State hand outs that’s bloody socialism!

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/us/politics/trump-cohen-tape.html

Loyalty to their own skins 😉

The tweet about Democrats being helped by Russia is genius. If he loses in the mid-terms or in the reelection, he can blame election interference. If he wins, he gets to say he was so popular even interference cannot cause him to lose.

Yep 100% all part of taking credit for everyone else doing stuff, from the same play book as inventing a problem then claiming to have fixed the non existent problem

Tapes a cracker.

Cant wait for the others to surface.

The tweet about Democrats being helped by Russia is genius.

Its his normal pattern. Accuse his opponents of his own failings/flaws.

Its his normal pattern. Accuse his opponents of his own failings/flaws.

That & create non-problems that he solves…

Apparently, the EU is in Washington to negotiate a trade deal, Trump is saying that all sides should drop all tariifs barriers and subsidies.

Tariffs are good yesterday, but bad today.

Speaking of tariffs, I see there may be a 12bn dollar subsidy handed out to US farmers who are struggling for some reason…

Hopefully ninny will come along and condemn it as an act of socialism.

Tariffs are good yesterday, but bad today.

Nah it’s simply he can only play a zero sum game, can’t work out how to do proper deals with people or negotiate. The art of the deal is to try and bully everyone else. He currently thinks he is hurting the EU and China more than the US, so long as he thinks that he can justify it (until November)

Apparently, the EU is in Washington to negotiate a trade deal, Trump is saying that all sides should drop all tariifs barriers and subsidies.

Tariffs are good yesterday, but bad today.

That’s always been the end game. He wants a level playing field and has been upfront about it.

Obviously the eu doesn’t want free trade. It’s a protectionist block.

Obviously the eu doesn’t want free trade. It’s a protectionist block.

Free trade works when both sides are equal. The EU has standards if the US meets them then we can deal, of course the EU is protectionist, of it’s citizens, of the rights of workers, of the health and well being and environmental standards. This is why it’s a negotiation.

Unfortunately he has as you said been up front about what he wants, so when he can’t deliver? What happens next?

 What happens next?

Tariffs and Europe having to pay for it’s own defence I’d imagine. Or a deal somewhere in between.

So between EU, China and November elections who is going to blink first – $12bn to Farmers

 Obviously the eu doesn’t want free trade. It’s a protectionist block.

Good.

Free trade is a concept that is dead in the water.

 Free trade is a concept that is dead in the water.

Lots of dead Africans in the water without it.

So who blinked first? Whats the chance of the EU rolling over for Trump?

Interesting opinion piece describing Trumps trade war as economic suicide from Fox News of all places.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/07/24/trumps-trade-war-is-economic-suicide.html

Wow the boot went in there!!

Good.

Free trade is a concept that is dead in the water.

By that measure, you should be a brexiteer.

Isn’t it a bit racist to do free trade only with white countries?

Protectionism is also why poor countries are often unable to compete with the west, who throw aid at the worlds poor to make themselves feel better yet deny them their ability to better their positions in life. Some people argue that free trade opens up poorer countries to what effectively amounts to colonialism – through rich western or Chinese companies purchasing land and buying out local companies. I don’t think that “free trade” has to automatically mean that though, I personally think the term should be applied to a tariffless world where all countries could trade on a more equal footing and be rewarded on a meritocratic basis.

That’s always been the end game. He wants a level playing field and has been upfront about it.

There is already a level playing field, EU tariffs are almost identical to US tariffs.

He is just a bully, when he was a big property developer he could bully small contractors and local officials, but now he has to deal with world leaders under the glare of the media he is proving what a useless, talentless **** he really is.

His approval rating is 48%, the highest it’s ever been so some people have changed their minds about him of late and decided he is doing a good job afterall. Nutters.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/

It is if you pick the only poll that is more right wing than Rasmusan 😉 They get a C+ for balance he is above his worst but only by 4%, he hasn’t got above 50% so more than half the country don’t approve.

He has a boost but not many have taken into account his recent performances.

He is playing to his crowds here but their pain is on it’s way.

He’s going to find out what “the economy,stupid”means,just in time for the next election.

Ah remember those meetings where the only action was set the date for the next meeting 🙂

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/us/politics/trump-europe-trade.html

but in another round of it’s the economy he might be chasing Obama’s deficit numbers 😉

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/business/trump-corporate-tax-cut-deficit.html

It’s hard to do anything if you don’t take anything

A great deal of Americans love Trump

he is acting like a warlord and they think the world will bow to their supremacy in every respect.

while Fox support him and he plays to the key targets (immigration, punishing China, showing military strength, supreme patriotism being white and rich enough to buy your way out of trouble)

Every time something goes wrong it can be blamed on the enemy (democrats, Mexico anyone who is not Trump)

Interesting twitter thread on the trade war https://twitter.com/Stonekettle/status/1022131837257363456

Seems like it makes logical conclusions to me.

