Trump floats claims for Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal (Update: Trump wants Gaza too) (2 Viewers)

[superchuck500]

Oh, but he's only joking - well, maybe, so they say. Or sort of joking with Canada, and maybe not joking with Greenland - saying that "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" doesn't sound like a joke . . . and um, not sure about what the about Panama Canal thing is?

Trump Jokes Canada Becoming 51st US State 'A Great Idea'

US President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday it would be "a great idea" for Canada to become the 51st US state, teasing on social media that "many Canadians" welcome the idea, as Ottawa is wracked by a political crisis.

www.barrons.com

Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. Panama's president balks at the suggestion

Trump didn't explain how such a takeover would be possible, given that the U.S. relinquished control of the canal to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977.

apnews.com

 

[efil4]

No. But I can see why Trump may view it that way. The EU is just another entity to him. He sees the current deal as too one sided.

Oh you can?


I'm trying to understand where your coming from with regard to the EU statement. How you disagree with it, full stop, yet understand it.

I don't. So explain to me so that I can understand it

I get the part where you think he views the EU as "just another entity". They clearly aren't.

 

[Dragon]

Trump really is a psychopath according to your description. Ukraine is not a business unit. It is people dying, Kids being abducted and forcibly inductrinated in camps. Whole towns levelled. Anyone who sees this as a business entity as you describe it are devoid of all empathy and only sees his own needs.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

No. But I can see why Trump may view it that way. The EU is just another entity to him. He sees the current deal as too one sided.

For clarity, you are trying to explain the words coming from this guy?

President Donald Trump signed the USMCA, a thing like this specifically addressing trade with Mexico and Canada, in 2020.

 

[TampaJoe]

Oh you can?


I'm trying to understand where your coming from with regard to the EU statement. How you disagree with it, full stop, yet understand it.

I don't. So explain to me so that I can understand it

I get the part where you think he views the EU as "just another entity". They clearly aren't.

So you are incapable of understanding another point of view with which you don’t agree?

I think the EU was formed because its members believed it to be in their best interest. I don’t think the EU was formed to screw anyone.

Trump believes the current trade deficit with the EU is unfair to the US. HE believes they are screwing us. Whether he truly believes they were formed to screw the US is known only to him. He tends to trash talk his competitors. If he gets trade concessions he will praise them and take all the credit and blame his predecessors for letting it get out of hand in the first place. He has been following the same playbook his entire business career.

 

[TampaJoe]

Trump really is a psychopath according to your description. Ukraine is not a business unit. It is people dying, Kids being abducted and forcibly inductrinated in camps. Whole towns levelled. Anyone who sees this as a business entity as you describe it are devoid of all empathy and only sees his own needs.

He views other countries as competition or adversaries on one hand and some as partners on the other. He believes he can negotiate a solution to just about anything.

I have no basis to judge how empathetic he may be. Some of the most ruthless business people I have known were also very philanthropic. I don’t think that makes them psychotic. They make their decisions differently.

 

[efil4]

So you are incapable of understanding another point of view with which you don’t agree?

I think the EU was formed because its members believed it to be in their best interest. I don’t think the EU was formed to screw anyone.

Trump believes the current trade deficit with the EU is unfair to the US. HE believes they are screwing us. Whether he truly believes they were formed to screw the US is known only to him. He tends to trash talk his competitors. If he gets trade concessions he will praise them and take all the credit and blame his predecessors for letting it get out of hand in the first place. He has been following the same playbook his entire business career.

Ok so the trade deficit is a result of US exports to EU being lower than what US imports from EU.


Any ideas why that is?

I understand alternate points of view all the time. I don't understand alternate points of view that don't understand how economics work.

He was POTUS from. 2016 to 2020. We were running a deficit then too. And the % of deficit was virtually unchanged since 2015. Only the gross numbers increased (EU imports vs US exports dollar figures)

So this whole "fixing trade deficit by threatening and degrading " may work when you want to stiff your drywall contractor for their work on your hotel, but it doesn't work at this level.

 

[efil4]

He views other countries as competition or adversaries on one hand and some as partners on the other. He believes he can negotiate a solution to just about anything.

I have no basis to judge how empathetic he may be. Some of the most ruthless business people I have known were also very philanthropic. I don’t think that makes them psychotic. They make their decisions differently.

Lol ruthless yet philanthropic.

That's a new one. I know plenty of very successful business folks and none share that trait combination. None.

So it must be a regional thing. ( where you live/work)

 

[TampaJoe]

Ok so the trade deficit is a result of US exports to EU being lower than what US imports from EU.


Any ideas why that is?

I understand alternate points of view all the time. I don't understand alternate points of view that don't understand how economics work.

He was POTUS from. 2016 to 2020. We were running a deficit then too. And the % of deficit was virtually unchanged since 2015. Only the gross numbers increased (EU imports vs US exports dollar figures)

So this whole "fixing trade deficit by threatening and degrading " may work when you want to stiff your drywall contractor for their work on your hotel, but it doesn't work at this level.

