# Trump crashes the economy. Trump spikes the economy. Which is worse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 10, 2024, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013 "2024-11-10T04:04:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/1 "2024-11-10T04:04:50Z")
I’m pretty confident that if trump enacts his new tariffs, the economy is going to take a beating. Maybe not crash, but it will certainly slow down, and send inflation higher. If this happens, might people realize they made a mistake voting for him? OTOH, maybe he really is a stable genius, and the economy booms under his guidance. That’s good, right? Right? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/2 "2024-11-10T04:07:22Z")
Results matter. But so too is how you get those results. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/3 "2024-11-10T04:11:23Z")
Trump crashing the economy would be short-term loss but long-term benefit. Trump boosting the economy would be short-term benefit but long-term loss. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/4 "2024-11-10T04:38:59Z")
It will be soon for the inflation and recession cycle to come back in- there will be a recession and also inflation. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/5 "2024-11-10T04:48:46Z")
Do we assume that Trump is actually going to carry out the rest of his authoritarian agenda? If so, and no reason to think he won’t, nearly anything that undermines him is good. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/6 "2024-11-10T05:18:09Z")
“I put the tariffs in place so we’d all make money! Even though the law passed, the DEMICRATS ruined it!” Followed by no evidence, as usual. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/7 "2024-11-10T12:35:49Z")
Inflation is down to nearly 2%. If the Trump administration puts in his promised tariffs and inflation spikes he could have problems in the midterms leading to the loss of the house or senate, which would slow down the implementation of Project 2025. His handlers, such as they are, will advise him not to implement the tariffs right away or to do it so gradually so that the expected impact on inflation is minor. That way he can claim he increased tariffs but they won’t be nearly as high as what he promised during the campaign. Trump constantly lied and made false promises he never intended to keep, and that he can simply ignore. Remember the wall that Mexico was going to pay for? There’s no wall and Mexico hasn’t paid a dime. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/8 "2024-11-10T12:48:27Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > His handlers, such as they are, will advise him not to implement the tariffs right away or to do it so gradually so that the expected impact on inflation is minor. > > … > > Trump constantly lied and made false promises he never intended to keep, and that he can simply ignore. Yeah. Why does anyone think he really cares about tariffs, as opposed to something he said to get elected. If the economy continues to improve, he likely will keep his hands off and just take credit. Who.- other than Trump - is supporting huge tariffs? I could see him, at most, imposing some limited tariff andd claiming he fulfilled his promise. Of course, he could just do something unnecessary, irrational and stupid… 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/9 "2024-11-10T13:42:09Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Why does anyone think he really cares about tariffs, as opposed to something he said to get elected. Because tariffs punish other people and other nations. Trump doesn’t believe in trade, he believes in tribute, in his view if you don’t get something for nothing you’re a “loser”. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/10 "2024-11-10T14:07:03Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Because tariffs punish other people and other nations. Trump doesn’t believe in trade, he believes in tribute, in his view if you don’t get something for nothing you’re a “loser”. Tariffs certainly punish other people - that is, people who aren’t Trump - but those people are going to be the American population. Tariffs on imports are not paid by other countries. They’re paid by Americans who want or need to buy imported goods. That includes such essentials as food and medicine. Other countries? They’ll laugh and sell their goods to each other if they can’t penetrate the American markets. Meanwhile, Americans will discover how little is actually made in this country any more. Could we increase US manufacturing? Sure. It just takes _years_ to do so and a crapload of capital that we have to somehow convince the oligarchs to invest in actual material production rather than swapping virtual tokens around. I’m getting ready for years of suckitude. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/11 "2024-11-10T15:28:20Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Tariffs certainly punish other people - that is, people who aren’t Trump - but those people are going to be the American population. The man is so stupid. I’m not an economist or even a business person, and I understand that this would be bad for us. Hopefully, if we can find an adult in the room, they will convince him not to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/12 "2024-11-10T22:37:03Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Why does anyone think he really cares about tariffs, as opposed to something he said to get elected. Because the last time around, he imposed a whole lot of tariffs. He went out of his way to declare _Canada_ [a threat to US national security](https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/390527-canada-as-a-national-security-threat-to-the-united-states/) so he could do an end-run around Congress to impose tariffs on us. He maintained the tariffs on China even as the resulting trade war devastated large parts of the US agricultural sector. These are not the actions of a man who “doesn’t really care” about tariffs. Of all his ‘promises’, this is the one of two I really think he will do, the other being “Drill baby drill”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/13 "2024-11-11T21:35:24Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Tariffs on imports are not paid by other countries. They’re paid by Americans who want or need to buy imported goods. They are indeed paid directly by the exporting nations- except that of course they will raise their prices so Americans will pay for the tariffs _indirectly._ ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/14 "2024-11-11T21:44:16Z")
This is not true, at least not in many cases. They are paid by the purchasers of the products. When I buy electronic supplies from distribution, the tariff is added as a separate line item. When I buy PCBs from China, the tariffs are calculated _ **after** _ everything has been paid for, and the delivery service (DHL or FedEx) collects the additional tax directly from me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/15 "2024-11-11T21:48:09Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > This is not true, at least not in many cases. > They are paid by the purchasers of the products. > When I buy electronic supplies from distribution, the tariff is added as a separate line item. Sure, when you are ordering a large single item or ordering direct. But when China ships a whole containers full of polyester shirts or something, the tariff is paid by the shipper, each shirt doesnt have a little 10 cent bill attached for the tariff. Most items are not sold directly to the consumers, but to a American jobber, who sells to a wholesalers, who sells to a retailer, who sells to a customer… ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/16 "2024-11-11T22:36:57Z")
And then the shipper marks it up because their cost has gone up, and then the wholesaler marks it up because their cost has gone up, and then the retailer marks it up because their cost has gone up. Who pays the extra cost (plus extra markups)? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/17 "2024-11-11T23:12:08Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They are indeed paid directly by the exporting nations- except that of course they will raise their prices so Americans will pay for the tariffs _indirectly._ No, they will not. That is not how tariffs work. That’s like saying your local store pays the sales tax. No, YOU pay the sales tax, note it’s a separate line item on your receipt. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/18 "2024-11-11T23:13:27Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I’m pretty confident that if trump enacts his new tariffs, the economy is going to take a beating. Maybe not crash, but it will certainly slow down, and send inflation higher. If this happens, might people realize they made a mistake voting for him? Yes — but see below. There always is some bad economic news. There will probably be news stories about crops in the field rotting from harvest labor shortages, followed by produce price spikes and empty supermarket bins. If Trump listens to more mainstream advisors, he will go slow on own-goal promises about trade and immigration. But today’s appointment of Stephen Miller suggests that Trump is foolish enough to follow through on campaign promises. As for voters realizing they made a mistake, a few will. But more will recall having voted for Harris when they did not. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/19 "2024-11-11T23:13:42Z")
A tarriff is exactly a sales tax. It’s typical Republican regressive tax policy. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013/20 "2024-11-11T23:24:13Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > A tarriff is exactly a sales tax. So said Harris, mostly because that’s an easy criticism. Tariffs are worse. All the sales tax revenue goes to the government to provide public services. Tariffs give domestic producers room to raise their prices. So, unlike with sales taxes, much of the higher retail prices goes to big business. If you believe international trade is generally good, as I do, tariffs have harm above and beyond sales tax disadvantages. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-crashes-the-economy-trump-spikes-the-economy-which-is-worse/1010013.md?page=2)