5mo ago

Trump warns Americans that tariffs may cause ‘pain’– US politics live

www.theguardian.com

US politics live: Trump warns Americans that tariffs may cause ‘pain’ – as it happened

Donald Trump has said that Americans may feel economic “pain” from his tariffs on key trading partners.

“Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe (and maybe not!)” Trump wrote on Sunday in all capital letters on his Truth social media platform, a day after signing off on tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.

“But we will Make America Great Again, and it will all be worth the price that must be paid,” he added.

84 comments

- ← Petition to start calling Trump “Lord Farquaad” starts here.
  
  I think we can just go with fuckwad at this point. No need to obscure any more.
  
  President Musk needs to rein in VP Farquaad
- Ouch
Meanwhile, huge swaths of the poor stand up and cheer.
- Amazingly, also many latinos voted for Trump. I wonder how they’re feeling these days.
  
  Well remember, a lot of Latines are white or at least have passing complexion. They're gonna be fine for now.
  
  Several are getting their faces eaten.
  Exhibit A
  Exhibit B
How will it be worth the price?
What exactly is the problem that applying tariffs to Canadian goods will solve?
Oh right, nothing. Fucking orange moron.
- it weakens solidarity between two powerful NATO allies
  
  Putin:
- First - Theoretically, his larger actions with tariffs could lead to lower federal taxes or get rid of them entirely. This essentially becomes a tax for being poor.
  Second - Tariffs, when implemented properly, are supposed to strengthen American businesses. The problem is the US doesn't really have the ability to compete with foreign manufacturing - especially now that we're deporting our near-slave labor.
  What exactly is the problem that applying tariffs to Canadian goods will solve?
  "illegal immigration and drugs" (I don't get it either) https://www.forbes.com/sites/andyjsemotiuk/2025/01/31/tariff-on-canada-not-justified-by-us-immigration-and-drug-claims/ EDIT: Ah, of course. Because it was never about tariffs. It was Trump being a dick to get what he wants.
- Similar was said in the U.K. about Brexit. Both situations are shite.
  
  And both situations were caused by the same person. It's time to guillotine Putin and take the world back.
This freaking tariff thing is ridiculous. The President of the United States doesn't know how to implement them and the general public doesn't know why they're used (both believe they do).
This entire country is full of morons because we value political identity and virtue signaling over knowledge and rational thought. The way we get information now is largely engineered by algorithms so you only know what already aligns with your existing ideologies. Everyone has a strong opinion about something they know very little about. This strengthens the walls that divide us because we're arguing for "our side" rather than based on the vast complex realities of a subject. Most people should not be engaging in a conversation, let alone a political stance, about tariffs.
I'm certainly not an economist or trade expert so I won't bother adding to the misinformation. However, this particular president seems to know far less about the economy and American history than do I. Moreover, the fact that he has point towards the import of illegal drugs as the reason for the tariffs is just bonkers.
Edit: Since I posted this, I've been more mindful of the tone and rhetoric with what I'm reading online. It's apparent the left are being taken advantage of just as much as the right was years ago. While it seems there's more responsible reporting from what is now, I guess, regarded as "the left" (apparently neutral reporting is left-leaning), everything else is misinformation and propaganda. And a lot of blatant lies. Engagement is all that matters, despite the truth. I can not say both sides are 'the same' but they are both living in misinformation bubbles and that's not good.
- Many of those policy decisions being made really look like they either come from the premade Proj25 playbook, random whims, or spite attached to a flimsy excuse. It is pathetic.
  If America survives, the president’s power has to be severely reduced.
- The Dunning-Krugger Effect has been fully weaponized.
Words cannot adequately express my deep hatred and loathing for this man. I wish all the worst for him and anyone who supports him.
So guillotine it is.
- American made right? Best guillotines.
- He basically just said, "let them eat brioche."
- Always was always will be
“Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe (and maybe not!)”
Small potatoes at this point but it's amazing that this schtick still works. Really shows how gullible people are and how simple his act is relative to how well it works. This sentence means he doesn't know shit about what these tariffs will cause. That's what it means.
But to Trump supporters, if it causes pain he was right (he said it right there) and if doesn't he was also right (he said it right there). Amazing . Truly the greatest con artist of all time, especially considering how low-effort his act is.
unfortunately the faux news/conservative propaganda machine will never allow those voters to understand the reality of their terrible, terrible decision to elect a con artist as president.
it doesnt matter how bad it gets, it will never be this piece of shit humans fault.
- Those voters choose to remain inside their bubble of ignorance and actively avoid any information that might challenge their preconceived notions. Painting those people as victims is just wrong.
  
