Canada - USA Trade War commencing March 2025 #3

[SouthAussie]

Where does this consistent "25% tariff" come from?
We have a 5% import duty on cars - except for those countries who have negotiated a free trade agreement. I think our import duties vary, depending what is being imported and from where.

Is 25% enough to stop middle-class America from buying, but not enough to stop the rich from buying what they want?

Would be interesting to know what cars the rich are buying after a US car tariff is slapped on.

imo

 

[detective.moon]

i just had a random thought, and i hope it’s not too off topic sorry if i’m rambling too much here!

american tech and entertainment (music, movies, celebrities, etc) are both really powerful. as a european, those are the two things that are almost impossible impossible to avoid on a daily basis. trump obviously seems to have an influence on social media and national news media but it doesn’t seem like trump’s government is trying to leverage hollywood so far. maybe because his supporters don’t care that much about it, or because he has a more opposition from people working in that industry? but it’s still interesting that he doesn’t really try to use what could be a really powerful propaganda strategy, imo

 

[Betty P]

Oligarchs have absolutely no idea how it is for middle and low income earners.

The current US administration is filled with oligarchs. I counted 13 billionaires when the appointments were happening.

Elon Musk
Howard Lutnick
Linda McMahon
Scott Bessent
Warren Stephens
Leandro Rizzuto Jr
Charles Kushner
Tom Barrack
Vivek Ramaswamy (no longer with DOGE)
Doug Burgum
Stephen Feinberg
Jared Isaacman
Kelly Loeffler

Plus there were also millionaires who were given positions.

They will have no understanding of how hard it is to pay rent/mortgage, pay utilities, own a car, put food on the table, and raise children (or not) for the "average" person.

I think there is a vast majority of US citizens who can't afford Trump's harebrained tariff schemes, amongst his other harebrained schemes.

imo

Billionaires have no understanding of many things. Many are not well educated and gained their wealth through inheritance, stealth and/ or deception, often relying on the skills of underlings. They live in dysfunctional environments, similar to royal despots hundreds of years ago.

Recently, I’ve been watching “The Great” a series about the Russian Empress Catherine the Great and her husband, the Emperor Peter. It’s a fairly accurate depiction of the royal families of the 18th Century and how they cruelly mistreated and abused their subjects into rebellion.

Emperor Peter was very similar to our American oligarchs of today. They’ve only gained such wealth today because they’ve been allowed to abuse our country and government. Our government and politicians have become too corrupt and easily bribed.

 

[Trooper]

i just had a random thought, and i hope it’s not too off topic sorry if i’m rambling too much here!

american tech and entertainment (music, movies, celebrities, etc) are both really powerful. as a european, those are the two things that are almost impossible impossible to avoid on a daily basis. trump obviously seems to have an influence on social media and national news media but it doesn’t seem like trump’s government is trying to leverage hollywood so far. maybe because his supporters don’t care that much about it, or because he has a more opposition from people working in that industry? but it’s still interesting that he doesn’t really try to use what could be a really powerful propaganda strategy, imo

A random thought that travels!.. I have often thought that Americans really ought to stick to writing songs, and singing and dancing and making movies.. they are very good at this..... leave politics alone. Outsource it to some competent nation,

I wonder if it is because he can get no traction in Hollywood, ... of course, memory still stings in the movie business, about Mc Carthy and Mc Carthyism, that took it's toll on the culture of the American entertainment industry , maybe that is a factor that holds up a wall between Trump and what could be a powerful tool in his program.

But as it is turning out, these Trump folks are not ones for the long term plan, it's all sugar hit after sugar hit until they meet themselves going backwards....

I notice that as soon as some megastar from Hollywood casts aspersions on Trump , he immediately turns on his venom tap and dribbles out some vile incoherent slur to counteract it, It stings him, you can tell. !!

 

[Betty P]

i just had a random thought, and i hope it’s not too off topic sorry if i’m rambling too much here!

american tech and entertainment (music, movies, celebrities, etc) are both really powerful. as a european, those are the two things that are almost impossible impossible to avoid on a daily basis. trump obviously seems to have an influence on social media and national news media but it doesn’t seem like trump’s government is trying to leverage hollywood so far. maybe because his supporters don’t care that much about it, or because he has a more opposition from people working in that industry? but it’s still interesting that he doesn’t really try to use what could be a really powerful propaganda strategy, imo

I think they have their own form of entertainment in the tabloid news media, conspiracy theories and crazy podcasts and talk shows. They’re also highly entertained and distracted by pro sports, vehicle racing and extremely violent, low quality movies and streaming shows.

 

[Trooper]

NewsUKUK Politics

Rachel Reeves begs Trump not to slap car tariffs on the UK.​

Embattled chancellor Rachel Reeves has begged Donald Trump not to impose crippling tariffs on UK car exports next week.

