is America First.


If you don't give a shit about the US, then you are correct.

Yikes.

The right really is this far gone.

Fascists only ever get stopped the one way.

 

[Roadvirus]

Of course, it's not "normal". Normal is not doing anything to restrict China. Normal is not doing anything for US companies. Normal is letting the Globalists **** over the US at every turn.

You are correct. Trump is NOT "normal". Trump is America First.


If you don't give a shit about the US, then you are correct.

Deep breathes. Take deep breathes.

 

[Roadvirus]

Leaked documents reveal hidden agenda behind Trump tariff demands

President Donald Trump’s tariff policy has been described by the president as a tool to address the United States’ trade deficits with countries the world over, however, according to leaked government documents obtained by The Washington Post, the policy had a series of other high-priority...

www.rawstory.com

MSN

President Donald Trump’s tariff policy has been described by the president as a tool to address the United States’ trade deficits with countries the world over, however, according to leaked government documents obtained by The Washington Post, the policy had a series of other high-priority objectives that has left experts shocked.

As reported by The Washington Post Saturday, the internal government documents reveal pages of “supplemental negotiating objectives,” among which include using tariffs to pressure countries to offer concessions for companies like the oil giant Chevron or Elon Musk’s Starlink.

“This is the first time I’ve seen that type of request in a trade agreement,” said Wendy Cutler, an American diplomat who spent nearly 30 years as a negotiator with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, speaking with The Washington Post. “When you’re sitting at the negotiating table, you’re not talking about this stuff.”

One portion of the leaked documents detail efforts to pressure the African nation of Lesotho – threatened by Trump with a 50% tariff rate – to grant the renewable energy company OnePower a “five-year withholding tax exemption” for it to develop an energy grid development project.

...A significant share of the hidden objectives behind Trump’s tariffs were centered around combating China and Chinese influence across the globe. The leaked documents show one such objective was to pressure Cambodia using tariffs to prohibit Chinese military deployments near its Ream Naval Base, and another, to pressure Israel to “remove Chinese port ownership” in the country’s port city of Haifa.

The original Washington Post paywalled article is linked in the snippet.

We saw this earlier with Trump's immigration and fentanyl demands, but now we know this has been official policy used around the world.

Should the president be leveraging the US economy in making political/national security demands from other countries?

None of this is normal. None of it is sane.

This is what a serial white collar criminal looks like when he has the power of the U.S. Presidency.