  its definitely not as black and white as that. many of these viewers do not actually know they have a choice.
- It isn't just fox news.
  Myself and a few others I know who still use(d) reddit were given 3 day bans (so AFTER the tariffs hit) for just talking about how a "general strike" wouldn't be as effective as people think and the only way people would even notice were if it were rioting in the streets. Carefully worded so as to NOT be advocating for rioting.
  People are finally starting to realize that musk and zuck are manipulating them. But they still don't understand that reddit and tiktok are as well.
  And, to be clear: There are a LOT of bad actors on lemmy too. But outside of the particularly tanky instances, it is more a function of not having any protections against meat puppets.
- Trump will tell them to blame Canada and Mexico and China and whip them into a fury and then use that to declare war.
In my opinion Trump went to North Korea, and Trump saw empty streets, empty bellies, quiet acquiescent workers that couldn't travel or complain, and a autocratic leader that was richer than anyone else.
And in my opinion Trump wanted to make America in that image.
Has he actually been clear about what the tradeoff is here and why it's worth it?
- He said yesterday that the only way for Canada to get out of this is by becoming 51st state
  
  Oh, so we're going to be suffering for 4 years pointlessly
- Has he ever been clear about anything?
  
  Wanting to fuck his daughter.
- Honestly, I feel like at this point he can be completely honest that he's beholden to his fellow oligarchs, he just has to follow it up with "the democrats did the same thing, this is how we get even". And his followers will defend him, and his opponents won't have anything to call him out on, and we all lose.
- No, but I can step into the breach: the tradeoff is that Putin doesn’t release the video of him fucking a 12-year old blonde girl whom he audibly refers to as “Ivanka”.
- Idk something about strengthening American economy making it more self reliant. Which is why he’s putting tariffs on all of the things we can’t sustainably produce here and are outsourced for a reason, y’know, so we can, uh…
  
  He's trying to incentivize domestic manufacturing by disincentivizing foreign imports.
  The problem is he hasn't promised any meaningful investment in domestic manufacturing except for a massive half a trillion dollar investment in AI.
  For example, all shoes are made in foreign countries where labor costs are lower. The machinery to make shoes locally is scant if nonexistant. There were no investments made to offset this.
  Nike and Adidas have said prices may go up by up to 100%. You have to inventivize these companies to make product locally otherwise they're going to find the cheapest option which is either trafficking it through a non tariffed country or passing the cost on to the consumer. They have a duty to their shareholders (the great American ethos) after all.
"Whereas Socialism, and even capitalism in a more grudging way, have said to people ‘I offer you a good time,’ Hitler has said to them ‘I offer you struggle, danger and death,’ and as a result a whole nation flings itself at his feet."
Orwell's 1940 review of Mein Kampf
I know this is a serious subject, but this made me laugh:
Trump wrote on Sunday in all capital letters
Like they couldn't bring themselves to quote it as written, but they still had to mention it.
- I'd call it sanewashing but I think anyone that likes Trump doesn't seem to perceive how stupid the all-caps writing makes him look.
  Which makes sense, as the authors of all of the scam websites and chain letters since the 2000s love to overuse emphasis which seems to appeal to the easiest marks.
  
  He needs the caps so you know he’s really serious…
This is a fucking nightmare. Who, Who, WHO voted for this turd?
- 77 million people. Thing is, they did it thinking he’d lower prices. lmfao
  Conservatives will never fail to impress me with their gullibility, self interest and pseudoscience.
  
  And tens of millions more decided he wasn't enough of a threat to vote against: "What's the worst that could happen?"
  We're about to find out.
  
  the bar for minimum intelligence to survive is too high these days
- About the WHO… he’s already started the exit process for that.
- Absolute dumbfucks
- Hold the phone.
  Are you saying the same people that let the dogs out are the one's responsible for this mess??
  It all makes sense now!!
"Some of you may day, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make"
I wonder how they're going to blame Obama for gas prices going to this time.
Also these maga are seriously thinking gas is coming down with these tariffs because the US will drill it's way out of it. Too dumb to realize that we're already producing a record about oil, companies already started they aren't going to massively develop expensive new wells, and the refineries in the north are set up to process Canadian crude oil and switching isn't cheap or fast.
Americans are going to suffer and we deserve it.
- He’ll just blame Biden.
  
  And his base will eat it all up just like last time.
  I need to buy a shitton of "I did that" stickers with his dumb orange face on em and plaster them all over gas pumps
Worth the price that must be paid
What a dumbass - the only reason Americans are paying this price is because of the tariffs. Instead of raising money by ensuring corporations and the rich oligarch donors pay their taxes, American consumers are getting double taxed with 0 representation. Truly vile, this is a robbery of historic proportions.
Even the Wall St Journal is calling him out as dumb.
Guy thinks he can stick his dick in an oil well and manufacturers will pop up wherever the voters are. The extra-amazing part is that he seems to think it will happen the day after tariffs.
Is he hurting the right people now?
It's plain to see he doesn't include himself when he refers to "Americans". This will predominantly affect one demographic, and it's coincidentally the demographic which doesn't have the savings to weather it out.
Shocking.....well, not that shocking. Unless you are the kind of rube that actually believes anything a guy like Trump says.
“This might hurt, but it’s what you came here for”
Not for him I'm sure.
If he thinks his support will continue unchanged, he's about to learn something... Again.
- Again?
  He’s going to learn that his handlers assure him all the best people still support him.
Establish UBI and it won't hurt.

84 comments