Ms Reeves disclosed the government is in emergency talks with the US to stop the levy, which is due to take effect next Wednesday.
Around four out of five cars made in the UK are exported, and 16.9 per cent of UK car exports were to the US last year.

( Good luck, Rachel ..... ) ....

(ps.... Mark Carney warned the Brits about this very situation back before he took on the leadership of the Liberal party... the interviewer asked him, ' should we ( Brits) try and mollify , placate Trump in his zeal about tariffs?".. and Carney just smiled and said, ' good luck! ) ...

 

[Kemug]

"The Vance account then goes on to make a noteworthy statement, considering that the vice president has not deviated publicly from Trump’s position on virtually any issue. “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/

RSBM
Ooo! Donald won't be too happy with Vance, just as soon as he realizes that V was actually criticising him!

 

[SouthAussie]

RSBM
Ooo! Donald won't be too happy with Vance, just as soon as he realizes that V was actually criticising him!

Something else is going on with that relationship. Not sure what it is. If maybe Trump was "told" to make Vance VP.
Vance has publicly stated that Trump is an idiot, in the past. And privately compared Trump with Hitler.

Link

Who knows if all these tariffs and economic issues are even Trump's idea. Though they are definitely his administration's idea.

imo

 

[Yellowbelly]

A very bitter blow for the Brits... cars are a major export for them, and the USA market is , I think, it's biggest one , sure, they sell a lot of Bentleys' and RollsRoyces to China, ( one sees lots of them there, I was astonished ) .. their main market is the USA.. Carney seems to be taking it all in his stride, never descending into invective or slander or slur.. tells it as it is and just moves on, creating a solution.

This is true, but our car exports to the USA tend to be more high end models (Rollers/ Aston Martins/Jags/Land Rovers) where the target market is better able to bare the increased price.

 

[Yellowbelly]

Canada's election day is April 28th... Australia goes to vote on May 3rd. (Federal election, all states and territories )... . as things stand, at the moment, it looks like a non conservative government will continue in both countries, unless some godawful SNAFU happens.

After both these elections take place I expect a knocking back of all things American and a promotion of all things Canadian and Australian, and possibly , even probably, a severe adjustment of military treaties and military purchases, and military exchanges, very quickly .

(AU always votes on a Saturday, because it is compulsory to vote. The voting booths know exactly how many people to prepare for, there is no waiting, it turns into quite a festive day, BBQ and drinks, and conviviality all round.. The vote is secret ( AU invented this ) and while you must vote, you can invalidate your vote by drawing a rude pic on the paper.. AU gets a 98% valid vote turnout though, very few muck it up ) .

Looks that way. Australia has seen the same dip in conservative support (which confusingly in Australia is the Liberal Party!) since Trump started mouthing off, that's been seen in Canada.

Opinion polling for the 2025 Australian federal election - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

IIUC the current US president’s administration has just placed additional tariffs on vehicles and automobile parts.

Reference CNN March 26, 2025 online article by Elisabeth Buchwald, Chris Isidore and Vanessa Yurkevich, entitled ‘Trump announces new auto tariffs in a major trade war escalation’

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/26/economy/auto-tariffs-announcement/index.html

IIAUC Tesla vehicles have had a reported higher incidence of mechanical issues per 100 vehicles compared with others. See this online TopSpeed updated September 13, 2023 article by April Ryder entitled ‘Tesla Reliability And Repair Costs - The True Story’ for details:

Tesla Reliability And Repair Costs - The True Story

If anyone's out to buy an EV, it is almost certain that they will consider Tesla if it's falling in their budget. But, buying it is not the full story

www.topspeed.com

Wonder how this latest US governmental approach and policy will affect the cost of parts and vehicles, in addition to possible sales. And also wonder if certain vehicle manufacturers are more impacted than others? And whether certain allowances or dispensation will be given to certain ‘brands’? Have to hope this is being fully investigated. And quickly.

Also wonder if anyone will be compiling studies on whether or not the sales of US-produced vehicles will be affected or impacted by this latest. And IIRC, vehicle content, country of origin, and portion of components or parts needed to declare a certain country or location of ‘manufacture’ or the source can vary. AFAIK vehicle assembly can occur in one area, whereas components and parts are sourced widely from others. Wonder if those regulations affecting US vehicles are also being changed or relaxed? SMH. MOO

 

[sds71]

• U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose “far larger” tariffs on the European Union and Canada if they work together to combat trade tariffs.
• “If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large scale Tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both in order to protect the best friend that each of those two countries has ever had!,” Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social on Thursday.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/trump-threatens-far-larger-tariffs-on-eu-and-canada-.html

 

[Lyanna]

The chap is just a pathetic, tiny, little, narrow minded bigot of a man.
Got 3 words for him - Jog On Donald.


