6mo ago

Donald Trump tells Canada to become a state to avoid his tariffs

www.huffpost.com

Donald Trump Tells Canada To Become A State To Avoid His Tariffs

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/24657192

Summary
In a virtual speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump suggested Canada could become a U.S. state to avoid his proposed tariffs on imports.
The remark elicited gasps from the audience.
Trump claimed the U.S. does not need Canadian lumber, energy, or vehicles, vastly overstating the trade deficit between the two nations.
He reiterated his intention to impose tariffs, potentially as high as 25%, on imports from Canada and Mexico starting February 1.
Economists warn such tariffs would raise prices for U.S. consumers.

World News @beehaw.org

schizoidman @lemm.ee

6mo ago

Donald Trump tells Canada to become a state to avoid his tariffs

www.huffpost.com /entry/donald-trump-canada-state-tariffs_n_6792a43ae4b0067621f83c9a

World News @lemmy.world

MicroWave @lemmy.world

6mo ago

Donald Trump tells Canada to become a state to avoid his tariffs

www.huffpost.com /entry/donald-trump-canada-state-tariffs_n_6792a43ae4b0067621f83c9a

135 comments

As a Canadian, fuck you Trump. Canada will never be a US state. Not sorry.
- If it goes down I'm just gonna scoot up north and fight on your side for Canadian citizenship.
  
  That's a really good idea! I'm about 5-8 hours from the Canadian boarder but I will not fight for a fascist country. I'll either join the other side or join a resistance here.
  
  I wonder how many would lol
- The amount of Americans visiting Australia who assume people here would want to live in America instead given the option was astounding to me.
  
  Just the coffee quality is enough reason not to. 🤣
- As they say in Canada, they're not having Nunavut these hosers, eh ?
- Its truedeau. (Its a pun)
- It's bad enough being one of those states now, and I'm in one of the good ones.
Trump seems to have the goal of destroying the US from all I can tell. Our economy and power are so dependent on our connections to the rest of the world and he is burning them all down. The US dollar gets replaced as the fiat currency we are wholly fucked and this dumb shit is how that happens.
- Somehow, even with conservatives owning all the branches of government, it will be the Dem's fault.
  
  LGBTQ+ and immigrant fear can convince conservatives of about anything.
  
  If Trump is serious about this it will be bipartisan by 2028 just like all the 2016 Trump policies that were bipartisan by 2020
  
  Lol that’s just the narrative they need to fundraise another loss in the 2028 election.
  
  So what are the Dems doing to prevent any of this?
  
  And they'll even say sorry for it because they consider it "impolite" and "not done" to talk back to the sitting government or some shit.
- Who needs dollars when you have $TRUMP meme coins?
  
  Fair. I was just thinking what the monetary system really needed was to be more obscure, cartoonish, energy intensive and unstable.
  
  Now backed by your social security! Thanks Obama
  
  Bitcoin is a form of electronic token, so $TRUMPET
- Inshallah
- let's go comrade trump
  
  If America is forced to accept austerity measures over our massive debt when the dollar is no longer fiat, regular people will be the ones who suffer sadly.
- When Dollar is replaced as the reserve currency, America's imports will shrink and there may be inflation. But it won't result it in defaulting on its domestic currency.
  Any austerity on the US will be self-inflicted (as it is in the UK and Europe). The unwillingness of the US Government to take over the economy from the parasites will make things much worse.
- Stop, I can only get so erect.
- Nice
- And the last gasp of our conservatives as the final pillar of the whitehouse collapses into a flaming wreck due to Trumps ridiculous toddler-like mismanagement of everything will be to blame it all on the Democrats.
- He is preparing a firesale for the super rich...
- That's the point, I think, as well. I could see Putin using the useful idiot to destroy the primary rival to its superiority. The US is incredibly difficult to invade. The intelligence apparatus is too ingrained in all our communication to avoid detection. If you can't get the rot to start from the outside, go for the inside.
  
