Trump also imposes new export controls on critical software products.
More Tariffs, Hooray?
The stock market does not like the tariffs and neither do I. The Nasdaq is down 3.6 percent, the S&P 500 3.3 percent, and the DOW 2.4 percent.
In contrast, bonds rallied. Yields dropped with the 10-year yield down 11.8 basis points to 4.03 percent. The 30-year long yield dropped 9.4 basis point to 4.64 percent.
What Happened?
The Wall Street Journal reports Trump to Hit China With Additional 100% Tariff, Citing Restrictions on Rare-Earth Elements
President Trump said Friday he would hit China with a 100% additional tariff and impose new export controls on critical software products after Beijing placed restrictions on the export of rare-earth minerals.
The new measures will take effect Nov. 1, Trump said in a Truth Social post, which came after earlier threats of retaliation sparked a market selloff that sent the S&P 500 to its worst day since April.
The move comes after China this week announced new export restrictions on rare earth minerals, which are critical components of products such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, and jet fighters. China dominates processing capabilities for rare earth minerals, giving it leverage over the U.S. and other nations.
“It is impossible to believe that China would have taken such an action, but they have, and the rest is History,” Trump wrote.
Trump had earlier suggested an expected meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea would no longer go forward. “I was to meet President Xi in two weeks, at APEC, in South Korea, but now there seems to be no reason to do so,” he wrote in a post Friday morning.
The Chinese action could have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. economy. Earlier this year, U.S. automakers warned they would have to cease production in many factories if they didn’t receive rare earth magnets from China. They said stoppages could be as widespread as during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest round of export restrictions from Beijing could be even more punishing. Under the new rules, global companies that sell goods with certain Chinese minerals that account for 0.1% or more of the product’s value would need permission from Beijing. Many global tech firms will find it difficult to prove that their microchips and other equipment fall below that threshold, putting them at the mercy of the Chinese government for critical goods.
Average U.S. tariffs on goods from China currently stand around 57%, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and had reached above 140% at the peak of Trump’s trade disputes earlier this year. Chinese tariffs on American goods are around 33%.
The Chinese measures include a sweeping declaration of intent to control global technology supply chains, going beyond the more limited U.S. approach of protecting critical domestic technologies. Beijing has also imposed new port fees on U.S. ships and, in a direct shot at a pillar of American innovation, launched a new antitrust probe into the semiconductor giant Qualcomm.
Taken together, these actions had set a tense and unpredictable stage for the leaders’ expected summit. A potential cancellation of the meeting would represent a blow to Xi, whose objective is to have continued engagement with Trump to manage the relationship. The Chinese leader has already defined the U.S.-China relationship as a long-term “struggle,” and his strategy hinges on using time to its advantage.
“Beijing may have overplayed its hand,” said Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank. “What China saw as leverage, Trump saw as betrayal, and that miscalculation could mark the beginning of the end of the tariff truce.”
China Overplayed Its Hand?!
Actually, Trump overplayed his hand, and dramatically.
Who started this trade war anyway?
I have been commenting about rare earth elements for years, warning about this precise event.
Let’s have a refresher.
November 21, 2024: China’s Puts Export Curbs on Minerals US Needs for Weapons and Technology
In a warning shot to the Trump administration, China tightens export controls on some dual-use minerals.
December 3, 2024: China Halts Rare Exports Used by US Technology Companies and the Military
This is China’s advance salvo at Trump tariffs. It comes one day after the Biden administration expanded curbs on the sale of advanced American technology to China.
On April 4, 2025, I commented China Strikes Back With 34 Percent Tariffs, Stocks Plunge Second Day
China restricts 7 more rare earths, something I have warned about many times.
China Panics
Trump says China Panicked
CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!
Actually, Trump will be the one to panic if China halts all rare earth exports, not just to the US.
April 13, 2025: China Halts Rare Earth Exports Desperately Needed by the US
I have been warning about this for years. It’s now happening.
If Trump ups tariffs on China again, China will reinstate export controls on rare earths.
June 3, 2025: China’s New Trade Negotiator Will Not Cater to Trump on Tariff Negotiations
Rare earth minerals are China’s trump card.
My Ending Comments on April 4
Today China retaliated [against Trump tariffs] by Immediately restricting exports of seven types of rare earths.
China can easily block rare earth exports to the world. If that happens, Trump will panic.
We should not be in this position, but we are.
On April 9, I noted Trump Capitulates with a 90-Day Pause on Tariffs with the stock and bond market plunging, I commented “Trump has had enough of the stock market decline.”
Later that day, Bessent bragged “Trump Goaded China into a Bad Position”.
I called it the lie of the day, now revealed as such.
The lies are endless. Here’s a real hoot: Trump Says “Car Companies Will Be Thrilled With Tariffs”
The word of the hour is “thrilled” by 25 percent tariffs on autos starting April 2.
Two-TACO Trump Day
TACO Trump is a term coined by a Financial Times columnist. It stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out.”
