How did the U.S. arrive at its tariff figures?

[Independent thinker]

I'm not an expert on tariff policy. Apparently, neither is anyone in the regime. But as a starting point I would use a rationale based on fact, not fiction. And I would present the rationale to the American in a consistent, coherent way. Not haphazardly use a variety of rationales creating confusion.

I would order a rigorous examination of each country's trade practices, then present my conclusions to each country followed by opening negotiations on any alterations that needed to be made. My guess is the leadership of each country to be receptive to such an approach rather than having a metaphorical gun put to their heads based on a pile of horseshit.

So, you are in favor of tariffs.

 

[jc456]

View attachment 1096323

I remember the teachers in my math and physics classes in high school always asked us to show our work. So they could be sure we were using the right kinds of calculations to come to our conclusions.

Does anyone outside of the WH really believe Vietnam charges a 90% tariff for goods imported from the US? Curious market participants want to know where the number came from.

Markets have turned their sights on how U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration arrived at the figures behind the sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports declared Wednesday, which sent global financial markets tumbling and sparked concerns worldwide.
Trump and the White House shared a series of charts on social media detailing the tariff rates they say other countries impose on the U.S. Those purported rates include the countries’ “Currency Manipulation and Trade Barriers.”

An adjacent column shows the new U.S. tariff rates on each country, as well as the European Union.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/03/how-did-the-us-arrive-at-its-tariff-figures-.html

I understand the curiosity. I don't understand why some folks think understanding the regime's methodology matters. It certainly doesn't matter to trump.

The White House Wednesday listed tariff rates for different countries. It didn’t take long for market observers to try and reverse engineer the formula.

Here's the formula. We are being governed by an ignorant, angry man who likely told his staff to find a rationale for putting disastrously onerous tariffs on basically every country in the world. So they did.

Similarly, he asked his staff to go after people on his enemies list. So they did. He asked his staff to deport immigrants to an El Salvadorian prison without regard for due process. So they did. He asked his staff to indiscriminately fire government employees regardless of whether they were performing essential duties. So they did. He asked his staff to break the law in pursuit of absolute power over the government. So they did.

Observing that trump is unfit to be the prez is so quaint as to be woefully inadequate to describe the magnitude of his unfitness. He is a human wrecking ball smashing in to democratic norms, the law, civil society, the Constitution, and the economy.

Show us your work then

 

[leftwinger]

"The original sin was that we created a tax system that punished you for making something in America and rewarded you for making something in China or a foreign country.”

“So in other words, if you had your factory in America, you paid a sky-high corporate tax rate, you were beaten to death with regulation, you had radically unaffordable energy prices, and Washington, just in every way, made your life miserable.”

S. Miller.

 

[krichton]

View attachment 1096323

I remember the teachers in my math and physics classes in high school always asked us to show our work. So they could be sure we were using the right kinds of calculations to come to our conclusions.

Does anyone outside of the WH really believe Vietnam charges a 90% tariff for goods imported from the US? Curious market participants want to know where the number came from.

Markets have turned their sights on how U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration arrived at the figures behind the sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports declared Wednesday, which sent global financial markets tumbling and sparked concerns worldwide.
Trump and the White House shared a series of charts on social media detailing the tariff rates they say other countries impose on the U.S. Those purported rates include the countries’ “Currency Manipulation and Trade Barriers.”

An adjacent column shows the new U.S. tariff rates on each country, as well as the European Union.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/03/how-did-the-us-arrive-at-its-tariff-figures-.html

I understand the curiosity. I don't understand why some folks think understanding the regime's methodology matters. It certainly doesn't matter to trump.

The White House Wednesday listed tariff rates for different countries. It didn’t take long for market observers to try and reverse engineer the formula.

Here's the formula. We are being governed by an ignorant, angry man who likely told his staff to find a rationale for putting disastrously onerous tariffs on basically every country in the world. So they did.

Similarly, he asked his staff to go after people on his enemies list. So they did. He asked his staff to deport immigrants to an El Salvadorian prison without regard for due process. So they did. He asked his staff to indiscriminately fire government employees regardless of whether they were performing essential duties. So they did. He asked his staff to break the law in pursuit of absolute power over the government. So they did.

Observing that trump is unfit to be the prez is so quaint as to be woefully inadequate to describe the magnitude of his unfitness. He is a human wrecking ball smashing in to democratic norms, the law, civil society, the Constitution, and the economy.

Vietnam imposes a high tariff on automobiles, of which they don't purchase many either way. A US car in Vietnam are really only for the wealthy either way. Their other two major imports are ethanol and natural liquified gas, which there are very small tariffs on. Somethng like 5-10%. It's possible that Trump is simply adding up the percentages of each tariff and coming up with 90% so therefore Vietnam tariffs the US 90% on everything.

 

[Lesh]

View attachment 1096323

I remember the teachers in my math and physics classes in high school always asked us to show our work. So they could be sure we were using the right kinds of calculations to come to our conclusions.

Does anyone outside of the WH really believe Vietnam charges a 90% tariff for goods imported from the US? Curious market participants want to know where the number came from.

Markets have turned their sights on how U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration arrived at the figures behind the sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports declared Wednesday, which sent global financial markets tumbling and sparked concerns worldwide.
Trump and the White House shared a series of charts on social media detailing the tariff rates they say other countries impose on the U.S. Those purported rates include the countries’ “Currency Manipulation and Trade Barriers.”

