I’m feeling kind of like that movie clip in which one of the Nazis has a realization and says to one of the others “Are we the bad guys?”
We are sure as hell behaving like the bad guys. Not for the first time, either; but I think this is the most irrational version we’ve come up with.
Apparently quite true, judging by the fact that, with no announced reason at all, Musk massively raised the prices of Teslas in Canada at just about the same time as his orange hero was going to impose tariffs on Canadian goods. I think the most popular Model 3 got the largest hit – an increase of nearly $9,000! Musk obviously doesn’t give a shit any more except to show his fealty to the Orange One, but the net effect of this is that nobody is buying Teslas in Canada any more, and probably wouldn’t even if prices had stayed the same.
Musk has always wanted to avoid the dealership model of car sales. But Tesla dealerships have apparently recently opened in some Canadian cities. The timing is impeccable but not in a good way.
Same vile threats again:
It’ll be like this for a long time as they try to soften us up for war.
I’m so tired of not hearing the slightest pushback to this ‘rip off’ bullshit the orange one is spewing.
We entered negotiations in good faith, together we reached an agreement. Which both nations signed, under NO duress, and then bragged on our successful cooperation toward mutual benefit, just like it’s always done between allied nations.
Who signed that ‘shitty’ agreement? DJT, of course.
No one is being ripped off! Instead the US is reneging on its international agreements, and turning on an ally, including a ridiculous smear campaign.
Why is this NEVER pointed out when he constantly repeats this crap?
Because the US press is servile to the orange one. And pointing out his lies has never mattered to the US electorate.
It’s the final sentence of my last link.
Why is it not higher up in stories? Because they start with what is new and end with what is foundational.
I think he does or he wouldn’t be pursuing a $400 million contract with the State Department for armored Tesla Cybertrucks.
At one point the administration was claiming that this deal started under the Biden administration, which is roughly 99% lie. The Biden administration considered spending less than $4 million on armored Teslas and charging facilities. Most of the money would have gone to charging facilities that could have been used for most any electric vehicle sold in North America, now that the industry has largely standardized on the North American Charging Standard, i.e., the Tesla charging standard. Instead, the deal under Trump has ballooned 100x. So much for DOGE savings.
And Canada doesn’t want to point it out, because it will pointlessly antagonize Trump. He’s a petty and vindictive loser, who is notorious for holding on to grudges for ridiculously long times. Our entire official strategy is likely built around managing Trump’s personality defects, since there’s no factual basis for any of his complaints, and so there’s nothing we can actually do to address those complaints.
Someone will figure out the minimum we have to give him to mollify him, while someone else tries to slip some stuff past him, to offset any loss from the mollification.
This isn’t negotiating with an international partner, or even rival. It’s tossing a bone to mangy feral dog, while hoping that will distract it from biting you while you slip away.
I have relatives that have a rental house very near the Canadian border and it is a popular rental for Canadians. They have had 5 reservation cancellations in the last week. I’m not saying those cancellations are from Canadians, but that would be a good guess. Also, the relatives most likely voted for Trump.
I live in Birch Bay, WA, where many properties are owned by Canadians and Canadians like to visit for vacations.
Their rental house is very near there. I wonder if the Bellingham Costco might get tolerable with lack of BC plates in the parking lot? Will it be noticeable?
It’s pitiful and disgusting when defending one’s self in a rational and factual manner is dangerously escalatory.
I just want to point out: there is no fentanyl coming from Canada. It’s the other way around. But even that is an off-limits topic.
In other news: the tariffs have been confirmed to take effect tomorrow.
Yes, there were rumours of a much lower percentage and/or limited tariffs on only some goods, but the orange dumbfuck is going right ahead and destroying Canada’s economy, in direct contravention of the free trade agreement.
The North American auto industry will shed hundreds of thousands of jobs in a month.
That’s to START.
The company I’m visiting from Wednesday to Friday will be out millions, and will likely have to lay people off. Of course, while they will lose a lot of business, their US customers will in many cases have no choice but to keep buying, thus costing them money, and hurting them and their customers. Essentially, the US Treasury is just taking money from a bunch of people. Many, many people will be harmed.
NASDAQ down 2.7%. The US is also declaring war on itself. If other countries lose confidence in the greenback and US commitment to the rule of law, this will reduce foreign investment and the costs of servicing their growing debt will greatly rise. But tax cuts for the wealthy!!!
Musk could compete against electric vehicles from China. Only if there are high tariffs. Chinese car companies invest heavily in research. Tesla spends much of its money on executive compensation.
The S&P 500 posted its largest single-day decline of the year.
This is going to be an economic bloodbath on both sides of the border. The North American automotive industry, in particular, is crucially dependent on the free trade agreement. Here in Ontario, Premier Ford has doubled down on his threat to cut energy exports to the US. And I imagine that I’ve seen the last of Bacardi rum for awhile as American liquor gets removed from the shelves.
From FRED:
Personal consumption expenditures: Durable goods: Motor vehicles and parts (DMOTRC1A027NBEA)
2024: 728.406
Total personal consumption expenditures, 2024: 19,827.154
Share: 3.7%.
That’s for the whole US: for the midwest the share would be higher. That’s a big chunk of GDP. Currently I say the stock market is not predicting recession, as that would involve a deeper drop in value.
This is a self-inflicted attack on the US supply chain. We’ve seen a similar movie before: it happened in the aftermath of COVID. I expect some US firms to benefit from import substitution: the Vermont maple syrup industry should do well. They make up 2.5% of world production (vs Canada’s 85%), so they don’t have to worry about a collapse in their export market. For more complicated industries, the benefits are typically less clear.
Maine’s congressional delegation is calling on President Donald Trump to avoid a trade war with Canada.
Rep Jared Golden ME-2 supports the trade war.