  Damn these Russians making the US into warmongers. After all, stealing land is a completely foreign concept in America
  
  This is peak BlueAnon/Marvel Cinematic Delusion, where Putin is a supervillain with a global mind control network.
Trump is going to speedrun all our ~~vassals~~ allies into joining BRICS, and I’m here for it.
Us citizens pay tariff this doesn't hurt Canadians. They should call bluff and say do 30%.
- It potentially reduces exports from Canada to the US, hurting our economy. Nobody wins
  
  Canada imports more from USA than it exports to USA. A trade war that decreases exports would hurt USA more than Canada.
  The largest exports from USA to Canada are cars and trucks. (Finished products) The largest exports from Canada to USA are minerals, fuels and pulp. (Raw material)
  This puts USA at a disadvantage in a tariff game, because it's a lot easier for Canada to replace American cars with Asian or European cars, than it is for USA to replace the variety of ressources that Canada provides
  It's also a lot easier for Canada to find other customers for raw materials than it is to sell American cars on other continents.
- Actually tariffs will hurt Canadians deeply. Why? Because it means that Americans will lean towards not buying products made in (or partially made in) Canada. Plus, Canada would certainly reciprocate meaning the price of everything is going to go up in Canada. It's not a good situation and our government needed to be spending the past 10 - 20 years developing stronger trade relations with other countries but instead we amplified our relationship with what is clearly a very unreliable and untrustworthy neighbour.
  
  Basically sums up how half America feels about its country.
  
  They're already gonna hurt cause homes aren't gonna make themselves, and we're deporting our construction crews...
- We have a lot of resources. Ya our shit will get more expensive, but he's gonna fuck his own country doing this. Canada will survive.
- My understanding is that tariffs in general can apply to both imports and exports, on either side.
  
  Well according to wiki you are right. I was on ever taught tax on imports in school. Taxing exports only works of there is one possible vendor and if there is not then the competition will just has to charge slightly less while expanding production.
  Imagine if China , EU, and or japan be like here is 10% discount. Or better yet Trade alliance among countries who Trump charges on exports would be hillarious.
- Canada will absorb most of the extra cost if we want to sell product to the US.
  
  Will it though. Seems like Mexico will build the wall talk.
rip you guys are gonna get couped
imperialism is manifesting itself in the imperial core
- imperialism is manifesting itself in the imperial core
  Sounds familiar
  
  Hey, I've seen this one before!
  
  Insert Césaire quote on fascism
- rip you guys are gonna get couped
  Seems to me we got couped. It was just mostly domestically bloodless. So far.
- Canada is one of the few countries that has actually defeated the USA. They even burned the white house.
  
  No, that was the British during the war of 1812.
  
  American here: honestly would not mind if Canada came and did that again at this point. Please help us get the Nazis out of the White House.
- Don't act like Canada hasn't been seeing it's own share of right wing extremists making their way into government.
  
  Yeah no need for a coup really. Without a revolution Canada is gonna be part of this new axis on its own.
- They did that once to Australia.
  
  They did that to halve of this world, just not to that many western countries.
  
  yeah they got couped
- Do you really think it's likely this will happen? I think hell just start throwing a tantrum and maybe symbolically apply some tariffs.
  
  Yes it is likely. Canada can’t afford to resist. Canada is highly dependent on trade with the US.
  Just because I think it is likely doesn’t mean that I think it’s right. This is clearly wrong.
Dear Trump:
Why people keep listening to what that being says? Just respond to his actions, anthing else is useless...
- I somewhat agree with your point but after years of him saying he would do fucked up shit and then him doing a lot of it, it helps to be prepared for his intentions as they manifest into actions in many cases.
  
  My point goes mostly to international leaders or representative people that over-react to his words and then the media look to amplify it by doing it a “new”: part of his strategy is this shit bombing upon saturation, so it buffers a space of allowance of shit actions in the public opinion that otherwise would have suffered of even more rejection if done without this probing, confusing and dragging resources in the meantime to attend this… which in the end will not matter how are they answered, prevented or reacted, he will push anyway in that direction, so I would give zero weight to all that diarrhea, shit will come willing it or not since he has the power to do it, accepting any kind of conversation with someone like that is playing a rigged game and lose terrain… why accept his ability to an exchange of opinion in the first place? why respond/listen to him? He behaves like the strongest bully, the corresponding treatment is required… join on isolating him, he will not make it easy though. This is my opinion…
There is no actual fentanyl or immigration basis for tariffs on Canada. Just submit to less representation than California, and help absorb large US debt with little in return for it.
- There's no basis for tariffs on Mexico either.
  
