How are Trump's tariffs going.

[80zephyr]

Virtually anything could be "a matter of national security" if the logic is stretched far enough.

But by itself, no.

In those instances where national security becomes an issue, those issues can be addressed leveraging collaboration and innovation, without resorting to simplistic, punitive caveman approaches that create global chaos and resentment. Intelligent, professional, mature relationships matter.

This entire insane tariff fiasco could have been completed behind closed doors, and not as splashy reality teevee.

When we can't make stuff we need, it is a matter of national security. We have been treading water for at least 50 years. I don't believe you have a solution.

 

[Mac1958]

When we can't make stuff we need, it is a matter of national security. We have been treading water for at least 50 years. I don't believe you have a solution.

I don't care what you believe.

 

[Darlo kittu]

Hmm

So far inflation is going down. The economy grew over 4%. The stock market is doing well. Trump tax cuts will fuel the economy this year

All the doom and gloom oozing from left has not happened much to the dismay of the left

 

[Lesh]

When we make stuff that’s manufactured overseas more expensive, it’s pretty stupid when we’re not going to be making them here unless they get HUGELY more expensive

And now Trump is talking about using tariffs to twist arms on the Greenland nonsense

Is that what tariffs are supposed to be for?

 

[candycorn]

The companies have done what I predicted at the beginning of this: They have a finite number of ways to deal with the increased costs of the tariffs. One of the quickest and easiest ways is to lay people off and freeze hiring. Check, that's what they're doing.

Another thing they can do is engage in "tariff engineering" and "shrinkflation", reducing sizes and portions and quality but charging the same amount: Companies strip features, shrink products and swap materials as ‘tariff engineering’ costs hit consumers

Even though Trump is still somehow claiming that other countries are paying the tariffs, the fact is that American companies are paying them and keeping prices down (somewhat) only by reducing jobs and value to consumers.

Trump is lying and the Trumpsters remain arrogantly ignorant. It's exasperating, but it's all just par for the course. America, 2026 -- The Dunning-Kruger Effect writ large.

They also import less. It used to cost $1 to import one widget. Now that it costs $2, they don’t spend more money on imports...they just import fewer widgets. This is why it takes weeks to get stuff now. The next tme we have an problem in our supply chain due to natural disaster or pandemic, you’re going to miss the comparatively short lines we had outside of Wal Mart during Covid.

Importing less--on a transactional basis--also keeps the price high since there are fewer goods for things like fresh vegetables and what have you.

 

[DennisPTate]

Don't care. Manufacturing is a matter of national security and we have to do what we can to bring it back.

You are absolute correct! The statistics given in the documentary "Death By China" had to be reversed.

 

[Mac1958]

When we make stuff that’s manufactured overseas more expensive, it’s pretty stupid when we’re not going to be making them here unless they get HUGELY more expensive

And now Trump is talking about using tariffs to twist arms on the Greenland nonsense

Is that what tariffs are supposed to be for?

He'll use any available tool to threaten, punish and intimidate.

In any situation, any tool. That's all he knows.

 

[80zephyr]

I don't care what you believe.

Then why are we talking?

 

[Mac1958]

They also import less. It used to cost $1 to import one widget. Now that it costs $2, they don’t spend more money on imports...they just import fewer widgets. This is why it takes weeks to get stuff now. The next tme we have an problem in our supply chain due to natural disaster or pandemic, you’re going to miss the comparatively short lines we had outside of Wal Mart during Covid.

Importing less--on a transactional basis--also keeps the price high since there are fewer goods for things like fresh vegetables and what have you.

Yes, that's another one of their options. There are only so many moving parts to this. So far, American companies have done a very good job of cost-shifting. But there's a limit to that, too, on top of lost jobs.

 

[Lesh]

Hmm

So far inflation is going down. The economy grew over 4%. The stock market is doing well. Trump tax cuts will fuel the economy this year

All the doom and gloom oozing from left has not happened much to the dismay of the left

A.Signals are mixed at best

B. We can no longer trust the numbers coming from the Admin

The US economy under Donald Trump

We are monitoring the American economy under Mr Trump. Keep tabs on these with our daily tracker

www.economist.com

 

[Hollie]

How are Trump's tariffs going? The purpose was to reduce the trade deficit and bring jobs back to the USA.
In 2025 the US lost 49,000 manufacturing jobs and our trade deficit was up.
The tariffs should reduce China's sales to the USA and reduce their trade surplus. Just the opposite happened. The Chinese trade surplus was up substantially in 2025. The growth came from China increasing their trade with countries other than the USA.

