Indonesia has made an agreement with Trump. They will be paying lower tariffs while the US will be paying zero tariffs to import to them. Trump called this a win/win.
Trump's recent threat to impose a 50% tax on Brazil because he feels the Brazilian government is unjustly persecuting their ex president Bolsonaro appears to be backfiring. First, from the Brazilian side, the current president, Lula, is seeing a resurgence is public support, and their justice department is imposing more restrictions on Bolsonaro.
Then on the American side, i.t weakens Trump's argument that he has the power to impose emergency tariffs for economic reasons. We already have a trade surplus with Brazil. It is not about economics; it is about personality.
Then too, Brazil provides about 1/3 of all the coffee that comes into the United States, and 1/2 of all the orange juice consumed in the US. Personally, I can skip my OJ but I cannot abide my coffee. While we do not drink coffee from Brazil ourselves, an increase the price of coffee beans from Brazil will also drive up the cost of coffee beans imported from other countries.
Then too, Brazil is a key player in the BRICS economic group that wants to move away from the US Dollar as the world monetary standard.
Trump knows how to shoot himself in the foot. Right now, he is in so much guicksand, he doesn't seem to be interested in Canada becoming the 51st state or acquiring Greenland at the moment.
Not sure about the total impact on international tourists coming into the US, but I am thinking the US has seen at least a 30% drop in Canadians visiting us. But with the loss of foreign tourism, we Americans are beginning to see a reduction in domestic airfares and cheaper motel rates. Mrs Gramps and I are planning a trip to the New England states this fall which will help with our costs.
With all that is happening in the US. With Trump’s government taking people (including children) off the streets and all the rest, is it time to start treating the US government like say Russia? Is it time for sanctions etc?
To clarify my last question. I am asking a hypothetical question here. Not calling for sanctions. Has the situation in the US gotten so bad that outside countries need to start doing things? If not how long until they do?
With all that is happening in the US. With Trump’s government taking people (including children) off the streets and all the rest, is it time to start treating the US government like say Russia? Is it time for sanctions etc?
Not really. Not without huge damage to the countries imposing them (which may be the moral thing to do but at the same time they do have electorates). China has done far, far worse - for decades - and no one is rushing to do to them what has been done to Russia in terms of sanctions.
Arguably Russia has only been treated like Russia because it’s such a basket case that it’s economically cheap enough to do so…
Well, it means other countries are looking for other sources of food. China would normally buy 80% of American soybeans. Now, that market has dried up. Our farmers are really hurting.
I think in Europe it increasingly means that a substantial fraction of people are saying "Trump is great! We should have our own version of Trump here!". And indeed Trump and his acolytes are actively interfering to make this happen using both direct and indirect means. V. bad direction of travel.
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Then on the American side, i.t weakens Trump's argument that he has the power to impose emergency tariffs for economic reasons. We already have a trade surplus with Brazil. It is not about economics; it is about personality.
Then too, Brazil provides about 1/3 of all the coffee that comes into the United States, and 1/2 of all the orange juice consumed in the US. Personally, I can skip my OJ but I cannot abide my coffee. While we do not drink coffee from Brazil ourselves, an increase the price of coffee beans from Brazil will also drive up the cost of coffee beans imported from other countries.
Then too, Brazil is a key player in the BRICS economic group that wants to move away from the US Dollar as the world monetary standard.
Trump knows how to shoot himself in the foot. Right now, he is in so much guicksand, he doesn't seem to be interested in Canada becoming the 51st state or acquiring Greenland at the moment.
Not sure about the total impact on international tourists coming into the US, but I am thinking the US has seen at least a 30% drop in Canadians visiting us. But with the loss of foreign tourism, we Americans are beginning to see a reduction in domestic airfares and cheaper motel rates. Mrs Gramps and I are planning a trip to the New England states this fall which will help with our costs.
Not really. Not without huge damage to the countries imposing them (which may be the moral thing to do but at the same time they do have electorates). China has done far, far worse - for decades - and no one is rushing to do to them what has been done to Russia in terms of sanctions.
Arguably Russia has only been treated like Russia because it’s such a basket case that it’s economically cheap enough to do so…
Which sort of makes my point. They do whatever they want within their own borders…