  Really there is no basis for any tariffs, the richest nation in the world putting tariffs on other nations products because they can't keep up is embarrassing.
American anschluss of Canada to expand their lebensraum, because they feel they deserve it.
Musk does not hide how he feels about it, we wouldn't either.
Canada is avoiding Trump's tariffs by not becoming a state.
They are not paying the tariffs, american people do. So by joining the US they would start paying all the tariffs that Trump is putting on China's products, European products ....
- Why do people think that happens? It does not happen. 90% of the tariffs will be absorbed by Canadian companies trying to keep up sales to the US because there's nowhere else to go, and even if they sell elsewhere, it'll be discounted that much to other countries because of the general laws of supply and demand.
  The only way, and it's one that we have nothing in place to effect, is to mark prices as of the tariff date and to enact an export tariff for the amount of the sale under the price set point. That would highly discourage discounting sales and pretty much just cut them off since, in the case of products made or produced in the US, it would be competing with local products at 125% of the local price.
  
  The importer, not the exporter pays tariffs. Aka Canada pays nothing, things made in Canada have an extra tax attached to them when they cross the boarder into the us, paid by Walmart or whomever ordered the goods
  
  No, that's called "dumping" and is against compliance of WTO rules, which would then allow the importing country to raise more taxes as anti-dumping measures.
  This is from a US Gov website explaining what that is
  https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/adcvd/antidumping-and-countervailing-duties-adcvd-frequently-asked-questions
Is the US so attractive that countries are lining up to join? 🤔🇺🇸
- Come for our healthcare! Stay cause you died.
Do you think he wanted to do this last time but ousted everyone who told him that's fucking psychotically stupid?
What about the provinces within Canada? Are they gonna all merge to become one US megastate?
- All I know is that Quebec would never allow that
- All hail GiGa Montana
  
  Finally, Hannah Montana!
How about trump can suck my left nut. There, I said it.
Canada’s economy is dependent on the US. Trump might actually pull this off.
Edit: More context since people are downvoting. Consider the following now picture yourself one of the greedy capitalists in Canada, which is a preferred outcome? Losing your wealth or losing Canadian sovereignty?
Just because I think it is likely doesn’t mean that I think it’s right. This is clearly wrong.
- Canada is also America's largest trading partner.
  America had $357 billion dollars worth of imports from Canada in 2023, if they introduce a 25% tarriff Americans will pay $446 billion instead because it's not like you'll get all that stuff anywhere else for cheaper since America is going to put tariffs on practically every other country they trade with apparently.
  Corporations spend billions on the current infrastructure and trade routes and logistics, they will not uproot everything and go through the pains of firing everyone then moving to America and retraining because of a short term loss. American administrations are fickle, many of them will simply wait out the 4 years hoping it will return to normal then. If it doesn't then maybe they might consider it then but for the next 4 years Americans are going to be paying a shitload more for anything that's not made in America.
  American businesses will also find it a lot more difficult to sell their products out of the country when those countries retaliate with tarriffs against them.
- Canada's oligarchs like the fact that only Israel and US is allowed to compete with them, and elections are cheaper to buy. A single state makes them lose power. Population understands only negatives from US, and also would not vote for Trump.
  Unfortunately for Canadians, they are still programmed to side with US over China and Russia, and that programming makes it a blasphemy to seek independence that would also protect them from the US. As long as Canada's position is to beg to restore its fully subservient colonial status, then the Trump extortion will continue.
  One goal that Musk would have behind this is that it can destroy the big 3 automakers.
- Not likely.
  
