He’s threatening major tariffs on Brazil, in part because they’re witch hunting Bolsonaro for disputing his lost re-election results.
He’s not satisfied destroying democratic norms and rule of law at home, he has to destroy them everywhere.
Well, of course. He really thinks he’s the king of the world.
“Brazilians didn’t vote for me? Well, screw them. Hit them with tariffs.”
“Ummm, Mr. Trump? Brazilians couldn’t vote for you.”
“Well, they should have anyway.”
Totally fictional scenario, but yeah, it’s time for the 25th Amendment to come into play.
I wonder if he’ll still deny that this is a quid pro quo.
Trump? Of course he will. A “deal”, now, that’s something to brag about.
Trump got impeached in his first term for withholding aid from Ukraine unless they investigated Hunter Biden, and he insisted there was no quid pro quo.
Now he’s threatening tariffs against another country unless they help out a buddy of his. I’ve been wondering if that letter has his signature.
I bet that Putin was part of that mess. He has Trump on a string.
There is a certain perverted irony to threatening ridiculously high tariffs on a country with whom the US has a trade surplus.
“I want more, more, MORE! BWAHAHAHA!!!”
And it bears repeating that Brazil is one of the many countries with which the USA has a trade surplus.
Also, as Paul Krugman wrote on his Substack a few days ago:
Those exports to the U.S. are less than 2 percent of Brazil’s GDP. Does Trump really imagine that he can use tariffs to bully a huge nation, which isn’t even very dependent on the U.S. market, into abandoning democracy?
Brazil’s exports to the U.S. amount to a small blip in its (very large) economy. Brazil exports over three and a half times as much to China and the EU as it exports to the U.S. Even if U.S. consumers decided to stop drinking Brazilian coffee and orange juice altogether in response to these tariffs, it wouldn’t amount to more than a small lowering of Brazil’s overall growth.
Donald Trump is as astute as a man with a hammer for whom everything looks like a nail.
Well, 75 million Americans are willing to do it for less.
Usually that expression likens him to a puppet. In this case, it’s a yo-yo.
Totally random but the news was showing this clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLcfpU2cubo
and if you look at 0.14, all I can think of is this and it’s ruining a perfectly good movie for me.
https://youtu.be/FgS3bJaA_ac
The usual phrase is two-year old with a hammer. Still fits.
Not that Trump could be this introspective or has any type of self analysis, but I’ve always loved the Calvin and Hobbes -
Please do not compare Calvin to a vacuous toddler who shits his diaper 5 times a day whose stuffed tiger has the personality of a freshly-opened block of casu martzu.
Donald Trump goes on Truth Social and threatens to take away Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship, calling her “a threat to humanity.”
I just can’t with this guy.
That Calvin and Hobbes strip took on new meaning when I became a parent. I have so much empathy for his Mom & Dad.
Please don’t make me defend Rosie O’Donnell.
Oh hell, too late.