Summary

Global leaders criticized Trump’s new tariffs, which range from 10% to 49%, warning of trade wars and economic fallout.

The UK and Italy urged negotiation, while Brazil passed a reciprocity bill. China and South Korea vowed countermeasures.

Australia and New Zealand rejected Trump’s logic, citing existing trade deals and low tariffs. Norfolk Island was baffled by a 29% duty despite having no exports.

Financial markets dropped, oil and bitcoin sank, and leaders warned of inflation. Analysts say Trump risks fracturing global trade with little to gain economically.

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[–] 288 points 1 year ago (23 children)
  • [–] 166 points 1 year ago (19 children)

    ok, then...

    i have a huge trade deficit with walmart.

    i buy way more from them than they do from me ($1200-1500 a year vs $0); just like the u.s. buys more from many countries than those countries buy from the u.s.

    like the leaky diaper's new tariffsimport tax, i should charge myself a ridiculously high extra tax on purchases from walmart until they buy $1200-1500 a year of some mythical product from me to even out the 'unfair' imbalance?

    yea. that'll work.

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  • [–] 37 points 1 year ago (13 children)

    I think Trump doesn’t want to trade at all. He wants us to produce everything we need.

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    [–] 151 points 1 year ago (36 children)

    I hope the EU reacts with something non-tariffy. Like forbidding US online platforms to serve ads and collect personal data, with severe punishments if they still do.

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  • [–] 90 points 1 year ago (26 children)

    I recently read an article that suggested the best retaliation would be to stop enforcing US intellectual property in the EU. One of the biggest exports they have is media, if we would stop enforcing their copyright it would cost them a lot of money.

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    [–] 104 points 1 year ago (12 children)

    If I was Prime Minister, I'd impose a retaliatory tariff of 9000% just because it's all just this stupid.
    Call it the Goku tariffs, but drag it out over an hour or two with a lot of screaming.

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  • [–] 104 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Shortly after Trump’s announcement, the British government said the United States remains the U.K.’s “closest ally.”

    I'm sorry TERF island, that's not gonna keep Trump from stabbing you in the back too.

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    [–] 90 points 1 year ago (5 children)
    1. Order tariffs
    2. Make everything more expensive for everyone everywhere
    3. Piss off the entire world and invite countermeasures
    4. ??????????????
    5. MAGA
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    [–] 89 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    Have we forgotten that he has done this each month since he was Inaugurated?

    Today the stock market will crash on this news. The wealthy will buy on this massive dip, and in a few days, HitlerPig will announce that the countries on his list have responded to his tariff threats, so he is postponing them for a month or so.

    The stock market will recover a bit, and the wealthy will make a fortune. In a month, he'll do it all over again.

    It's deliberate market manipulation.

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    [–] 86 points 1 year ago (17 children)

    Putting tariffs on Norfolk Island and Heard and McDonald Islands are particularly funny considering Heard and McDonald Islands only has penguins living there lol.

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  • [–] 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (12 children)

    Yo this motherfucker put tariffs on Antarctica?!!Heard Island.jpg

    Oops, wrong one. Still close. Heard and McDonald Islands world heritage area

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  • [–] 41 points 1 year ago (11 children)

    also a 10% tariff on the joint US military base at Diego Garcia …

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  • [–] 82 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    "No basis in logic"

    No shit, this whole administration has no basis in logic. Just look at Project 2025 and the progress they've made on it in a little over 2 months.

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    [–] 78 points 1 year ago (10 children)

    and the price of bitcoin dropped 4.4%.

    I cannot express how much I hate that this appears in a serious economic article.

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    [–] 50 points 1 year ago (11 children)

    They’re AI generated tariffs. He asked Grok and these are the numbers it spat out.

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  • [–] 39 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    He's imposing tariffs on uninhabited islands... what a fucking moron...

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    [–] 46 points 1 year ago
    [–] 46 points 1 year ago

    All the goods that Trump excempts from tarrifs is tipping his hand. If I were one of these countries like Taiwan where semiconductors are exempted, I would apply an export duty equal to the tarrif on other goods. If you want to tarrif me fine but you're going to have to commit.

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  • [–] 39 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    no tariffs on russia, only sanctions?

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    [+] 37 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (6 children)
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    [–] 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    What about Israel? Aren't they sucking you dry? Perhaps add some tariffs there?

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    [–] 34 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

    There is simple logic in it. Punish everyone, and then let them come to you asking for exemptions. Then he can demand things in exchange. After that it's "Pray I don't alter the deal any further."

    UK already asked for an exemption and he said they should buy chlorinated chicken first. If every country responds in the same way and gives in he's making bank. If they respond with a boycott on anything American, especially digital services, things get bad.

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    [–] 34 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    No basis in logic if he were actually trying to do what he says he is. He's not. They make perfect sense if the goal is to destabilize the country. We elected a fucking Manchurian candidate twice, and the in-between term was spent on a bunch of business as usual and not setting up protections in case it happened again. This country is fucking done.

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    [–] 31 points 1 year ago

    Dead horse economics:

    Wake up you lazy horse!

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  • [–] 30 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Oh, do you guys think he might be a stupid maniac gosh

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    [–] 29 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    None of Trump's policies have any basis in reality

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    [–] 28 points 1 year ago

    No basis in logic is a nice summary of the Trump administration in general.

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  • [–] 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Norfolk Island was baffled by a 29% duty despite having no exports.

    Ahahaha. For a day, I want to be inside his head and see the world through his eyes. It would be the most valuable insight for humanity... If only to learn exactly what not to do.

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    [–] 25 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Someone asked chatGPT how to apply tariffs to give America an equal playing field and it spit it a formula that looks shockingly similar to how trump calculated the tariffs

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    [–] 25 points 1 year ago

    Of course there is logic, but not the logic most politicians want to admit. This is simply:

    "Nice global economy. It would be a shame if something happened to it. Maybe we can come to an understanding, and this whole tariff thing goes away. You do want free trade, don't you?"

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  • [+] 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 8 months ago)
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