  Likely doesn’t mean inevitable. I am the pessimistic type, so there’s that. I hope that I am proven wrong.
Just. You know....
become a state.
Canada is already a state... a SOVEREIGN state.
If'n he can point to it on a map
Alberta will be happy to hear that
He's about to fuck around and find out...
- He is about to fuck around and America is about to find out...
I mean honestly, he's just a giant douche canoe that accurately reflects the level of intelligence and emotional maturity that the most of his fucking deplorable Nazi base is. There's nothing he's here said that isn't what his moronic base says on a daily basis and is more or less a accurate representation of America and Americans by large.
America is a nation of idiots.
I want to see Canada put out an open offer for immediate welcome, territoriship, and instant citizenship for any state along the border that votes to join Canada.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=VbxgYlcNxE8
Democracy is demagogue-prone. That’s a disease to which electoral systems are vulnerable. Yet demagogues are easy to identify. They gesture a lot and speak with pulpit rhythms, using words that ring of religious fervor and god-fearing sincerity.
The practice can always be detected by anyone who learns the signs: Repetition. Great attempts to keep your attention on words. You must pay no attention to words. Watch what the person does. That way you learn the motives.
They create a system where most people are dissatisfied, vaguely or deeply. This builds up widespread feelings of vindictive anger. Then they supply targets for that anger as they need them—as distraction. Don't give time to question.
They bury mistakes in more laws. Traffic in illusion. Bullring tactics. Wave the pretty cape. People will charge it and be confused when there's no matador behind the thing. That dulls the electorate just as it dulls the bull.
Fewer people use their vote intelligently next time.
There appears to be a rule of nature that says it's almost impossible for self-serving groups to act enlightened, flowing with the forces of life, adjusting your actions that life may continue. With the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number, of course.
The risks of democracy and how to prevent them paraphrased from Dune.
Apparent everywhere, Trump is just one in this path of centuries.
Focus on actions, not promises, and unite against inequality and division. Systems should be simple, transparent, and work for everyone, not just the wealthy or powerful. Educating and organizing workers, holding leaders accountable, and building solidarity across all groups are essential for achieving fairness. Lasting change comes from addressing root causes, not chasing temporary fixes.
Maybe the next century will show results somewhere.
Oh, boy, what you've got going on looks like so much fun, how could we want to miss out?
I personally think this is bravado to negotiate something more realistic, although if he really wanted to it's unlikely Canada would resist.
<sigh>
Four more years of this shit. But oh well, it's worth it if it spared a few people of superior moral integrity from compromising their principles to vote for Harris when she didn't measure up to their requirements and the Democrats didn't run a good enough campaign and besides it was kind of cold that day and it would have meant putting on pants.
- Why are you okay with your fellow Americans being unrepresented in the voting booth?
  Are you working to replace First past the post voting in your state? People should be free to vote for those they deem best, while still counting their vote against those they don't want in office.
  We don't need to wait for a miracle from congress. How we vote us controlled at the state level. Alaska has already done away with FPTP voting. Alaskan Republicans were so upset that Ranked Choice voting kept Sarah Palin out of office they offered up a referendum to go back to FPTP voting. The people of Alaska voted to keep it
  Why do you want to use the same voting system republicans prefer? Do you support democracy? Or do you get off on telling people how to vote?
  
  That is a huge leap of logic from the parent comment. They sarcastically said how happy they were that some people got the satisfaction of staying home and not voting, and you took that to mean they don't support democracy?
  I'm Canadian, and Justin Trudeau, our current (for a few more weeks) Prime Minister, campaigned in 2015 that it would be Canada's last election with FPTP. They put a committee together that made some recommendations, but the government untimately ignored those recommendations, said it was too hard, and nothing changed. (Yes, that's an incredibly simplistic take, don't @ me).
  FPTP benefits them. The Liberals won a majority of seats with only 40% of the popular vote. Large parties tend to benefit from FPTP because it discourages minority and fringe votes. So while I'm sure you're right that the Republicans prefer FPTP, I'd bet a shiny Canadian dollar (or about 0.69USD) that the Democrats also prefer FPTP.
  
  Feel free to express (and explain) your opinion that some people are unrepresented, but why are you okay with pretending that's my opinion and asking me to defend it? Millions of people who voted for Biden in 2020 refused to vote at all in 2024 because the Democratic Party hadn't given them a candidate they liked. More than enough to defeat Trump, but that wasn't important enough for them to step off their moral high ground, and now here we are.
- I think it comes to to a lot more than that, bud. I don't agree with the 13 million that didn't vote but I understand their frustration.
  
  I shared their frustration myself, but I realized stopping Trump was more important in the long run. Too bad not enough others did - he hardly won any states by more than 200k.

135 comments