Trump v Trudeau

Rayblewit

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Gary, or anyone else from Canada,
Do you mind me asking you, since I am curious and we are not getting the full story here in Aus. .

Why did Trump impose 25% import tariffs on Canada?
Trudeau retaliated too.

What's your take on this?
 
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Our BBC reports this
”Canada, Mexico and China have vowed to respond to sweeping new tariffs to their exports to the US announced by President Donald Trump.
Trump said a levy of 25% on Canadian and Mexican imports as well as an additional 10% tax on Chinese goods would come into force on Tuesday. Canadian energy faces a lower 10% tariff.
The US president said the move was in response to his concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking - two of the main promises on which he was elected.
In response, both Canada and Mexico said they were preparing similar tariffs on US goods, while China added it would take "necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests".
The implementation of tariffs and the subsequent retaliation could mark the start of a new era of global trade wars.
Economists have warned the introduction of the import taxes by the US, and the responses from other countries could lead to prices rising on a wide range of products, from cars, lumber, and steel to food and alcohol.
But Trump has indicated he is ready to escalate the duties further if the countries retaliate.
"Today's tariff announcement is necessary to hold China, Mexico, and Canada accountable for their promises to halt the flood of poisonous drugs into the United States," the White House said in a statement on X on Saturday.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "This was done through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) because of the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our Citizens, including fentanyl."
A tariff is a domestic tax levied on goods as they enter the country, proportional to the value of the import. They are a central part of Trump's economic vision.
He sees them as a way of growing the US economy, protecting jobs and raising tax revenue - and in this case, pushing for policy action from allies.
Together, China, Mexico and Canada accounted for more than 40% of imports into the US last year.
Canada, Mexico and the US have deeply integrated economies, with an estimated $2bn (£1.6bn) worth of manufactured goods crossing the borders daily.
In its announcement, the White House accused Mexico's government of having "an intolerable alliance" with Mexican drug trafficking organisations.
In her response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called allegations that the Mexican government had alliances with criminal organisations "slander".
Sheinbaum called on the US to do more to clamp down on the illegal flow of guns south to arm the cartels.
Her country is willing to work with the US, she said. "Problems are not resolved by imposing tariffs, but by talking."
She has instructed her economy minister to respond with tariff and non-tariff measures. They are expected to include retaliatory tariffs of 25% on US goods.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country will also respond.

"We don't want to be here, we didn't ask for this," he said at a news conference late on Saturday.

"But we will not back down in standing up for Canadians."

His government will impose 25% tariffs on $155bn worth of American goods - $30bn will come into force on Tuesday and another $125bn in 21 days.

Targeted items include American beer, wine, bourbon, fruits and fruit juices, vegetables, perfumes, clothing and shoes, as well as household appliances, sporting goods and furniture. Lumber and plastics will also face levies.

Non-tariff measures being considered are related to critical minerals and procurement, although Trudeau did not offer more detail.

The Canadian prime minister pushed back on the suggestion the shared border posed a security concern, saying less than 1% of fentanyl going into the United States comes from Canada.

In a bid to avoid the tariffs altogether, Ottawa had promised to implement $1.3bn Canadian dollars ($900m; £700m) of new security measures along its US border.

"Tariffs are not the best way we can work together to save lives," Trudeau said.

He also said he had not spoken to Trump since the inauguration, but would keep lines open with US counterparts.

Canada is America's largest foreign supplier of crude oil. According to the most recent official trade figures, 61% of oil imported into the US between January and November last year came from Canada.

China said in a statement that it was strongly dissatisfied with the levies and "firmly opposes" them. The 10% tax will be added over and above tariffs already imposed on China by Trump in his first term and by President Joe Biden.

It added that it would file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization against the US for its "wrongful practice". "Trade and tariff wars have no winners," said a spokesperson at China's Washington embassy.

China's Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month that his country was looking for a "win-win" solution to trade tensions and wanted to expand its imports.

US industry groups have also raised alarm bells.

The auto sector could be especially hard hit. Auto parts cross the three borders multiple times before a final vehicle is assembled. TD Economics suggest the average US car price could increase by around $3,000.

A January report by the Peterson Institute for International Economics suggested blanket 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico would slow growth and accelerate inflation in all three countries.