Moo

 

[steeltowngirl]

I suspect (?) that no one reading in their phone carefully looked at all the group members- as the chat proceeded , if JG was not saying anything, the initials were not popping up and if the group is new, they probably thought that whomever was in it was added by some one who knew what they were doing IMO.

It’s wild that they apparently are able to use personal phones to communicate national security matters. Why are their personal external contacts able to be intermingled with internal government contacts who have security clearance?

Seems like a failure on multiple points. The chat member who added JG for starters, but at a higher level, the White House cybersecurity team who manage communication platforms.

jmo

 

[Lilibet]

Something else is going on with that relationship. Not sure what it is. If maybe Trump was "told" to make Vance VP.
Vance has publicly stated that Trump is an idiot, in the past. And privately compared Trump with Hitler.

Link

Who knows if all these tariffs and economic issues are even Trump's idea. Though they are definitely his administration's idea.

imo

BBM

Trump was certainly pressured to make Vance VP. His two sons, Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, Old friend Witkoff, and certainly billionaire Silicon Valley mentor to Vance, Peter Thiel were working the phones calling Trump. This was no accident.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/16/politics/how-trump-chose-vp-pick-vance/index.html

JD Vance owes almost everything to Peter Thiel, a pro-Trump billionaire and "New Right" ideologue - Salon.com

Peter Thiel has been supporting JD Vance since before he entered politics

www.salon.com

Even though Vance made the least sense.

Donald Trump's selection of JD Vance as running mate is a sign of weakness - Salon.com

Vance makes Trump look weak

www.salon.com

But the Russians approved of the choice.

Russian state TV lauds JD Vance as "Trumpier than Trump"

"If Donald Trump is assassinated, another Trump would remain," Russian state TV host Olga Skabeyeva said.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Lilibet]

The chap is just a pathetic, tiny, little, narrow minded bigot of a man.
Got 3 words for him - Jog On Donald.


Moo

And he’s orange. Ick!!

 

[LovesPeace2]

• U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose “far larger” tariffs on the European Union and Canada if they work together to combat trade tariffs.
• “If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large scale Tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both in order to protect the best friend that each of those two countries has ever had!,” Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social on Thursday.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/trump-threatens-far-larger-tariffs-on-eu-and-canada-.html

I have no words I can say on here about trump and this crud. Trump has got to love all the attention on him good or bad.i hope the EU and Canada continue to work together. Since when does another country tell us who we can work trades with . Trump has no say in anything Canada does
Jmoo

 

[LoveyG]

Where does this consistent "25% tariff" come from?
We have a 5% import duty on cars - except for those countries who have negotiated a free trade agreement. I think our import duties vary, depending what is being imported and from where.

Is 25% enough to stop middle-class America from buying, but not enough to stop the rich from buying what they want?

Would be interesting to know what cars the rich are buying after a US car tariff is slapped on.

imo

IMO, he's trying to increase sales of Tesla. EV cars aren't a typical MAGA car, what with all the environmental benefits and Donald's previous badmouthing of all EV vehicles (which suddenly changed?). So not sure who's going to be buying them.

Trump wants to halt the buildout of EV charging stations. Experts say it's not so simple

Trump’s 180 on Electric Vehicles—Provided They’re Teslas

He won autoworkers’ support by opposing EVs, which need fewer workers to produce. Last week, he pitched Teslas to American motorists.

prospect.org

 

[Snoopster]

Some interesting quotes in this Guardian article, including how US admin actions against Canada are signs of growing fascism.

Yale professor who studies fascism fleeing US to work in Canada

He said in an interview that Columbia University’s recent actions moved him to accept the offer. Last Friday, Columbia gave in to the Trump administration by agreeing to a series of demands in order to restore $400m in federal funding. These changes include crackdowns on protests, increased security power and “internal reviews” of some academic programs, like the Middle Eastern studies department.

Stanley recently wrote for the Guardian about a new Department of Education directive that said teaching about systemic racism and other topics could be grounds for a civil rights violation, according to the Trump administration’s legal interpretations. Stanley said this order sets the country “on a path to educational authoritarianism”.

“I don’t see it as fleeing at all,” he said. “I see it as joining Canada, which is a target of Trump, just like Yale is a target of Trump.”

What does it say that a scholar of fascism is leaving the US right now? Said Stanley: “Part of it is you’re leaving because ultimately, it is like leaving Germany in 1932, 33, 34. There’s resonance: my grandmother left Berlin with my father in 1939. So it’s a family tradition.”

bolded by me for emphasis.

 

[ekc]

The chap is just a pathetic, tiny, little, narrow minded bigot of a man.
Got 3 words for him - Jog On Donald.


Moo

somehow i am starting the hear Nero fiddle...jat