US Politics Thread 2021-24

[Hawk66]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

And the entire world sits on their hands. Trump confronts China with their unfair trade practices, manipulation, strong arming and patent theft. Nothing but hot air on what an idiot he is.

What is Frank-Walter Steinmeier doing to combat this issue with China?

Just a small reminder: The German president is mostly a representative guy (few exceptions)...so y may ask this question Friedrich Merz...if he's elected in early May as chancellor. It will be interesting how Merz and Trump come along....Merz has worked in the private sector, so I guess it will not so easy for Trump to sell his , let's say so, weird and unconventional ideas of how capitalism and economics are supposed to work in general

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Hawk66

Just a small reminder: The German president is mostly a representative guy (few exceptions)...so y may ask this question Friedrich Merz...if he's elected in early May as chancellor. It will be interesting how Merz and Trump come along....Merz has worked in the private sector, so I guess it will not so easy for Trump to sell his , let's say so, weird and unconventional ideas of how capitalism and economics are supposed to work in general

It will be more interesting to see if this individual sits on his hands, blows hot air and generally does nothing as China continues to play their games.

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

But, but, but, but, but, but.....they sell cheap stuff. It's all good. Sheesh...

Well yes, we know. Good, cheap and in a landfill in a year or less.

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Hawk66

Just a small reminder: The German president is mostly a representative guy (few exceptions)...so y may ask this question Friedrich Merz...if he's elected in early May as chancellor. It will be interesting how Merz and Trump come along....Merz has worked in the private sector, so I guess it will not so easy for Trump to sell his , let's say so, weird and unconventional ideas of how capitalism and economics are supposed to work in general

Who knows. They may see things eye to eye. Maybe they will reach a consensus and move forward. That's how Friends and Allies work things out.

[mapuc]

Just my 5 cent.

None of us has the right to point fingers at others. We were all in the same boat in WWII(the allieds) and we helped each other

Denmark did send their merch fleet to US, where they came under American control. Those who wasn't captured by the Germans during the invasion of Denmark.

When it comes to the Danes. Many joined both side.

I truly understand the ordinary Americans standpoint-It is time for us Europeans to take charge in our own country and Europe not to forget take charge in Ukraine.

Markus

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Just my 5 cent.

None of us has the right to point fingers at others. We were all in the same boat in WWII(the allieds) and we helped each other

Denmark did send their merch fleet to US, where they came under American control. Those who wasn't captured by the Germans during the invasion of Denmark.

When it comes to the Danes. Many joined both side.

I truly understand the ordinary Americans standpoint-It is time for us Europeans to take charge in our own country and Europe not to forget take charge in Ukraine.

Markus

As usual Markus, you're always a diplomat and the voice of reason.

To a large degree, I agree with you. By and large, the bulk of the fighting by the allies was done by the U.S, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and I'm sure others. That really wasn't the Issue.

The point I was making was that Dargo and and other Citizens of various Countries in Europe should have a little gratitude not only regarding the liberation of their respective Countries by fighting men of the Allies but also that the U.S alone provided financial support after WW2. I am of course referring to the Marshall plan. This was made to Germany, Italy and also Japan, the Axis Powers. How crazy is it that the victor in a war essentially paid War reparations to rebuild their former adversaries ? The U.S of course helped to rebuild it's allies as well.

Ostfriese in post # 12886 had made racist remarks. Further, Ostfriese had also made the inflammatory remarks that our treatment of Migrants was cruel in a since deleted post. Ostfriese should understand that well as he is a German citizen. This is a rather Ironic position and a stupid and laughable comment considering how Germany treated their Jewish Citizens whom they considered less than desirable in World War 2.

By most accounts, Germany killed 6 Million people of Jewish heritage in Industrialized Killing Factories. Germany killed many more prisoners of war, those of an intellectual capacity like Scholars and many who were thought to be a problem for Hitler's regime. This is of course, well documented. My point is this. People from Germany should understand their own history before denigrating other Countries handling of their respective internal affairs. Germany and Poland and other Countries are having their own Issues regarding Muslim Migrants. We all know that has been a fiasco.

And yet, we in the U.S, haven't thrown that in their faces as they have regarding the Citizens and Subsim members of the U.S. I don't say this to hurt or wound our German friends and Subsim members but simply to put things in perspective. I am also half German if that means anything. That being said, I understand my own German heritage and history. If you live in a glass house, don't throw rocks at people, lest you have them thrown back at you.

The U.S under Trump is removing those in the U.S here Illegally. The Migrants are unvetted and mostly criminals who rape, pillage, bring drugs and crime and those who have no regard for the U.S, it's laws or citizens. We in the U.S don't want our Country, Schools and health Systems overwhelmed by foreigners. Further, we in the U.S don't want to be responsible for the Worlds people and we refuse to be. President Trump is doing what he promised to do during his campaign. It's a position a large number of the Electorate in the U.S agreed with.

We don't care what color the people coming here may be as there are those from Russia, India, Pakistan and everywhere else Illegally crossing our borders. We are not being inhumane but simply shipping them back to their Countries of origin.