U.S. Trade Deficit Up, Manufacturing Jobs Down by 49,000, Other Manufacturing Growth Measures Mixed in First Nine Months of 2025 - U.S. Trade Deficit Up, Manufacturing Jobs Down by 49,000, Other Manufacturing Growth Measures Mixed in First Nine Month

Rethink Trade today published an infographic webpage compiling trade and manufacturing data that show in the first nine months of his second term, President Trump’s actions on trade have not accomplished his promises to quickly balance trade and revitalize U.S. manufacturing.

www.economicliberties.us

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-trade-ends-2025-with-record-trillion-dollar-surplus-despite-trump-tariffs-2026-01-14/

From the “about” section of the economicliberties blog you cut and pasted from,
“The American Economic Liberties Project launched in February 2020 to help translate the intellectual victories of the anti-monopoly movement into momentum towards concrete, wide-ranging policy changes that begin to address today’s crisis of concentrated economic power.

As concern over concentrated economic power has broadened beyond the community of antitrust reformers, Economic Liberties has quickly grown into a hub for organizing a diverse set of leading policy experts and advocates in areas impacted by concentrated power, ranging from community development to national security to entrepreneurship”

Reads like a bunch of activist nobodies. Who are the “leading policy experts and advocates” claimed to be a part of their club?

 

[candycorn]

Yes, that's another one of their options. There are only so many moving parts to this. So far, American companies have done a very good job of cost-shifting. But there's a limit to that, too, on top of lost jobs.

If you say so...

Oranges are like a dollar each. An oil change is up around $50 at Wal Mart, etc...

It doesn’t affect me since I don’t have kids but I understand that school uniforms are up like 300%...almost none of them were made in America because of their nature of being fashionless and only sell during certain parts of the year.

 

[Lesh]

If you say so...

Oranges are like a dollar each. An oil change is up around $50 at Wal Mart, etc...

It doesn’t affect me since I don’t have kids but I understand that school uniforms are up like 300%...almost none of them were made in America because of their nature of being fashionless and only sell during certain parts of the year.

Putting tariffs on shit we”ll never make

MAGA

 

[Darlo kittu]

A.Signals are mixed at best

B. We can no longer trust the numbers coming from the Admin

The US economy under Donald Trump

We are monitoring the American economy under Mr Trump. Keep tabs on these with our daily tracker

www.economist.com

So if any good news goes against your agenda, ignore it

 

[Hollie]

A.Signals are mixed at best

B. We can no longer trust the numbers coming from the Admin

The US economy under Donald Trump

We are monitoring the American economy under Mr Trump. Keep tabs on these with our daily tracker

www.economist.com

A & B, We cannot trust leftist self loathing types to be honest or hold any sense of integrity when you were flailing your Pom Poms when ole’ Stumblebum pushed inflation to 40 year highs.

 

[Lesh]

A & B, We cannot trust leftist self loathing types to be honest or hold any sense of integrity when you were flailing your Pom Poms when ole’ Stumblebum pushed inflation to 40 year highs.

lol. Ya hadda say something eh?

No matter how stupid…

 

[Mac1958]

If you say so...

Oranges are like a dollar each. An oil change is up around $50 at Wal Mart, etc...

It doesn’t affect me since I don’t have kids but I understand that school uniforms are up like 300%...almost none of them were made in America because of their nature of being fashionless and only sell during certain parts of the year.

Some companies are in a far better position to hide costs than others, particularly those that operate at scale. Wal Mart has seen price increases, but their sheer size and influence at the wholesale level have mitigated that. Small and mid-sized companies that depend on imports? They could be fucked. So it just depends on who is doing the importing.

 

[Hollie]

So if any good news goes against your agenda, ignore it

Self loathing leftists like Lush want doom and gloom. They want the US to be hobbled because that appeals to their self hatreds and debilitating leftist politico- religious ideology.

 

[Hollie]

lol. Ya hadda say something eh?

No matter how stupid…

Your usual, pointless, retreat to babbling nonsense. Poor, Lush.

 

[Darlo kittu]

Self loathing leftists like Lush want doom and gloom. They want the US to be hobbled because that appeals to their self hatreds and debilitating leftist politico- religious ideology.

I wonder if the Trump haters will KEEP their tax cuts?

Unless they live in blue states which talk affordability but only want their money