Trump pours kerosene on the global trade wars

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico has pushed his administration to the brink of an all-out trade war with three of the nation’s largest trading partners.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced Thursday morning that the U.S. would be ending the temporary exemptions that had been granted to the three countries for steel and aluminum imports. With the exemptions lifted, those imports will face tariffs of 25 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The move drew withering criticism from congressional Republicans, business groups and U.S. allies, who had all tried to push the president onto another path.

But true to form, Trump defied U.S. allies in favor of the “America First” agenda he had promised as a candidate.

Trump has downplayed the danger of a trade war, calling such conflicts “easy to win.” That theory will now be put to the test, with the three countries now moving to inflict maximum pain on parts of the American economy.

Canada, Mexico and the EU all announced a series of retaliatory measures following the Trump administration’s decision.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa would impose upward of $12.8 billion in tariffs starting July 1 on U.S. steel, aluminum and a range of other American products.

U.S. steel components will be taxed at 25 percent, while other goods, including aluminum, toilet paper, whisky and orange juice, will see tariffs of 10 percent. The tariffs will remain in place until the United States drops its duties.

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/390167-trump-pours-kerosene-on-the-global-trade-wars?userid=229233

[dalton99a]

1. His malevolence is only matched by his stupidity

[smirkymonkey]

2. I believe it is surpassed by his stupidity.

How on earth did we get here? I still feel like I am living in a bad dream.

[Botany]

3. The man is a Russian agent working to bring down America

n/t

[pdxflyboy]

4. Botany, you said it perfectly.

[dalton99a]

5. There is no doubt.

[Grammy23]

6. I am not so sure his followers will ever believe it.

It just sickens me that he does things every day that would have brought down any other person in the office. And yet the Congress sits on its hands because the Democrats do not have the votes to do anything about him. Many of the Republicans are in on the heist up to the eyeballs. They are fleeing the ship hoping to escape punishment for their part in it.

The 30 something percent that still love him and would follow him to the gates of hell will not ever believe it even if he stood on the steps of the Capitol and admitted every crooked thing he has ever done. And that is terrifying. I think we are on the verge of a major crisis in this country. Hoping we live through it.

[ooky]

7. I think we are already in the major crisis just because he's there and doing whatever he wants,

unchecked by anyone, and we are helpless to stop much of any of it, and seeing it worsen by the day. What's left now is how much worse it is actually going to get, for who and what we will have to live through, and how long. Its getting scarier by the day as he awakes and decides which of his scorched earth policies he's going to unleash on the commoners next. There doesn't seem to be anything to put the brakes on him outside of a major heart attack or stroke to drop him in his tracks. He's a monster out of control and the only people (Republicans) who can stop him won't because they are getting money.

[Grammy23]

12. I agree. What I should have said is

We are in the midst of a crisis. Not doubting for a second that the crisis will get worse the longer it goes unchecked and unaddressed.

I am just very weary of feeling helpless and powerless to do anything other than voting to make it stop. It actually makes it worse to know there are people we should be able to rely on to rid us of the Orange Menace and anyone else associated with him but they are doing nothing. Nothing!

It bothers me that our only recourse at this time is to pin our hopes on an election that is still months away and is not guaranteed to be honest and fair. The damage done by tRump (and his appointees) in one day or a week is frightening and almost unstoppable at this point.

So yea. I should have said we are in a full blown, call out the guards, dial 911, melt down crisis. Now what?? 😳

[ooky]

13. The "now what" is the left has to collectively embrace that defeating HIM is the priority for all of

us, for now, that we are in a crisis, now, and that we will remain in that crisis unless we unite ourselves against HIM; and, we do that by supporting ALL democrats in all U.S. congressional races across the country with the most electable candidates we can place in each region, regardless of how moderate or extreme that candidate may be. No more not voting if a democratic candidate isn't our personal choice or doesn't hit all the points on our personal checklists. Electable democrat candidates in blue districts. Electable democrat candidates in red districts. Everybody on the left voting, together, for democrat's candidates in the general election is the only path I see to start turning this crisis around. I'd like to hope other things will happen to bail us out, such as Republicans turning on him, or impeaching him, or his own voters turning on him because he hasn't kept his promises to them. I'm not seeing any of that. It appears to me his idiotic voters don't care if he hasn't kept his promises. They just want an old white male Republican who will kiss Trump's ass. We need record voter turnout and unity with a sense of urgency about the state of our union. Have to get the word out to anyone who has ever voted blue how important this election is.

[CakeGrrl]

8. His followers will NOT ever believe it. They need to be outnumbered at the polls.

People can't pin all their hopes on Mueller and the SDNY.

They need to vote Dems at all levels of state and Federal government and take at least one chamber of Congress from the GOP.

[sprinkleeninow]

9. It's pretty much the only plausible deduction.

[Scurrilous]

10. ...

[jambo101]

11. basically we can look forward

to higher prices on everything and i wouldnt be surprised if jobs were lost as a consequence.