The last time I checked, we didn't need the permission of the rest of the World to resolve what is, an internal affair of a sovereign Country - namely, the U.S

[Dargo]

‘He's backtracking!’: Donald Trump turns a corner on tariffs and Chinese social media feasts on it

In the trade war with China, Trump is suddenly taking his foot off the accelerator, promising a hefty tariff cut. Is this U-turn a first crack in the armour?

Is Trump backtracking?
Surely that is the tenor on the popular Chinese platform Weibo, where various hashtags such as ‘Trump backs down’ or ‘Trump conceded defeat’ were trending on Wednesday. ‘145% is really very high, and it will not stay that high,’ Trump said in the Oval Office about import tariffs on Chinese goods. In doing so, the US president more or less confirmed what his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said at an investor day at the bank JP Morgan Chase: that the current tariff bid is unsustainable, and ‘de-escalation’ is in the pipeline. According to Trump, high tariffs on Chinese goods will ‘come down significantly, but not to zero’. Between the current level and the level in early 2025 - around 20 per cent on average - there is still a huge gap.

To what extent negotiations between China and the US are already under way remains unclear, but the US intends - dixit Trump - to be ‘very nice’. However, in a reaction, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun let it be known that the US is still putting ‘extreme pressure’ on Beijing, thus jeopardising a possible agreement. According to Dorien Emmers, lecturer in Chinese studies and economics at KU Leuven, there is a clear distinction between public and political opinion in China. ‘The self-proclaimed world leader declaring China an enemy and then having to retrace his steps, that's the story that social media users now naturally feast on.’ According to her, behind the Chinese government's cool reaction is a lot of suspicion: ‘China is just trying to be very predictable in its policies, which is at odds with this chaos. Policymakers do not want to be influenced by Trump's every whim. After all, what if this friendly attitude turns out to be another temporary whim?’

Where did this U-turn suddenly come from?
The softer tone from the US ‘underlines that US tariff policy has a significant discrepancy between actual results and original goals,’ according to Chinese political scientist Bao Jianyun in the state-run Chinese daily Global Times. Earlier, according to observers, panic in bond markets was the reason why 75 countries got a ‘tariff break’ from the US. But since then, the cascade of alarm bells has not stopped. Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its economic growth forecast for 2025 most downward for the US, from 2.7 per cent to 1.8 per cent. ‘I don't know if reports and facts impress Trump that much,’ says international trade professor Glenn Rayp (UGent). Rather, he sees a shift within his entourage. ‘I suspect there are some people who have spoken heavily to him on trade policy.’

On Monday, Trump received the CEOs of Walmart, Target and Home Depot, the three largest US retail companies. These are said to have warned, according to US media, that the ripples of Trump's policies will be felt in prices as early as two weeks, and that in time even every policymaker's nightmare beckons: empty shop shelves. Calculations by the Budget Lab at Yale University show how badly the tariffs will hit an average household. With an unchanged trade flow, the loss of purchasing power runs to $4,900 by 2025. Even if the share of Chinese imports drops from 14 to 3 per cent due to the tariffs, it is $2,600. A recent CNBC poll shows that 55 per cent of the US population does not approve of Trump's economic policies; never was that proportion higher. Dissatisfaction has also grown sharply among ‘blue collar’ workers - a key constituency of the president - compared to his first term in office.

Can the calm return now?
‘Whether Trump would have said that tariffs will go up or down, the reaction of companies remains the same,’ says Kevin Verbelen, foreign trade expert at Agoria. According to him, ‘all the dust has to settle’ before the doubts disappear, and anyone with investment plans will remain on hold for the time being. A cautious hurrah mood prevailed in stock markets, but much will now depend on how China engages in dialogue, Rayp says. ‘That the US is stepping back on gas after proceeding so triumphantly may cause China to be strengthened in its stance.’ Chinese President Xi Jinping believes China has a higher economic pain threshold. ‘China has become less dependent on the US in response to trade war 1.0,’ Emmers said. The share of US exports fell from 19.2 to 14.7 per cent between 2018 and 2024 - much more sharply than in reverse. ‘But it would still hurt China to tighten the belt so sharply.’

An important role can be played by Europe, Rayp believes, in landing the dialogue. ‘There is a need for a constructive third party. Not just Europe, but a broader cluster of non-aligned countries. That is the only way to avoid this going down the wrong road again.’ https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/hij-k...rvan~bc2523d2/

[AVGWarhawk]

@Dargo

Yes, he is back tracking. He needs to. I posted a few back, this needs a scalpel were he is using a battle axe. At the very least, it has drawn attention to what China likes to do and the games played.

Also, Trumps number in the polls for the economy is dropping like a rock. Many can not weather months of stocks dropping like a rock. It appears we have 3 solid days of increased positive activity on the market.

Let's see where this goes. And yes, I still believe some major changes in the world economy are needed.

[Reece]

The Supreme Court Finally Takes On Trump



https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-l...takes-on-trump

[Buddahaid]

The new economy....