As the federal government grapples
Now Trump is playing “Let’s negotiate.” Howzabout I skip the tariff on cars, ok? Yeah sure bro, howzabout I torch 90% of your house instead of all of it?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to speak to his U.S. counterpart Wednesday after the Americans launched a trade war yesterday with devastating tariffs on all Canadian goods.
A senior government official told CBC News that the call is expected sometime around midday. It’s the first time Trudeau has spoken to U.S. President Donald Trump since his administration torpedoed free trade between the two countries by imposing steep levies on imports.
The call comes as the federal government grapples with the usual chaotic situation out of Trump’s Washington with the president’s advisers suggesting at different points over the last 12 hours that there could be a compromise on tariffs only to say later that tariffs will still apply but maybe at a lower rate.
Or with a box of chocolates, or only every other month, or upside down, or in suspendies and a bra.
After U.S. stock markets plummeted once Trump slapped tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on Fox News Business Tuesday saying he’s working on a plan to “meet in the middle” on tariffs, without offering any clarity on what exactly that means.
Genius, sheer genius. “After the house burst into flames, the arsonist said he’s working on plans to put half the fire out.”
In an interview with CBC’s The National late Tuesday night, LeBlanc said Canada is “not interested in some sort of reduction of the tariffs. We want the free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico respected.”
Oh that. Well…the agreement was not our idea so we don’t have to respect it. That’s how this works, right? If you didn’t make the law or treaty or agreement, you don’t have to obey it?
In his address to Congress last night, Trump doubled down on the value of tariffs, including on allies like Canada.
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again, and it is happening and it will happen rather quickly. There will be a little disturbance, but we are OK with that,” he said.
That’s so elegant, that “rather quickly.” I just marvel at his brilliance.
Except the agreement WAS Trump’s idea. He renegotiated the trade treaty with Canada and Mexico during his first term.
“a little disturbance”. Is that what they are calling it now?
Yeah, but Trump can’t even keep his lies straight; you expect him to remember facts?
How does this happen? How do you collect tariffs on goods that get sold to other customers? How do you collect tariffs on orders that are cancelled? You collect tariffs from the American customers buying Canadian goods. It’s a surcharge paid by Americans, not Canadians. Money not spent on Canadian goods is free to be spent within the US, but it’s hardly a “Department of External Revenue.” There’s not a bucket at the border where Canadians meekly, dutifully, dump all the money from their wallets. You’re not taxing us you’re taxing Americans. How does that make America “rich” or “great”? And what does this have to do with illegal immigration, or fentanyl, which was one of the excuses you trotted out previously? Your real goal is to wreck our economy and make us beg for mercy and acceptance. Good luck with that. If you try to take us down, you’re coming with us.
Also the obvious: America was (and to a lesser extent still is) rich and by any measure pretty damn great. One of the greatest measures of wealth is the amount of debt you’re able to carry without it ruining you. I don’t recognize the country Trump is talking about.
Meanwhile the crypto pump and dump and potential for the dollar to lose its reserve currency status looms on the horizon… May not happen but I wouldn’t have been speculating about it before January.