"The White House’s new tariffs were pegged to amounts it said other countries impose on the U.S. In many cases, those amounts appear to match a basic formula: the size of a country's goods-trade imbalance with the U.S., divided by how much America imports from that nation.
The chart President Trump read from in the Rose Garden listed tariffs charged to the U.S. as “Including Currency Manipulation and Trade Barriers.” The numbers don't necessarily match what foreign countries charge against imports from the U.S."
The words “don’t necessarily match” are an understatement. The so called “reciprocal tariffs” are not based on other countries’ tariffs at all. The most notable example is Israel:
"The tariffs include a 17 percent duty on Israeli products imported to the United States. Jerusalem was hit despite Israel seeking to prevent the move with a directive that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed Tuesday to immediately scrap all remaining tariffs on American imports."
According to a real meaning of reciprocal tariffs, the tariff on Israel would be zero.
According to the trade imbalance approach, Israel was judged to have 34% tariffs on imports from the USA, which Trump cuts in half to be generous.
Always appreciate the calm analysis here. As for me, I have some qualms about what Trump is up to, but I am deeply skeptical of the levels of apocalyptic hysteria I see from conservative in places like National Review, etc. I consider that the normal tone of the left. I'd leave it there; the right does not need to imitate it. I recommend Bill Ackman on X. His seems like a pretty good assessment.
Organizing labor unions in China and Vietnam? If you think either one of the those governments would allow that you are severely delusional. The tariffs are a result of the "elites" disregarding the working classes for decades.
Compare the price of a Mercedes in Austria to one in the US.
As opposed to no other President because none of them have big egos. Trump, unlike any other President, say Obama is a narcissist. Trade deficits also hurt the US workers far more than the educated classes. They impact factory workers far more than lawyers or academics. Might want to take a gander at what the 10 year Treasury Bill is doing and ask who is that helping? Magicians wave the wand in their right hand so you don't notice what the left hand is doing. Trump's tariffs are not reciprocal. They are much larger. Why? Read the Art of the Deal. Ask for the Moon, settle for reality.
It's not just about tariffs. It's about jobs and work and a whole bunch of other stuff.
All of the people in that article don't care about tariffs in the sense that they impact their lives in any meaningful way. Probably all make 6+ figures a year and have assistants to fetch their coffee. They are talking heads and experts or so they say and if they are wrong they still keep their jobs and their positions. And their assistants will still get them coffee.
This was posted on X. Have no idea who the poster is but I think the overall point is valid and is something people already established don't see:
I am 24, I don't care about 401Ks.
I am still paying off my 10,000 dollar car that I had to buy at a 12% interest rate becuase Biden hiked the rates and "first time buyer" rates.
I have a 250 a month insurance payment because you let 100 million illegal immigrants drive without liscenses.
My rent is nearly 2k a month because you made it illegal to build and imported millions of foreigners to replace me.
What sunk the Titanic wasn't the part of the iceberg that that saw. It was the part they didnt' see.
The guy is an uncurious self-dealing vindictive narcissist. Stop trying to assume rational decision-making with any of his policies even when they occasionally match up with those for which any of us advocate. I will credit him for being quite a bit funnier than most, if not all, politicians. But no one got fired from Signal-gate? Laura Loomer gets a hearing in the White House? JFC.
The most important article I’ve seen on the tariffs makes clear that the “reciprocal tariffs” are not what they claimed to be:
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-tariffs-trade-war-stock-market-04-03-2025/card/math-behind-new-tariffs-points-to-trade-imbalance-as-key-issue-W4I7vbzaO5qFZS43hAjc
"The White House’s new tariffs were pegged to amounts it said other countries impose on the U.S. In many cases, those amounts appear to match a basic formula: the size of a country's goods-trade imbalance with the U.S., divided by how much America imports from that nation.
The chart President Trump read from in the Rose Garden listed tariffs charged to the U.S. as “Including Currency Manipulation and Trade Barriers.” The numbers don't necessarily match what foreign countries charge against imports from the U.S."
The words “don’t necessarily match” are an understatement. The so called “reciprocal tariffs” are not based on other countries’ tariffs at all. The most notable example is Israel:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-unveils-sweeping-global-tariffs-including-17-us-import-duty-on-israeli-goods/
"The tariffs include a 17 percent duty on Israeli products imported to the United States. Jerusalem was hit despite Israel seeking to prevent the move with a directive that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed Tuesday to immediately scrap all remaining tariffs on American imports."
According to a real meaning of reciprocal tariffs, the tariff on Israel would be zero.
According to the trade imbalance approach, Israel was judged to have 34% tariffs on imports from the USA, which Trump cuts in half to be generous.
Always appreciate the calm analysis here. As for me, I have some qualms about what Trump is up to, but I am deeply skeptical of the levels of apocalyptic hysteria I see from conservative in places like National Review, etc. I consider that the normal tone of the left. I'd leave it there; the right does not need to imitate it. I recommend Bill Ackman on X. His seems like a pretty good assessment.
https://x.com/BillAckman/status/1908329277033979993
Organizing labor unions in China and Vietnam? If you think either one of the those governments would allow that you are severely delusional. The tariffs are a result of the "elites" disregarding the working classes for decades.
Compare the price of a Mercedes in Austria to one in the US.
Not sure these tariffs are a result of elites disregarding the working class. This is one individual who really likes tariffs because the phrase "trade deficits" hurts his ego. https://www.aei.org/economics/president-trumps-tariff-formula-makes-no-economic-sense-its-also-based-on-an-error/
As opposed to no other President because none of them have big egos. Trump, unlike any other President, say Obama is a narcissist. Trade deficits also hurt the US workers far more than the educated classes. They impact factory workers far more than lawyers or academics. Might want to take a gander at what the 10 year Treasury Bill is doing and ask who is that helping? Magicians wave the wand in their right hand so you don't notice what the left hand is doing. Trump's tariffs are not reciprocal. They are much larger. Why? Read the Art of the Deal. Ask for the Moon, settle for reality.
I negotiate every day of my career. The Art of the Deal focuses on zero sum situations which don't really apply here. You can take your case up with this guy Scott Bessent who seems to understand. https://www.international-economy.com/TIE_Sp22_WorldAfterUkraine.pdf
It's not just about tariffs. It's about jobs and work and a whole bunch of other stuff.
All of the people in that article don't care about tariffs in the sense that they impact their lives in any meaningful way. Probably all make 6+ figures a year and have assistants to fetch their coffee. They are talking heads and experts or so they say and if they are wrong they still keep their jobs and their positions. And their assistants will still get them coffee.
This was posted on X. Have no idea who the poster is but I think the overall point is valid and is something people already established don't see:
I am 24, I don't care about 401Ks.
I am still paying off my 10,000 dollar car that I had to buy at a 12% interest rate becuase Biden hiked the rates and "first time buyer" rates.
I have a 250 a month insurance payment because you let 100 million illegal immigrants drive without liscenses.
My rent is nearly 2k a month because you made it illegal to build and imported millions of foreigners to replace me.
What sunk the Titanic wasn't the part of the iceberg that that saw. It was the part they didnt' see.
The guy is an uncurious self-dealing vindictive narcissist. Stop trying to assume rational decision-making with any of his policies even when they occasionally match up with those for which any of us advocate. I will credit him for being quite a bit funnier than most, if not all, politicians. But no one got fired from Signal-gate? Laura Loomer gets a hearing in the White House? JFC.