What I understand is that we spend a lot more money than we take in and are running trillion dollar deficits. I also understand that we have challenges facing us that are going to require additional funding. So while I may not agree with his tactics I do understand the problem.

 

[TampaJoe]

Lol ruthless yet philanthropic.

That's a new one. I know plenty of very successful business folks and none share that trait combination. None.

So it must be a regional thing. ( where you live/work)

I doubt it. It also crosses party lines.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I doubt it. It also crosses party lines.

Both sides!

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

What I understand is that we spend a lot more money than we take in and are running trillion dollar deficits. I also understand that we have challenges facing us that are going to require additional funding. So while I may not agree with his tactics I do understand the problem.

Trade deficits aren't funding deficits. Not sure if you fall into this category, but Trump does not understand economics, just on the way he talks about trade deficits.

Trade is about equivalent exchanges -- we send, X amount of dollars to some country and in return get X amount of product. The value is neutral.

 

[superchuck500]

Lol ruthless yet philanthropic.

That's a new one. I know plenty of very successful business folks and none share that trait combination. None.

So it must be a regional thing. ( where you live/work)

I do not doubt that there are examples of ruthless, even psychopathic successful people who were also very philanthropic - I'm sure there's some kind of pathology to that but the evil business magnate that builds museums or whatnot is not outlandish, I'm pretty sure this has happened.

BUT let's be entirely clear that Trump has no philanthropic bone in his body. He's not allowed to operate charities anymore because they were bogus. He has judgments against him for misuse of charitable funds. He's a notorious bill stiffer and there are all sorts of reports of him claiming to have supported X or Y charity with contributions that just didn't happen . . . or were some other sort of swap that didn't require any real payment from him.

Trump’s Philanthropy: Big Tax Write-Offs and Claims That Don’t Always Add Up (Published 2020)

Hidden financial records cast doubt on a number of his charitable commitments and show that most of his giving came from land deals that offset his income.

www.nytimes.com

 

[efil4]

What I understand is that we spend a lot more money than we take in and are running trillion dollar deficits. I also understand that we have challenges facing us that are going to require additional funding. So while I may not agree with his tactics I do understand the problem.

as suspected. You understand very little about economics, trade and our deficit.

My hope is you do some research into getting a better understanding of our domestic deficit and economics first, then broaden out into international economics ( trade ) so that you truly understand how it all works.

good chat.

 

[superchuck500]

Trade deficits aren't funding deficits. Not sure if you fall into this category, but Trump does not understand economics, just on the way he talks about trade deficits.

Yeah, Trump seems to have identified trade deficits as indication that the "we have been mistreated very badly", but under the right circumstances trade deficits power growth and are beneficial to the standard of living the country. One key factor is the strength of the nation's currency and the US has been uniquely situated over the past 75 years to benefit from its currency position. Running trade deficits reflects policy choices, not weakness.

Yes, it fuels debt but it's my understanding that most macroeconomists agree that the US trade deficit has been net positive for Americans. The debt is an issue but trying to attack debt by challenging your growth engine is playing with fire.

 

[Dragon]

So you are incapable of understanding another point of view with which you don’t agree?

I think the EU was formed because its members believed it to be in their best interest. I don’t think the EU was formed to screw anyone.

Trump believes the current trade deficit with the EU is unfair to the US. HE believes they are screwing us. Whether he truly believes they were formed to screw the US is known only to him. He tends to trash talk his competitors. If he gets trade concessions he will praise them and take all the credit and blame his predecessors for letting it get out of hand in the first place. He has been following the same playbook his entire business career.

So you are basically admitting that he is a fraud and spreading lies to inflame his followers. The alternate reason could be that he despite attending wharton has absolutely no understanding of how economic works.

 

[efil4]

Yeah, Trump seems to have identified trade deficits as indication that the "we have been mistreated very badly",

but that plays to his audience.

They cannot be bothered with the nuances of just how trade deficits actually work; how dollar vs trade partner currency work, how many moving parts there are with respect to trade and economics for both domestic and international.

its boring, complicated and takes time to understand. Not to mention the differing "schools of thought".

Trump isnt reducing our deficit with tariffs.

 

[TampaJoe]

Trade deficits aren't funding deficits. Not sure if you fall into this category, but Trump does not understand economics, just on the way he talks about trade deficits.

Trade is about equivalent exchanges -- we send, X amount of dollars to some country and in return get X amount of product. The value is neutral.

I understand the money you pay other people is money you don’t get to keep. It’s jobs in other countries. It’s gdp in other countries. We don’t collect income taxes on jobs and economic activity in foreign countries. So even though we may get some value in return for the money we spend over there, it isn’t neutral.

Not to mention the fact that we shouldn’t be totally dependent on foreign countries for mission critical goods and services.

 

[TampaJoe]

So you are basically admitting that he is a fraud and spreading lies to inflame his followers. The alternate reason could be that he despite attending wharton has absolutely no understanding of how economic works.

Stop putting words in my mouth. That is not what I said.