An adjacent column shows the new U.S. tariff rates on each country, as well as the European Union.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/03/how-did-the-us-arrive-at-its-tariff-figures-.html

I understand the curiosity. I don't understand why some folks think understanding the regime's methodology matters. It certainly doesn't matter to trump.

The White House Wednesday listed tariff rates for different countries. It didn’t take long for market observers to try and reverse engineer the formula.

Here's the formula. We are being governed by an ignorant, angry man who likely told his staff to find a rationale for putting disastrously onerous tariffs on basically every country in the world. So they did.

Similarly, he asked his staff to go after people on his enemies list. So they did. He asked his staff to deport immigrants to an El Salvadorian prison without regard for due process. So they did. He asked his staff to indiscriminately fire government employees regardless of whether they were performing essential duties. So they did. He asked his staff to break the law in pursuit of absolute power over the government. So they did.

Observing that trump is unfit to be the prez is so quaint as to be woefully inadequate to describe the magnitude of his unfitness. He is a human wrecking ball smashing in to democratic norms, the law, civil society, the Constitution, and the economy.

This needs to be seen again

 

[krichton]

Did you not notice that virtually all of them are half the amount those countries charge us?

Let me guess, you went to public school in a blue city, right?

View attachment 1096369

I want you to prove to me that Cambodia and Vietnam are tariffing the US at a 97% and 90% rate. These are all made up numbers, so I'm not even bothering asking about the rest.

 

[Mac1958]

It didn’t take long for market observers to try and reverse engineer the formula.

It's like when a child tosses out a lie and his parents see right through it. These people thought we'd all just buy it like the rubes do.

And why did they give him that stupid goddamn board to fumble with, with the names of such microscopic countries? It was like "show and tell" time in grade school.

The world is no longer laughing at us, because they're finding out what we already knew. Only THIS time it's spreading to THEM.

 

[Lesh]

It's like when a child tosses out a lie and his parents see right through it. These people thought we'd all just buy it like the rubes do.

And why did they give him that stupid goddamn board to fumble with, with the names of such microscopic countries? It was like "show and tell" time in grade school.

The world is no longer laughing at us, because they're finding out what we already knew. Only THIS time it's spreading to THEM.

And the market took another hit yesterday

 

[Mac1958]

And the market took another hit yesterday

The bond market is crashing right now, and there's a Treasury auction coming.

Who's going to buy our debt in this environment?

 

[Lesh]

The bond market is crashing right now, and there's a Treasury auction coming.

Who's going to buy our debt in this environment?

Isn’t the bond market where you’re supposed to go when the stock market turns sour?

 

[LordBrownTrout]

Whaaaa whaaaa whaaaa

 

[Mac1958]

Isn’t the bond market where you’re supposed to go when the market turns sour?

The best "safe haven" on the planet. Especially Treasuries.

So the auctions will have to drop prices to attract buyers now, which increases the interest rates.

The countries we've been insulting, mocking and economically attacking have other bond options from which to choose.

 

[JimH52]

Dart Board

 

[candycorn]

View attachment 1096323

I remember the teachers in my math and physics classes in high school always asked us to show our work. So they could be sure we were using the right kinds of calculations to come to our conclusions.

Does anyone outside of the WH really believe Vietnam charges a 90% tariff for goods imported from the US? Curious market participants want to know where the number came from.

Markets have turned their sights on how U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration arrived at the figures behind the sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports declared Wednesday, which sent global financial markets tumbling and sparked concerns worldwide.
Trump and the White House shared a series of charts on social media detailing the tariff rates they say other countries impose on the U.S. Those purported rates include the countries’ “Currency Manipulation and Trade Barriers.”

An adjacent column shows the new U.S. tariff rates on each country, as well as the European Union.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/03/how-did-the-us-arrive-at-its-tariff-figures-.html

I understand the curiosity. I don't understand why some folks think understanding the regime's methodology matters. It certainly doesn't matter to trump.

The White House Wednesday listed tariff rates for different countries. It didn’t take long for market observers to try and reverse engineer the formula.

Here's the formula. We are being governed by an ignorant, angry man who likely told his staff to find a rationale for putting disastrously onerous tariffs on basically every country in the world. So they did.

Similarly, he asked his staff to go after people on his enemies list. So they did. He asked his staff to deport immigrants to an El Salvadorian prison without regard for due process. So they did. He asked his staff to indiscriminately fire government employees regardless of whether they were performing essential duties. So they did. He asked his staff to break the law in pursuit of absolute power over the government. So they did.

Observing that trump is unfit to be the prez is so quaint as to be woefully inadequate to describe the magnitude of his unfitness. He is a human wrecking ball smashing in to democratic norms, the law, civil society, the Constitution, and the economy.

Nobody can tell us how much more tax money we’re making off of this tax increase either. Its simple accounting...but they won’t tell us.

Which, of course, means its bad news politically for the blob and the blobettes.

 

[berg80]

So, you are in favor of tariffs.

They can be effective if used in justified, targeted ways after exhausting all other methods to achieve a negotiated settlement of a trade dispute.

 

[berg80]

Nobody can tell us how much more tax money we’re making off of this tax increase either. Its simple accounting...but they won’t tell us.

Which, of course, means its bad news politically for the blob and the blobettes.

It appears their focus is on extricating the US from this calamity before the inflationary affects of the tariffs begin the anger consumers. My guess is world leaders are watching things unfold in the US, see trump's poll numbers crashing, see how the economy here has weakened, and therefore are in no hurry to acquiesce to Dotard's demands.