President Trump: Making America Great Again...

[Moliere]

Trump blinking again.

Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from new tariffs

Just further evidence of how stupid the tariffs are. Pretty soon you’ll see automobiles and automobile parts exempted…once dealers start tacking on a tariff price increase. He’ll likely also exempt steel or other goods used in oil drilling.

[myboynoah]

Just further evidence of how stupid the tariffs are. Pretty soon you’ll see automobiles and automobile parts exempted…once dealers start tacking on a tariff price increase. He’ll likely also exempt steel or other goods used in oil drilling.

Yeah, I was thinking automobiles and parts will be next. I was also thinking pharmaceuticals and OTC meds. Maybe Trump just likes all these big execs, most of whom otherwise wouldn't give him the time of day, coming to him and asking for these favors. Makes him feel powerful.

[myboynoah]

It has to do with Chinese political culture and norms. She gave an example of a mid-level official who was tasked with getting a meeting with a cabinet level US official, but the US stonewalled him because he they wanted the same level official to reach out or something. But Chinese political culture would not allow the higher official to act without the mid level guy going before him or something. I didn’t fully understand it, and I think that’s kind of my point. They have internal constraints that handcuff them in some ways we don’t realize or appreciate, and basically Xi would lose face politically if he just called Trump.

Yes, I do think Xi is constrained from reaching out first for a number of reasons beyond some kind of internal "that's not how we do things" reason. First and foremost, the Chinese public would destroy him for doing so. Also, China appears to be like Japan and Korea where the functionaries at the mid-level on both sides do the work to prepare the call and determine whatever "deliverables" can be offered. The Chinese are not going to send Xi in there unprepared and having a good idea of how the meeting will progress. That's why Trump insisting that Xi call him is not going to fly. It will be interesting to see how they work through this.

[LVAllen]

Yes, I do think Xi is constrained from reaching out first for a number of reasons beyond some kind of internal "that's not how we do things" reason. First and foremost, the Chinese public would destroy him for doing so. Also, China appears to be like Japan and Korea where the functionaries at the mid-level on both sides do the work to prepare the call and determine whatever "deliverables" can be offered. The Chinese are not going to send Xi in there unprepared and having a good idea of how the meeting will progress. That's why Trump insisting that Xi call him is not going to fly. It will be interesting to see how they work through this.

We used to be like that, too. But it requires functionaries who are capable of functioning, and that requires a bare minimum level of competence as well as the willingness of the executive to be bound by what is agreed. Neither is true in the Trump admin.

[falafel]

Yes, I do think Xi is constrained from reaching out first for a number of reasons beyond some kind of internal "that's not how we do things" reason. First and foremost, the Chinese public would destroy him for doing so. Also, China appears to be like Japan and Korea where the functionaries at the mid-level on both sides do the work to prepare the call and determine whatever "deliverables" can be offered. The Chinese are not going to send Xi in there unprepared and having a good idea of how the meeting will progress. That's why Trump insisting that Xi call him is not going to fly. It will be interesting to see how they work through this.

I think this is exactly what the podcast guest was saying.

[myboynoah]

We used to be like that, too. But it requires functionaries who are capable of functioning, and that requires a bare minimum level of competence as well as the willingness of the executive to be bound by what is agreed. Neither is true in the Trump admin.

No it isn't, but I don't think Trump wants that. Having worked under some Trump folks, the feeling is shared. They'd rather wing it than get too much preparation from the "deep" state. This time around I am sure it is even worse. Also, they are not well-served by their staffs because their staffs are more ideological than competent. That whole twitter uproar that the Hillbilly go caught in where he was stating outright lies I believe was due in part to his staff not doing their due diligence. They just gave him the story curated to MAGA specifications. Sorry folks, the rest of the world actually does research.

[Maximus]

So is donny really 220?

[LVAllen]

So is donny really 220?

I'm roughly the same height as Trump. Not the height he claims to be in tiptoes and lifts, but his actual height. My desk-riding build isn't nearly as heavy-laden, and I'm 240. He's 270 at minimum.

[myboynoah]

So did he unblink? This is hard to follow. That can't be a good thing.

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[LVAllen]

So did he unblink? This is hard to follow. That can't be a good thing.

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There is no tariffs bucket. DOGE broke the bucket.

[Northwestcoug]

Get ready to kiss Xi’s ass Trump, since he holds all the cards with rare earth metals and rare earth mangers, over 90 percent of which are mined in China. None of them are going to get exported now:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/business/china-rare-earths-exports.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

They’re important for all sorts of useful things, such as military equipment and electric motors. And hey, would you look at this important factoid:

China’s most famous factory for these magnets is operated by the JL Mag Rare-Earth Company, whose headquarters are in Ganzhou.

The factory supplies the world’s top two electric car producers, Tesla and China’s BYD, with the magnets that power their cars, rare earth industry executives said.

Nice trick when you can cut off supplies to your main competitor.
.

[Maximus]

MJG made hundreds of millions off trumps reverse and this weekend had a sign saying honk if you like insider trading. hmm

[Maximus]

they are refusing to ask for his return

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[USUC]

Congressional Republicans will have some tough decisions to make in the very near future. This level of brazen law breaking and corruption will come to a point where sitting in the fence won't work.

[RC Vikings]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/07/polit...ton/index.html

I wonder if the Red Army will be marching.