Canada, Greenland, Mexico, etc - USA Tariffs / Trade War commencing March 2025 #5

[Herat]

Reading today that China has asked for one point person other than Trump to be their contact person in trade issue discussions.

Trump insists on doing this himself. He doesn't see it yet, but others around him know he desperately needs to get a huge face-saving victory out of this.

He keeps describing himself as a great deal maker, but it is failing and he had not had any credible successes.

There was a smart way to do targeted tariffs in China rather than blanket percentages. He failed. There was a way to do this without hurting every other economy in the world. He failed and now all the world is free to go their own way and plan a future without the US.

The US consumers are also seeing the relentess price increases and the tariffs haven't even been finalized. Especially food. Everyone - singles, families with children, seniors on fixed incomes are all seeing substantial increases in grocery prices.

 

[Herat]

Chairman Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve Bank System has spoken.

He has the practiced speech of a careful and confident analyst, and , to me, is signaling a very very appropriate level of cautious monitoring in these days of uncertainty. He is an excellent speaker and inspires confidence in me.

The Fed is in a waiting mode. No signaling of any rate change. "American economy is in a stable position, SO FAR" "Consumers are signaling concern for the impacts of trade talks" "Job growth has slowed, but the unemployment rate is low and stable.

Oh, and a clever Ferris Bueller quote.

This is guaranteed to infuriate Trump, who thinks he is the smartest guy in the room.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Multiple takes on Powell's statements from Chicago today... We ALWAYS want to hear what Powell has to say. His mild mannered style has not changed... but there are slightly different tones on what he said today. Personally, I still find hi too cautious with his words...

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/latest-updates-fed-chair-jerome-powell-speak-us-economic-outlook-2025-04-16/

Powell Speech Today: Fed Chair Warns of 'Challenging Scenario,' Tariff-Induced Inflation Could Be ‘Persistent;’ Won't Intervene in Market Plummet

Follow here for live coverage and analysis of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech today.

www.barrons.com

Live: Fed’s Powell Speaks at Economic Club of Chicago

Powell Speech Today: Live News as Fed Chair Talks Tariffs, Rates in Chicago

www.bloomberg.com

 

[Herat]

He notes that discretionary consumer spending is not the issue.

The issue that needs addressing is a bipartisan solution to the national debt, and increasing spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

Bipartisan.

 

[Herat]

This is an interesting tariff issue that affects women rather than men = Higher tariffs on women's clothing for no reason at all:

Most manufactured apparel and footwear are classified by gender in the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), which sets out the tariff rates for all categories of merchandise imported into the United States.

Tariff rates on women’s clothing were, on average, 16.7% in 2022 — 2.9 percentage points higher than the 13.6% average tariff rate for men’s clothing, according to Gresser.

Breaking it down to individual items: Women’s suits in 2017, for example, were subject to a 15.1% tariff rate, while men’s suits were subject to a 13.3% tariff. Women’s underwear was hit with a 12.8% tariff, while men’s underwear had an 8.6% tariff.

There’s no single reason why tariffs on women’s clothing are higher than men’s, but the policy has taken shape over decades.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/16/business/womens-clothes-pink-tariffs/index.html

 

[Herat]

Powell noted that inflation will rise with tariffs, and he was suprised by how high the tariffs were, so the indications would indicate inflation will be higher than we had supposed (ie the Fed had expected) ?

The markets reacted pretty quickly with that statement.

 

[otto]

Reading today that China has asked for one point person other than Trump to be their contact person in trade issue discussions.

Trump insists on doing this himself. He doesn't see it yet, but others around him know he desperately needs to get a huge face-saving victory out of this.

He keeps describing himself as a great deal maker, but it is failing and he had not had any credible successes.

There was a smart way to do targeted tariffs in China rather than blanket percentages. He failed. There was a way to do this without hurting every other economy in the world. He failed and now all the world is free to go their own way and plan a future without the US.

The US consumers are also seeing the relentess price increases and the tariffs haven't even been finalized. Especially food. Everyone - singles, families with children, seniors on fixed incomes are all seeing substantial increases in grocery prices.

It's starting ... imported Tropicana OJ is twice as expensive as locally produced OJ from imported oranges.

"A President's Choice brand pulp-free orange juice and an equivalent from Simply Orange — both identified as being prepared in Canada — were priced at $5 ($0.32 per 100ml) and $7.69 ($0.50 per 100ml) respectively. Meanwhile, the U.S.-made Tropicana pulp-free orange juice was priced at $8.72 ($0.66 per 100ml).

It was a similar story at Metro, which primarily has stores located in Ontario and Quebec. A 2.5-litre jug of Irresistibles pulp-free orange juice was listed online for $6.99 ($0.28 per 100ml) while a similarly sized jug of Tropicana orange juice was listed at $13.99 ($0.53 per 100ml)."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tariffs-impacting-food-1.7510987

 

[Herat]

Powell did not mention stagflation by name, but he was completely circled around the possibility.

I think he also was carefully officially commenting that the prolonged, noise-ridden, heading-changing tariff BS coming from DJT are still creating uncertainty. Normally, trade negotiations are dry stuff with occasional photo ops, not a campaign-driven marching band and red hats extravaganza without end. Negotiations, not deals.

Two weeks on from April 2 and the world's trade status is in flux, a lot like flowing magma. Too hot to touch or stop, to unpredictable, liable to scortch and burn everything in it's path.

