Best Of

Just figured out where these fake tariff rates come from. They didn't actually calculate tariff rates + non-tariff barriers, as they say they did. Instead, for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us.

So we have a $17.9 billion trade deficit with Indonesia. Its exports to us are $28 billion. $17.9/$28 = 64%, which Trump claims is the tariff rate Indonesia charges us. What extraordinary nonsense this is.

https://x.com/JamesSurowiecki/status/1907559189234196942

Yes Trump is that stupid and to say it came out of his arse is a complete underestimate of the stupidity of the estimate.

‪@ahecon.bsky.social‬

Trump says he talked to Lee Iacocca about his tariff plan. Lee Iacocca has been deceased since 2019. #LiberationDay

I don't think it really matters whether other countries apply any retaliatory tariffs as there are going to be consumer boycotts over much of the world against anything 'Made in the USA'.

I don't think it really matters whether other countries apply any retaliatory tariffs as there are going to be consumer boycotts over much of the world against anything 'Made in the USA'.

Boycott US products and travel there

Lots of nicer places to visit in the world including Canada where our son and daughter in law live

EU 20% charge

Thank god for Brexit, eh?

Looks like it is a tangible Brexit benefit

Trump really does not like the EU

He’s only breaking one of our legs. We should thank him for not breaking the other?

Screw that. America wants a trade war, let’s have one. Free trade for everyone in the tariff zone. Cut America out.

Least surprising news ever

"National security adviser Mike Waltz’s team regularly set up chats on Signal to coordinate official work on issues including Ukraine, China, Gaza, Middle East policy, Africa and Europe, according to four people who have been personally added to Signal chats.

Two of the people said they were in or have direct knowledge of at least 20 such chats. All four said they saw instances of sensitive information being discussed."

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/02/waltzs-team-set-up-at-least-20-signal-group-chats-for-crises-across-the-world-00266845

Lock him up.

Tariffs are reciprocal he says. So, we don't have any tariffs to talk of for the US so there is nothing to reciprocate? Or is that just assuming that there is any logic to this nonsense at all?

He thinks VAT is a tariff.

This is because he is what we call in polite society a rucking fetard.

@TSE @rcs1000
Vanilla appears to be less shit now. Whatever the mods did, well done you

Replacement hamster installed.

Very good MEP on Ch 4 News making the case to go all guns blazing against Trump. Starmer's tough man stand lasted exactly a week. Even the Chinese are joining in. They also wont give an inch to Trump. I think Starmer should take note of public opinion

Disagree; I think Starmer’s right to ‘wait and see’ rather than sounding off before he knows what’s planned.
However I hope he knows what he’s going to say if it’s good, bad or whatever.

Agreed. What’s the advantage to his shooting his mouth off?

Disengaging from the USA is a years-long process.