On Friday, Trump acknowledged there could be "some temporary, short-term disruption" from the tariffs.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce released a statement saying tariffs will have "immediate and direct consequences on Canadian and American livelihoods" and will "drastically increase the cost of everything for everyone".
The National Homebuilders Association said the levies could increase housing costs.
The Farmers for Free Trade said, with many US farmers already struggling, "adding tariffs to the mix would only exacerbate the situation across much of rural America".
The US Retail Industry Leaders Association, which includes big names such as Home Depot, Target and Walgreens among its more than 200 members, expressed hope tariffs could still be averted.
The White House, explaining on Saturday why it was targeting its top trading partners, said Mexican cartels were responsible for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs.
It said tariffs on Canada would remain until it "co-operates with the US against drug traffickers and on border security".
Lastly, it said "China plays the central role in the fentanyl crisis" with exports of the lethal synthetic painkiller.
Both the northern and southern US borders have reported drug seizures, though amounts at the border with Canada are considerably lower than those with Mexico, according to official data,
US border agents seized 43lbs (19.5kg) of fentanyl at the northern border between October 2023 and last September, compared to more than 21,000lbs (9,525.4kg) at the southern border.
Still, recent reports from Canadian intelligence agencies suggest a growing number of transnational organised crime groups are manufacturing drugs in Canada.
Ashley Davis, a Republican lobbyist for businesses, who represents major US companies, including Walmart and Boeing, and has been involved in discussions about tariffs, told the BBC's World Business Report she thought Trump would pull back on the tariffs in North America if he could point to progress on the issues he has raised as complaints – especially immigration.
"You have to remember – the border and China are the two biggest issues that Americans voted him on in the elections in November. Anything he can do to claim wins on that, I think he's going to do," she said.”
 

Rayblewit

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Thanks for the answer Col.
Now it makes sense. However I don't agree with his reasoning.
We Aussies are only getting concise news. No newspapers or TV or radio reports here have mentioned drugs being the reason.
I could have explored further though the internet or BBC, but I have good resources here . .lol.
Sorry Gary, looks like Trump wants to dominate Canada as well as USA. and the rest of the world.

Buying a new $2,500 Korg will now cost you over $3.000.
That hurts!
 

happyrat1

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Hitler's rallying cry was "Lebensraum" (Living space) The flatulate farce of a dictator is making up greivences to scapegoat America's staunchest allies.

See how you react Ray, when Chinese gunboats float up to Sydney harbour. :p
 
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The guy had 4 years to Make America Great and failed to do anything for Joe Public.

70,000,000+ Americans were so dumb as to vote him in again.

The USA is screwed, its politics is screwed, its congress is corrupt and self fulfilling.

And its mostly Canada and Mexico’s fault.

Why do I have the feeling Trump’s strings are being pulled by Musk?
 

happyrat1

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It's not only the voters. He's gerrymandered the districts and stacked the supreme court and the bureacracy with sycophants who have no clue how to run a country.

America is about to implode with it's own feculence.
 
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tRump is competely non sequitur: he gave conflicting reasons (first he said border leaks... which doesn't add up because there's much more illegal border crossing *into* Canada... *we* should build a wall). Then he said it was because we export more into the USA than we buy (they have 10x our population: Duh).

Biggles, agree 99% with your statements, and additionally, yes, Musk is pulling the strings. SpaceX was being fined ($633k) for safety violations, Musk didn't want to pay so fotus 'laid off' the heads of the FAA and put a hiring freeze on. The 4 crashes in 5 days started 1 week after fotus short staffed air safety and prevented them from hiring more.
But how is this Canada's fault...? That's like blaming Ukraine for Russia invading. (fotus has said he wants to annex Canada and Greenland)

In fact, he said he wants to put tariffs on Denmark til they sell him Greenland. If he does? many, many Americans won't be able to afford ozempic (remember, its original purpose was diabetes, not weight loss)

musk also now has full access to the us treasury. When a private citizen has that? it's usually called a coup.

Having said that, the same brainwashing going on down there is starting to affect us here (see: Alberta)
They thought they were voting for lower prices for gas and eggs, they're now at an all time high and rising.

Wait til they find out how much electricity and water they import from Canada.

One of the craziest parts is how many car parts are imported into the USA; this will make cars much more expensive on both sides of the border (one manufacturer estimates $7-8k per car). And doing this *while* there's an avian flu outbreak in US dairy cattle is going to be make milk prices skyrocket (and thus chocolate bars, etc)


They voted for this...

