this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2025
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what is donald trump trying to achieve again? i don't get it
I'm convinced he's trying to incite riots for martial law, and force an economic collpase so he and his cronies can buy up the bankrupt companies and assets.
In Trump's syphilitic brain, "Making America Great Again", means every other country with the exception of Russia and China, bends the knee and does what America wants, no questions asked. To him, THAT is power. He's too stupid to comprehend the concept of soft power and his diplomatic intelligence amounts only to trying to force others to be nothing more than client states.
This is just bullying tactics to try to make them do that. With the added benefit of destabilizing the west for Putin's benefit.
It's OK. He doesn't get it either.
Isolationism.
for what purpose? prices have been lower and standard of living higher than anywhere else in the world because of the trade imbalances. unemployment is low unless you're in tech. i don't understand what is meant to be achieved by any of this
Benefit Russia
According to Yanis Varoufakis, to end the tade imbalances so that the US don't lose their production capabilities
the low prices and high standard of living are due to the manufacturing being outsourced. i don't understand what the end goal of boosting production capabilities is
Wartime manufacturing capacity would be my guess. Probably an element of self sufficiency too.
Shipbuilding capacity is just a fraction of China's now for example. Same goes for electronics.
why do you need self-sufficiency when you are the defense and economic leader of the global hegemony?
To maintain that leadership.
I saw that, but surely if you wanted to protect US industrial base you’d be much more targeted about it? Unless the point is to create uncertainty and devalue the dollar that way.
i think it's possible that they want to devalue the dollar. but this all defeats everything that distinguished life in the usa from other countries
The question should be "What is putin trying to achieve again?"
Protecting interests of American businesses, possibly ideological although bribery could be involved too. Trump has been consistent on tariffs for nearly 50 years so it’s safe to assume it’s one of his few core beliefs that’s not as easily affected by his other personality issues.
American Business is modelled on importing and outsourcing. I don't understand how this protects business interests
You’re right and this disregard for the old system is making me nervous. These moves are so economically unsound that I can only draw the conclusion that the old neo-liberal business interests are not a concern anymore. If America tanks its importing and outsourcing model, what will it be replaced with? I’m not confident there’s a plan here (other than isolation and destruction).
I've been trying to figure out many of the conservative viewpoints for a long time. some of them I can steel man a little bit, but this one really confuses me a lot. it's just too stupid
Taxes make companies earn less money. Trump tries to dissuade Poland from taxing American companies using threat of tariffs. I’m not sure how to put it in easier terms.
Tariffs also lose businesses money, not sure how to make it simpler
I need you to make it less simple because you’re glossing over the details. Walk me through how tariffs on polish sausages (or whatever product/industry you think is adequate) will affect American business. This is not a symmetrical relationship between US and Poland and we don’t trade as much as most think.
The political equivalent of grade school bullying. It even has the exact same consequences for your reputation, except now it's global instead of being limited to that school building.
Defend their propaganda machine at all costs?
Thems the basics.