mhaze,

Ah yes, the return of “Art of the Deal” - where chaos is rebranded as strategy, and every fire is just a clever setup for the photo op of putting it out. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this wasn’t some calculated masterstroke.

Trump abruptly paused the tariffs after markets panicked and internal backlash mounted - not as part of a clever bluff. That’s reaction, not brinkmanship. Even The Times reported that the delay came from economic pressure, not strategic design.

Meanwhile, the US Trade Rep’s office isn’t remotely equipped to handle 70 simultaneous negotiations - it barely has 250 full-time staff. If this really were part of some grand plan, it was launched without the resources to follow through.

And the China escalation? A 125% tariff standoff with no clear endgame - that’s not chess. That’s checkers with a blindfold.

And frankly, even if this were all some deliberate game of brinkmanship, it would be a reckless and deeply cynical tactic - weaponising global economic stability and the livelihoods of working people just to manufacture leverage. That’s not strength. It’s amateurish, short-sighted, and morally bankrupt.

Trump’s claims of countries “begging” are just more of the usual theatrical bluster. If this is your idea of a genius negotiator, I’ve got some Trump-branded water to sell you.

"Meanwhile, the US Trade Rep’s office isn’t remotely equipped to handle 70 simultaneous negotiations "

That's true and indeed they've been making that point to Trump in recent days. The problem is that no one anticipated so many countries caving to Trump's policies so quickly. They're a victim of their own spectacular success.

Of course, there are those who see everything through a TDS lens - anything bad that happens is entirely due to Trump and anything good that happens - like the whole world beating a path to the WhiteHouse to renegotiate their trade deals- is sheer happenstance. These people are beyond logical argument.

mhaze,

It’s a bit early to pull the “TDS” deflection out, isn’t it? You should at least wait until the facts get too uncomfortable for you before dismissing them with accusations of emotional bias.

Pointing out that Trump lit a fire and then paused the damage doesn’t make someone deranged - it makes them observant.

Anyway, if the US Trade Rep’s office is overwhelmed, it’s not because of some “spectacular success.” It’s because Trump lobbed a global economic grenade with no plan to handle the fallout. That’s not strategy - that’s panic control with a PR spin.

And if countries are reaching out, it’s not because they’re basking in admiration - it’s because they’re trying to navigate around a volatile, impulsive leader. People don’t “beat a path” to a partner they trust. They do it to avoid becoming the next target.

50 countries. Then 70 countries. Now 79 countries. All suddenly shocked into taking the US and Trump seriously. The list grows. Except for one - Chyna.

The fact is these nations have been taking from the US for decades and couldn't believe a president was going to take away the feeding trough. Now that they know he's serious they are all madly scrambling to find a way to salvage their trade position with the greatest market on earth.

All those nations which competed with the lumbering Chinese juggernaut to sup at the US table, now see a way forward. Vietnam and India are already rushing to fill the gap that the tariffs on China will leave.

Places like Apple and the major car companies are already looking to repatriate jobs to the US. Canadian companies are looking to relocate across the border. Mexico too. Europe will soon decide that buying fossil fuels from the US rather than Russia isn't such a bad idea after all. (Tell me again how Trump is in Putin's pocket!) And I'd be willing to bet that the Australian quarantine control authorities are currently re-examining the trade barriers against US beef.

Art of the Deal.

mhaze,

Every time you tell this story, the number of countries grows like a fish that gets bigger with each retelling. We’re up to 79 now? At this rate, by next week it’ll be 142 and the UN will be offering Trump a global trade crown.

But let’s come back to reality for a second:
Where’s the list of these countries?
Where’s the evidence of Apple repatriating jobs - not just planning, not “reconsidering,” but actually doing it?
Where’s the confirmation that Canadian and Mexican companies are relocating, or that Australia is changing quarantine laws because of Trump’s tariffs?

Anecdotes aren’t policy, and optimism isn’t economics.

You’re treating any movement as proof of strategy - even when that movement is clearly the result of disruption, not diplomacy. I’ve already explained why this isn’t cause for celebration: a lack of preparation, markets rattled, a Trade Rep office completely unprepared to handle the volume, and countries scrambling to adapt to an unpredictable White House - not one thoughtfully leading the charge.

But instead of engaging with that reality, you’re inflating administration talking points and retroactively framing everything as part of some brilliant master plan - even when Trump’s own team admits they didn’t anticipate the scale of the response or have the infrastructure to manage it.

Call it “Art of the Deal” if you like, but from the outside, it looks more like flailing, rebranding, and declaring victory before the dust has even begun to settle.

If this is your definition of success, I’d genuinely hate to see what failure looks like. Let's face it, though, you're just digging your heels in now.

"Every time you tell this story, the number of countries grows like a fish that gets bigger with each retelling"

The number's growing. I'm just reporting it.

ME: "And I'd be willing to bet that the Australian quarantine control authorities are currently re-examining the trade barriers against US beef."

JD: "Where is the proof."

Comprehension dear boy!!

Its my opinion that a prudent Australian government would be doing this. Some have a lesser opinion of our government.

http://tiny.cc/8j1g001