Mark
 
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'Shell shock': One group 'didn’t think it was going to be this bad' under second Trump admin:​


Wait until people realize DEI actually includes everyone except straight white males (so yes, white women)

Wait until people who are all excited about tariffs realize the consumer is the one who pays them

Wait until people realize Obamacare is just another name for the ACA, which a lot of people who are *on* the ACA voted for fotus, not realizing they were cutting off their own nose to spite their face.

Wait until people realize that billionaires are ok with people dying in air accidents if it saves them $633k.

Wait until people who unleash the face-eating leopard, expecting it to eat everyone else's faces, are totally surprised when it eats their faces as well.
 
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I have been saying since the 1980’s that the American political and capitalist system is deeply flawed.

The USA is NOT a Democracy, it is a Plutocracy which is where a minority who have great wealth rule.

Those with wealth pull the strings of those who they put into the political arena.

The wealthy are self fulfilling, they pass around the cash between each other and scoop up all who stand in their collective way.

Just how so many unelected people are given jobs of world influence is mind bogglingly stupid.

The Electoral College system is beyond a joke, the minority rule.

A bent Judiciary.

Who in their right mind outside the USA is going to buy USA made or grown goods?

The world is screwed due entirely to the USA interfering in the sovereign rights of other Countries?

Why does the Islamic world detest the USA, interference and exploitation by the USA for decades, that is why.
 
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I am in Toronto, and these days I work exclusively with Americans. I'll discuss what I *think* and what I *know* in the interest of critical thought. I have worked with American corporations, European corps, and Canada corps through the years.

I *know* Americans are amazing people - generous, thoughtful, and caring. I love working with them. I *know* they are generally not well-educated or worldly. Unlike other cultures there's a tendency towards hero-worship for leadership, and they respond to rhetoric over facts. So when Trump says, "we will make them pay", I *think* Americans love it, without understanding that it isn't Canadians that pay more, it's Americans. I don't *think* most Americans understand that they pay the tariff, not us. Of course there's other economic repercussions to Canada.

I *know* that Trump tells half-truths either on purpose or without caring, to further his own interests. He also intentionally distracts competitors with bullying tactics to get what he wants in a negotiation. He has told us this in his books about what a fantastic businessman he is. I *think* this tariff dispute has an endgame that we don't know about yet.

I *know* you shouldn't react to everything he says, because most of it is not factual or relevant.

I *know* the higher prices that inevitably come with this approach to isolationism, will benefit the wealthy and not the middle class or those in poverty. Trump says what those groups want to hear, and since Americans are lacking in critical thought skills, they follow the hero-worship culture the whole time they're being misinformed and misled. Americans are ignorant, by the definition of that word.

But, I say to Americans: you elected another self-serving white guy... I *think* everyone else in world knows it's a bad idea. And contrary to what you've been told, we're haven't been anti-American. Borderline fascism.

Trudeau: I *know* he did positive things for the Canadian economy in his 10 years. I *think* he made many stupid decisions that he should have reversed. I don't agree with imposing retaliatory tariffs, I *think* it's part of what Trump wants as part of his unknown endgame. But that endgame is self-serving, I don't *think* it's not going to benefit Americans in general.
 
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The USA imports 60% of the oil it refines from Canada.

Nothing like shooting oneself in the foot.
Indeed, 30 of the 50 states get oil from Canada, and many also get water and electricity from us as well.

I absolutely agree with PMJT and all the premiers except Smith who put retaliatory tariffs on; but yes, it's kind of stupid too, because now we're also paying more for goods, but at the same time, demand for US goods is dropping.
Wait until they realize there are 1.3 billion of us in the commonwealth.

Biggles: 100%. The entire world is now saying to them: "I told you so" You are even spot on as to when this all started: 1980. I've been paying attention to politics since then.

Having studied world history (and visited the Anne Frank house; we will go visit Auschwitz at some point, but we need to emotionally prepare for a *very* somber trip), we saw this all coming back in 2016.

Oh, and 88fingers, you hit the nail on the head. This is all to benefit the wealthy.
fotus doesn't care about lives. To him, these arbitrary tariffs are just more tax he (and his friends) can collect. Which ties into why musk has full control of the US treasury right now...
 

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