Just saw that Trump now wants to talk to Canada and Mexico about the tariffs

[Quixote1818]

Maybe his bullying tactics didn't get him the desired outcome? Or the backlash is too hot!

[mahina]

1. I hope so with all my heart. He's a buffoon with nukes and way way way too much power

If someone wanted to actually weaken this country and put us in danger, what could they do that he hasn't done?

Don't give him any ideas. Him and his bestie are obviously enemies of the people. I hope Canadians understand we loathe him too.

[arthritisR_US]

9. We do and we are worried about not only you and us but the

world, all people’s , all nationalities.

[mahina]

11. Me too, to tears.

I can not believe that our people thought about womens health care rights, black rights. equal rights for gay folks, and the bloody climate and threw in with that son of a bitch.

I am so so so so sorry.

[arthritisR_US]

18. You so echo my mind and feelings.

[yaesu]

2. He will probably play the stock market like a cheap piano, short before he rants, cover before he acts

like he might compromise, he did that during tRump 1.0.

[pimpbot]

6. yup people must have forgotten trump v1

He would say something stupid and the markets would go crazy. Then once him and his buddies made their moves he would retract whatever he was going to do, or propose something the complete opposite.

By Tuesday we probably wont have any tariffs and the market will recover. In the meantime Elon looted the treasury and dumpys wall street bros made a ton of money.

[Diraven]

3. Time for the shakedown

I've been predicting that this whole tariffs nonsense will be a plan for Trump to solicit bribes from countries and companies in return for granting exceptions to tariffs. It's the same thing he's doing with the ridiculous lawsuits and settlements with all the news and social media companies.

[tanyev]

15. Yep. First you rough them up just a little bit and see if that gets the cooperation you want.

[thinkingagain]

4. I don't my husband was scrolling through something

Tik tok or whatever and I heard a small part of the whiner
Saying something about how horrible M&C are drug cartels, drugs, illegals oh and C and the banks they won’t lets us have banks
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bank of Canada in my state!
Is Bank of America up there ?
Since I wasn’t really listening only caught parts before hubby scrolled on
I could be off somewhat

[Silent Type]

5. He'll have Mexico and Canada change a few policies, maybe cut rate or "postpone" start, or something and claim victory.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Canada already changed a bunch of policies but tRump said "There's nothing they can do."

He gives out changing sets of reasons for the tariffs, but the bottom line is that he loves tariffs and he thinks he is an economic genius who has discovered a magic wand to make everything grand and the price of gas and eggs low.

On Friday he said "there is nothing they can do" to dissuade him. In other words, he is just being a bully.

Some of what Canada has done, in the spirit of cooperation with border issues:
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/defence/securingborder/strengthen-border-security/securing-canada-us-border-to-date.html

Securing the Canada-U.S. Border: Actions and Outcomes to Date
Target: Eliminate sources of illegal southbound movements

89% reduction in illegal southbound movement from peak 2024 levels
77% reduction in irregular asylum claims in Canada (2024 v. same period in 2023)
Reduced visa fraud through tightened processing measures and 600% increase in visa investigations
Security screening of 100% of asylum seekers and high-risk visitors
Increased removals of failed asylum claimants (targeting 25% increase next year)

Target: Eliminate illegal border crossings through real-time surveillance of border areas

Investments in border surveillance equipment and capacity (drones, towers, Black Hawk helicopters, K-9 teams), including military support for intelligence analysis and logistics
Increased federal border personnel complemented by an additional 350+ personnel and support from provinces and territories
Freed up Canadian and U.S. border officers to focus on high-risk activity by closing immigration processing loophole (flagpoling) – up to 8000 labour days saved

Target: Detect and disrupt the fentanyl trade with more technology, tools, intelligence and cross-border collaboration

Establishing Canada-U.S. enforcement Strike Force, with plans to develop joint intelligence mapping with U.S. by February 2025, establish shared targets, and collaborate on specific operations
Executive Direction to Canadian intelligence agencies to immediately redirect resources to focus on transnational criminal organizations
Investments in detection capacity: X-ray devices, radiation portal monitors, chemical analyzers, postal detector dog teams
More support for law enforcement investigations through increase in lab analysis capacity, increased collaboration with U.S. DEA in areas such as training and information sharing, and new drug enforcement hubs modelled after the U.S.
Hitting back at illegal fentanyl production by increasing control and oversight of precursor chemicals, and more rapid response to identify and schedule emerging precursor chemicals
More tools to follow the money through enhanced anti-money laundering authorities and financial investigations, new border financial crimes centre, and new North American operational alert on money laundering indicators
Lab busts: Between 2018 and 2024 Canadian law enforcement disrupted and dismantled 44 lab sites tied to illicit fentanyl; multijurisdictional approach to upcoming disruption and prosecution

Target: Strengthen border security through cross-border information and intelligence sharing

Joint enforcement activities underway with U.S. through Integrated Border Enforcement Teams, joint management tables, U.S. Border Enforcement Security Task Force, and joint threat assessments / operations
Investments in joint intelligence capacity to disrupt transnational organized crime and illegal drug and firearms trafficking
Enhanced information sharing (e.g., information on high-risk child sex offenders, information on bulk trading, etc.) and joint training

Target: Keep people safe through joint emergency readiness and perimeter security cooperation, especially during fire season

Establishing a FEMA/PS Joint Emergency Management Council for "NORAD-like" partnership in emergency management
Providing mutual assistance when needed most (e.g., fighting Los Angeles fires)
Conducting joint emergency response exercises (EX Vital Archer, EX Cobalt Magnet)


Date modified:
2025-01-15

[Cosmocat]

16. He actually knows what he is doing

The primary purpose of the tarriffs are to syphon $ from "free trade" into the federal government to off set the tax cuts that will overwhelming benefit him and the other plutocrats.

Meanwhile, because he is for them and the loathsome libs are noting that ultimately WE will pay for them, their base LOVES them, in fact as with everything else with them the worse an idea is the more the embrace it, there is a growing interest in ending all federal income taxes in lieu of tarriffs. And, they are all eating up the "things were SO BAD we need to have some short term pain because the DT plan really starts to take effect!"

As with everything else at this point we are just going along for the ride.

Nothing to stop it.

[Ollie Garkie]

8. If it was anyone else...

I would say talking is good.

[UTUSN]

10. To browbeat more

[Mountainguy]

12. He's probably getting the internal polling

on his "bit of pain" comments and seeing that people aren't in the mood for much pain.

He'll bail on the tariffs and try to find a way to claim it as a victory.



Trump often tries to create leverage with strongarm tactics as a way to get a leg up in a negotiation. It's not a terribly ineffective thing, but pretty ham-handed when used against what is one of our closest friends that hasn't done anything to hurt us.

Same thing with when he was threatening to withdraw from NATO, "take the panama canal", invade greenland, blah blah blah.

Given the response from Canada and the obvious economic damage it would do, I think he's looking for an escape hatch.

[LeftInTX]

13. I think he is doing this for attention

Both the tariffs and possibly not having tariffs. He likes the attention. Good and bad.

[DFW]

14. Maybe the producers of Kentucky Bourbon and Tennessee sourmash didn't like the sudden order cancelations?

Rand Paul and Marsha Blackburn would have had their phones ringing off the hook since yesterday.

[Prairie Gates]

17. Claim of rapid and total victory incoming

"Trade wars are easy to win," etc.

Spectacle and stupidity, just as expected.