Maybe we can crowdsource trying to understand what the President is saying. It's the clearest statement yet from the Administration about what it's doing, yet I can't really follow.
Please give it a read, and let me know in the replies what you think is going on, and how this will end.
Please give it a read, and let me know in the replies what you think is going on, and how this will end.
Reposted from
Justin Wolfers
Equally, trying to parse what the President is saying is pretty close to impossible. There are many interpretations:
1. He's not making deals, but rather dictating tariff rates
2. He's looking to make deals, but if you don't like his terms you can walk away
3. He still hasn't figured any of this out
1. He's not making deals, but rather dictating tariff rates
2. He's looking to make deals, but if you don't like his terms you can walk away
3. He still hasn't figured any of this out
Comments
(Just takes a while to translate Trump's brain to regular English, or anything taught in uni.) 3/3
It's evidence of some form of cognitive impairment.
I get that he doesn't understand economics, my grasp is rudimentary at best but he's not just failing to explain himself, he's rambling.
Word salad.
The “deal” is right when he, JD, Scott and Howard get the right kickback. As he said we’ll sit down and work out the number.
Once that clearly wasn't true he launches into this tap dancing to "explain" it.
It's kind of amazing how he's just been fast-talking pure BS his entire life when called on anything, and how far it got him.
Never overly bright this is a whole new level of confusion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjrnsIXoSCg&t=764s
He thinks other countries must agree to our unilateral demands, and that these deals are "high level," with no technical carveouts, so discussion need be minimal.
They just have to accept that their prices will be jacked up in our beautiful market, because Donald will be scooping up the tax that U.S. importers/consumers pay.
If he ever knew how any of this works, I think his brain is too addled to still have a grasp.
"Pay to shop" - literally, would mean export taxes, paying to buy
But probably means tariffs, paying to sell (he always claims tariffs are paid by exporters)
I think you and the other very smart folks should report that the president is unable to coherently articulate a plan. Force him to have to explain it.
We’re enabling him.
The president should be able to be understood- if he’s not it should be reported as such.
There is no "let outsiders pay" w/ an import tax. It's importers/consumers who pay.
It's not "pay to shop" at our wonderful store. It's pay to SELL.
The wonderful "price" for them is the tax amount that U.S. importers/consumers pay on their goods.
Has he convinced himself that the other countries pay???
Trump wants other countries to assign high tariffs on the U.S.?
So I have this rule when grading student responses: if it doesn't make sense, don't waste time trying to make sense of it.
If I try to make sense of it, all I'm grading is my own ability to project meaning onto an inkblot.