# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [December 7, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070 "2016-12-07T00:25:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 35380

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**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/35380 "2019-08-13T14:06:34Z")

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> [@Folacin](#):
>
> I’m too lazy to look it up, but how much was China importing (both from the US and in general) prior to the trade war? And is it going to open up enough to at least match the agricultural products that we are no longer selling there?

Hey, don’t knock it, this is the first I’ve heard from anyone about what the trade war might actually be about. Trump goes on and on about how he’ll get a great trade deal with China, but I don’t recall him ever saying what he actually wants out of it. Does he want more access to the Chinese market, intellectual property protections, no currency manipulation, or something else?

Has anybody heard him say what he wants out of this trade war? My cynical side thinks that Trump hasn’t said what he wants so that whatever deal is struck he can declare it a win. My sad, fatalist side is worried that Trump doesn’t even know what kind of deal he wants from China.

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