 

[Lyanna]

Tariffs fallout: The US will struggle to take on Asia over chips

America is trying to create a chip industry through isolation and protectionism, when what allowed it to emerge in Asia is the opposite: collaboration.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[SouthAussie]

I honestly don't believe it's true. If it is oh well can't help how the USA is forcing us to act. There's a lot of hatred going both ways now thanks to the USA leadership.what do they expect us to roll over and just take the abuse considering Trump's starting with his 51st state again bullchit

US citizen detained after visiting Canada: "Treated like ...

Bachir Atallah and his wife, Jessica Fakhri, say they were stopped by CBP in Vermont on Sunday while returning from a brief family trip.

www.newsweek.com

CBP official has claimed that Atallah's account is "blatantly false and sensationalized."

CBP is US Customs and Border Control. Bachir Atallah and his wife had this horrible experience from US border control officers (not Canadian ones).

Just wanted to clear up any confusion.


Bachir Atallah and his wife, Jessica Fakhri, say they were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Vermont on Sunday while returning from a brief family trip.

US citizen detained after visiting Canada: "Treated like ...

Bachir Atallah and his wife, Jessica Fakhri, say they were stopped by CBP in Vermont on Sunday while returning from a brief family trip.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Lilibet]

Powell did not mention stagflation by name

I initially read this as “strangulation” and thought he was referring to Trump.

 

[LovesPeace2]

CBP is US Customs and Border Control. Bachir Atallah and his wife had this horrible experience from US border control officers (not Canadian ones).

Just wanted to clear up any confusion.


Bachir Atallah and his wife, Jessica Fakhri, say they were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Vermont on Sunday while returning from a brief family trip.

US citizen detained after visiting Canada: "Treated like ...

Bachir Atallah and his wife, Jessica Fakhri, say they were stopped by CBP in Vermont on Sunday while returning from a brief family trip.

www.newsweek.com

Ahhhh good we use cbp to it gets confusing at times

 

[LovesPeace2]

China pivots from U.S. to Canada for more oil as trade war worsens

Chinese refiners are importing record amounts of Canadian crude after slashing purchases of U.S. oil by 90% amid trade tensions. Read more.

financialpost.com

Chinese refiners are importing record amounts of Canadian crude after slashing purchases of United States oil by roughly 90 per cent amid escalating trade tensions.

 

[acutename]

The US will most likely remain the host. Some countries might boycott the Olympics, and some athletes might protest in this way as well. It is supposed to be a non political celebration of human achievement, so hopefully it isn't damaged too much by the American political situation.

I think they are in "blue" states FWIW

 

[SouthAussie]

I think they are in "blue" states FWIW

Unfortunately for California and the other "blue states", they are still tied to US Executive Orders.

And people in other countries are often unaware of which "colour" any US state is, anyway.

But I did read an article yesterday that said it is possible/probable that Trump will pause his blitz on border control for a month or so at the time of these international events. Which will make it easier for people to enter and leave the US to attend the events and participate in the events.

imo

 

[Lilibet]

Thank you @detective.moon for posting this. Ruth Ben-Ghiat is an expert on this subject. I just finished watching this and I encourage/implore EVERYONE to do so, even (especially) Trump followers. This is a historical discussion of dictators. It is not an attack on Trump. She barely mentions him, but it’s easy to see the connections. An interesting point she explains is why people are drawn to support dictators.

JMO

Professor and authoritarianism scholar Ruth Ben-Ghiat joins WIRED to answer the internet's burning questions about dictators and fascism.

i thought this video was interesting! she talks about how dictatorships function and how they start, and she talks specifically about trump and xi jinping too

 

[Herat]

I initially read this as “strangulation” and thought he was referring to Trump.

I wouldn't be surprised if Jerome Powell dreamed of strangulation, too.

 

[acutename]

I think the saddest part of this situation that I see is that most people with a business- of any type or size- spend a good portion of their time gathering customers and creating good will- coupons, "loyalty programs," appearing at special events, partnerships, whatever - and now in the US, these owners have their country out in front of them, spitting in the faces of their cultivated relations, if they are outside the US. Kind of tragic. IMO.

 

[Trooper]

#4,693 example of Trump's unintended consequences.......( call it fate ,call it karma, call it human nature... )

Trump effect leaves Canada’s Conservatives facing catastrophic loss

Pierre Poilievre had hoped to be the next PM, but a sharp change in mood amid Trump tariffs has the party in turmoil

www.theguardian.com

Trump effect leaves Canada’s Conservatives facing catastrophic loss​

Pierre Poilievre had hoped to be the next PM, but a sharp change in mood amid Trump tariffs has the party in turmoil....

As recently as February, Poilievre enjoyed a 25-point lead over the governing Liberals. Pollsters estimated he and his party were on track for an unprecedented victory.

But with less than two weeks before Canada’s federal election, one of the sharpest polling shifts in the country’s political history now has the Conservatives trailing well behind the Liberal party. The abrupt change in the country’s political mood – largely the result of Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to annex Canada – has prompted infighting within the Conservatives party as it faces what is likely to be a catastrophic loss.

(more at this website)

 

[Trooper]

While this may seem a little obscure, it has real resonance.. this outfit, Rebel News is a shonky group, pushing a fascistic viewpoint , backed by Mossad, I think, ... has branches all over, one in Australia with a poisonous little dwarf wife beater running it.. here is a decision by the Canadian Federal Court about it.. They tried to portray themselves as a news outlet to claim tax credits, and the Federal Court knocked it on it's head.

Rebel News Network Ltd. v. Canada (Attorney General) - Federal Court

decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca

Rebel News Network Ltd. v. Canada (Attorney General) - Federal Court . Federal Court upholds CRA’s decision not to grant Rebel News journalism tax credits, because the outfit produces little original content.