Trump’s Tariff Debacle in 6 Quick Takes

Trump’s Tariff Debacle in 6 Quick Takes February 4, 2025
Elon Musk, giving Nazi salute at Trump inauguration, Jan 20, 2025. screenshot, copyright Rebecca Hamilton. All Rights Reserved.

Your princes are rebels and comrades of thieves;

Each one of them loves a bribe and looks for gifts.

The fatherless they do not defend. The widow’s plea does not reach them. 

Isaiah 1: 23

Trump put tariffs on Mexico and Canada last Saturday.

Unlike Jeff and Mark, who knocked one another down in the rush to sell themselves to Trump … also unlike most of America’s “news” outlets, who folded up like wet washcloths in front of Trump …

Canada and Mexico retaliated with strong tariffs of their own. More to the point, they aimed their response directly at Elon Musk’s enterprises and bottom line. Canada even went so far as to cancel a large contract they had with Elon, costing him a lot of coin, both now and going forward. They also put a tariff directly on Tesla car sales. 

So … on Monday … Trump tucked tail and ran. He “delayed” the tariffs for a month. And Canada “paused” its plans to cancel Elon’s contract. The tariffs on Tesla sales are also on hold. 

Here are 6 quick takes (which are entirely my own) on all this. 

1. Trump and his gang tried to claim that the tariffs were some sort of ploy to stop the fentanyl that is killing a lot of Americans from coming into this country. I think this is an obvious lie that only MAGA who believe anything Trump says and people who are totally uninformed would buy.

Trump said repeatedly for over a year in rallies, interviews and his many middle of the night rants that he wanted the tariffs to pay for his tax cuts for the wealthy. He claimed he would use them to balance the budget. Once, during the campaign when he was momentarily trying to pretend that he isn’t a vile woman-hating sexual predator, he even claimed he would use it to pay for childcare.

The lie about using tariffs to stem the tide of drugs was just something he dreamed up to get MAGA to be ok with the huge tax increase that he was placing on them with the tariffs. The tariffs were a massive tax increase on you and me. That’s all they were. 

2. The market plunged down when the tariffs were on. Then, the market turned and went straight up when Trump announced the tariffs were off. Corrupt politicians and people connected to the White House could easily have made many millions of dollars if they knew when the announcement that the tariffs were off was going to happen. This is especially true for those who are dealing in crypto — which is something Trump has been using a lot. I don’t know this happened. Just sayin’.

3. Elon’s bottom line determines America’s economic policies. What is good for you and me has nothing to do with it.

4. I suppose all faithful MAGA obediently began hating Canada over the weekend. I don’t know if they’ve received instructions to stop hating Canada or if they’re being told to take hatred of Canada to the next level. All I know is that MAGA hates mindlessly, and on command.

5. This isn’t governance folks. Trump has made enemies of two allies, to the point that Canada is considering increasing its trade with Europe and deep-sixing their close economic ties to the United States. Trump didn’t help America with this fiasco. He hurt us.

6. Canada aimed their tariffs directly at Elon Musk and Trump ran like a dog. Canada demonstrated for all the world that Trump is Elon’s you-know-what. And America is Elon’s you-know-what. And I guess that means you and I are Elon’s you-know-what, too.


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