The Second Trump Presidency

It says a lot when the Republicans try to insult Democrats by accusing them of wanting to do the same things they are doing.If you want to know what Trump wants to do, just wait for him to accuse Democrats of doing something. That's what he wants to do. Trump accuses Democrats of weaponizing the government against political foes? That's exactly what Trump wants to do, and is doing right now. Trump accused Harris of wanting to crash the stock market. What does Trump do? Purposefully crashes the stock market. Trump accuses Democrats of taking away the right to free speech. What does Trump do? Punishes people for saying things he doesn't like.
The list goes on.

And Trump can UN-ISSUE that exemption anytime he wants, in response to the reactions to that exemption. He really does still hold the cards.

How about when, on his first day in office, Biden closed the Keystone XL pipeline, and throughout his entire term, blocked new oil exploration and drilling? Do you believe only billionaires paid for that, and not lower income people? When trucking invoices, and invoices from countless thousands of businesses that need 7mpg tractor trailers to ship their products have a "fuel surcharge" on them, who do you think paid those surcharges in the end? But Biden caused it, the mainstream media didn't sensationalize it, and you didn't seem to mind too much. There have also been one or more votes lately on Trump's "no taxes on tips" proposal. It seems that most Republicans voted in favor of that, while all Democrats voted against it. Do Democrats really think that only billionaires work for tips? Or do Democrats not only want to tax the rich, they want to tax EVERYBODY? You know the answer.

"most often", I'm not sure if that's actually the truth, or if it's just a Democrat opinion. But even if it's "less often" that the U.S. is being taken advantage of by it's trading partners, it becomes TOO OFTEN and is a serious problem. It's common sense that U.S. presidents over the past 100 years or more have been doormats for foreign dictators. It STOPPED on January 20th, 2025. It only makes sense that it's going to be a jolt to the world economy for a while. Unlike Biden's war on oil, it's temporary.

It's always amazing to me how Democrats constantly imply that the "rich", the top one percent, belong to this enormous social club, where they all know and love each other, and are all taking care of each other as they scheme to figure out ways to exempt themselves from taxes. The fact is that the rich don't give a rat's rear end about each other one bit more than the poor care about each other. The "rich" and the "productive" are usually one and the same. One of the many problems that the productive has, (unlike the poor) is that they have to fend off the many well organized businesses, and government agencies, who exist only to relieve them of as much of their money as possible. They create jobs and take risks. There really is a lot of common sense to every tax break they get.

The left, the news media, has been very successful in implying that Trump imposes tariffs, then reverses them etc, because he's flailing, he realizes a mistake and then reverses it. He's actually assertively imposing tariffs, then taking note of how other countries leaders react to them. Or how his advisors react to them. Then adjusting them accordingly. 70 or more countries, who weren't interested in any negotiations, became suddenly interested in meeting with Trump once he imposed tariffs on them. (kissing his ass - Trump's sophisticated, scientific analyzation of it) It could take a while for them to realize that they're no longer dealing with the doormat presidents that they've been used to dealing with for many decades. He puts time limits on his tariff reversals, gives the other countries time to think, and if they don't get closer to a deal Trump wants, the time limit expires. It's called "the art of the deal". I've never read that book, but I do know that's how negotiations work. They take time. I can't do much with that paywall. But I do know that the usually conservative WSJ tends to break with Trump / Republicans when its business-as-usual predictability is interrupted.

Yes I know, you and Bernie Sanders are Independents. But only those on the right understand that Trump's intent is for those tariffs to be temporary. Yes, my post then drifts into COMPARISONS. Tons of sensationalism about who pays for tariffs, and crickets chirping four years ago about who paid for Biden's war on oil. Trump's tariffs are intended to be temporary, Biden's oil restrictions were intended to be permanent. Trump is constantly called a wannabe dictator. Biden's oil restriction COMMANDS were more dictator like than Trump's evolving tariff rules. Did Biden reverse his oil restrictions when he saw inflation go thru the roof because of them? No, he started draining the U.S. oil reserves! As serious as Trump's "stunning reversals" of tariffs? No speculation in the mainstream media, no reports.Comparisons are important. Mainstream media bias is important. Trump is now suing CBS for its blatant lies on a recent "60 minutes" broadcast. Most U.S. voters won't hear a thing about it.

that would be because it's not true.

Sure he can and he'll get the same result - crash the bond market which will wreck the US economy and he'll have to retreat again.It's like playing bridge with a child who doesn't know the rules of the game. He puts what he thinks is his best cards down but keeps getting Trumped.

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This is a good illustration of our dysfunctional national dialogue. I have never agreed 100% with the guy I've voted for, and never 100% against his opponent. I can support some of my guy's things, and oppose others. Not supporting a candidate because of the 5% you disagree with is almost always self-defeating.

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Indeed your response does illustrate dysfunction. First - while the second quote is apposite it was still said on a different issue - and it illustrates the problem. Whether you supported Trump’s power grabs or not - you still voted for Trump even knowing what was likely to happen.

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It can be the honest-discussion - thoughtful-compromise way.

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I don’t see that praising the better parts of RFK jr’s policies while completely ignoring the bad can be seen as “honest-discussion thoughtfull-compromise” at all.

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And Trump can UN-ISSUE that exemption anytime he wants, in response to the reactions to that exemption. He really does still hold the cards.

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Because the fact that a damaging concession might be only temprorary somehow means that is isn’t a damaging concession? Really?

Temporary tariffs can't bring back manufacturing because it is only those tariffs that can make up for the difference in labor costs. Without tariffs, low value add US manufacturing goods will always cost more than foreign goods because labor costs are a significant portion of the cost for low value add goods. This is why any manufacturing in the US needs to be high value add because labor makes up a much smaller portion of the cost. This also means we need to import intermediate goods which are currently being taxed. What are you on about? When Biden restricted offshore oil drilling we were the world's leading oil producer. We were producing more oil than we consumed. What price are you claiming we paid, and by whom? Wow, you are the perfect example of how gaslighting can be successful. Trump is threatening to take away the licenses of news organizations that disagree with him, and this is somehow comparable to Biden restricting where oil drilling can be done?

You just described why Trump is flailing. Tariffs are meant to be a part of an overall economic policy, not as a gambit to make other people squirm.Also, Trump reversed most of the last round of tariffs because the bond market was cratering. Inside Trump’s tariff retreat: How fears of a bond market catastrophe convinced Trump to hit the pause buttonThere is also no consistent position on tariffs. Some in the administration are claiming the tariffs are here to stay. Others are saying they are temporary. So what are investors supposed to do? Are they supposed to invest in new factories with the guarantee of protection through tariffs, or are those tariffs going to disappear tomorrow, next week, nor next month? It is this uncertainty that is causing havoc.

Then you support shifting the tax burden from the rich to the poor. This is certainly something Democrats will be campaigning on.

I see the Orange Idiot is now trying to destroy your Universities. I'd say a new low, but really, it's just a new day, tomorrow will bring more and lower.Harvard vs Trump is going to be very ugly.