Seems like it makes logical conclusions to me.

Really?

his key point is that the US doesn’t make anything anymore.

Here’s an article from before the election – and it’s only grown since then:

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-manufacturing-dead-output-has-doubled-in-three-decades-2016-03-28

you got as far as the conclusion didn’t you?

Conclusion

American manufacturing isn’t dead by any means. But the loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs has devastated the working class, and made reaching the American dream more difficult. Technological advancements and the rise of low-skilled manufacturing in China and other developing nations mean that fewer Americans work in factories, just as technological advancements 100 years ago meant that fewer Americans worked on farms.

Most Americans now work in service-producing industries, where inequalities in opportunities, skills and incomes are more apparent. Recreating an economy that provides equitable growth won’t be easy, especially if we pine for the good old days when a third of us worked at the factory.

Those days are gone for good, even if U.S. factories still churn out lots of items that are Made in the USA.

It doesn’t make the stuff that counts, Trumps “illiterate trade policy” (“But even cars produced domestically will rise in price thanks to the president’s economically illiterate trade interventions.” Fox words) are hurting the actual manufacturing jobs in the US…. He is killing off the industries that are left making the money

He is fighting a trade war with no ammunition. The EU will offer him something, the price he has to pay will be high.

Still something to distract you from the tape of him and Cohen, which was just to distract you from the can’t work out my words problems, which was just to distract you from….

As I write, I am watching Ken Burns documentary series on The Vietnam War. It is an incredibly thought provoking series, with scary ramifications that echo right through to today.

An interviewee describes the war driving a stake through the heart of America, from which it has never recovered. Watergate has just been mentioned which is apt given recent events.

I would urge anyone with an interest in recent American history and it’s consequences to watch it. It probably needs a thread of its own, but this suits it quite well.

Anyone think Mueller’s indictment of 12 Russian hackers the evening before Trump met Putin was politically motivated?  Blummin coincidence if not!

Anyone think Mueller’s indictment of 12 Russian hackers the evening before Trump met Putin was politically motivated?

Trump was told 3 days before, it was probably very important that he knew that before he went, it would also be important that charges were filed before he spoke with Putin and let slip info crucial to that.

Clever chap, Jean-Claude Junker.

I imagine it went something like: “Listen everybody, Trump has stiffed himself with his farmers over the Chinese soybean ban. Looks like a bargaining leverage to me, what do you think, chaps? Quick meeting before the wind changes?”   😉

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/business/media/white-house-cnn-kaitlan-collins.html

Did Michael Cohen betray you, Mr. President?” Ms. Collins asked.
And then: “Mr. President, are you worried about what Michael Cohen is about to say to the prosecutors?
Mr. Trump did not reply.

Questions worthy of a ban?

Well we know the answer to Ms Collins question now.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44976725

Ninconsequential asked if Trump had done anything good could you recognise it?

Well today N Korea returned American M.I.A. remains, so that should help families put their loved ones to rest, so good work Trump.

Agree pigface, I’m assuming that most died in POW camps ?

Must have been horrendous conditions having read a bit about how NK treats it’s own citizens in prison camps, truly horrific stuff.

Yep that is a good outcome. Still not sure of the concessions offered to get there are useful in a long term view.

Oh dear..

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-us-trade-truce-falters-on-day-1-over-farming/

His two most senior trade officials, however, soon enough insisted that all agricultural products (not just soybeans) should be part of the agreement — an anathema for the European Union.

Brussels was quick to shoot down such suggestions. “Agriculture is not part of the scope of the talks,” an EU official told reporters on Thursday.

“It’s clear that the U.S. side would’ve liked [it] but it has not been agreed, and Mr. Ross (Commerce Secretary) can say what he wishes but it doesn’t correspond” to the deal agreed, the official added. “There is no ambiguity in this regard.”

Ouch!

meh those are details man this si not what Donald is about he is all about the big things like delivering a zero tariff trading structure with the EU (Which excludes agriculture automotive and anything else we don’t agree on or accept US standards on)

Maybe it will encourage the US to invest in LNG shipping terminals to export some of the shale gas in 202?

Can’t see anything totally unbelievable in this mash story…

Trump spending $150m on Aberdeen golf course where he’ll someday be exiled