On June 5, I noted a Two-TACO Trump Day on His Call to Xi Over Rare Earth Elements
Trump is hyping up his call with China’s Xi. But chalk up 2 more TACOs.
Take the idea that Trump’s 5D chess plan will be another David vs Goliath story with Trump playing the role of David, and put it where it belongs, on the Sunday funny pages.
Humorously, Trump negotiates with himself and always concedes. So, expect more TACOs, but with everyone losing.
No one wins trade wars. But the idiotic consensus was Trump had the upper hand because the US imports more from China than they do us.
I believe it’s safe to say that I called this.
Now What?
Trump imposed more tariffs on China last month. The effective rate on all goods from China rose to about 60 percent.
China had enough of all this. In May, China decided the US was not a reliable trading partner. It halted soybean imports, turning to Brazil instead.
Here’s the result: Trump Seeks a $10 to $14 Billion Farmer Bailout
Tariffs backfired on US agricultural exports.
Sad Stupidity
Critically, Trump makes no distinction between genuine national security risks and socks.
The sad stupidity of Trump’s economic illiteracy is Trump punished allies like Canada and Mexico the most.
I proposed long ago that the way to deal with rare earths is to get Canada to produce them and Mexico (with its cheap labor) to process them.
Instead, Trump imposed tariffs on the world. And China is the country most able to strike back.
So, here we are. Trump put an additional 100 percent tariff on China. So what, Mr. President? So what?
At some point additional tariffs don’t do anything. A 1000 percent tariff does no more than a 150 percent tariff.
So what’s your next TACO Mr. president?
Delusional Comment and Hoot of the Day
By the way, Trump now says the meeting with Xi is not cancelled.
Untrue. Washington forces allies too to comply.
ASML in The Netherlands (an offshoot of Philips) produces the most critical gear for high end chips and has been forced to comply, but the same applies to companies in France, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
Untrue. The Chinese reaction is a counter move to Howard Lutnick’s attempt to play hardball.
The Chinese are mirroring US actions:
»The US justifies actions on the basis of national security, now so does China.
»The US is attempting to block China’s path to further development and technological advance; The Chinese are blocking the path of the US to grow its own industrial base and technological advance.
Trump et al need to ask themselves how smart it is to create hostility in a party on who you are completely dependent for all high-tech manufacturing and basic commodities (TNT, antimony, high grade cotton, etc) for your military-industrial base.
The Chinese would have to be crazy to help you build the siege weapons you need to wage war on them.
Is China’s Xi having medical issues and has he purged any high ranking military officers recently?
Grok 3 AI:
Xi Jinping’s Health
As of October 10, 2025, unverified reports have emerged claiming that Chinese President Xi Jinping suffered a sudden stroke earlier today, leading to emergency medical treatment in Beijing and his hospitalization. These claims, originating from alleged insiders within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), describe his condition as “extremely critical,” with sources including former CCP insider Du Wen suggesting that a formal power transition may already be underway. Additional indicators cited include Premier Li Qiang abruptly cutting short a visit to North Korea and confirmation from South Korea that a planned Xi-Trump meeting at the APEC Summit is unlikely to occur. Similar rumors have circulated throughout 2025, including speculation in May about a possible stroke based on Xi’s head tilting during public appearances, reports of hospitalization in August tied to potential CCP infighting, and June discussions of health-related political transitions. However, a June analysis attributes some of these narratives to Russian-linked disinformation efforts lacking credible evidence. No official Chinese government confirmation has been issued, and such health rumors about Xi have historically been used for political speculation rather than verified fact.
Recent Purges of High-Ranking Military Officers
Yes, Xi Jinping has overseen a major and ongoing purge of high-ranking People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers throughout 2025, described by analysts as the largest military shakeup since Mao Zedong’s era. This campaign, framed as an anti-corruption drive but widely seen as a means to enforce loyalty, has targeted nearly a fifth of the generals Xi personally appointed, including key figures in the Central Military Commission and Rocket Force. Since April 2023, at least 21 senior officers have been removed, with two defense ministers among those ousted for corruption. Here’s a summary of key 2025 developments:
| Date | Key Events and Individuals | Details |
| April 2025 | Removal of He Weidong | Xi’s No. 2 officer in the PLA and Central Military Commission vice chairman dismissed amid broader loyalty checks. |
| June 2025 | Ousting of Miao Hua | Top general and director of the PLA’s Political Work Department expelled from the CCP’s top ruling body for “serious violations of discipline”; latest high-echelon purge signal. |
| July 2025 | Wave of senior leadership purges | New round engulfs PLA command, questioning readiness for potential conflict; focuses on factions close to Xi. |
| August 2025 | Expulsion of four top generals | National People’s Congress Standing Committee removes four senior PLA figures in anti-graft push; signals expanding scrutiny. |
| September 2025 | Dozens more generals targeted | Bloomberg analysis reveals ousters of over 50 since 2012, including Rocket Force bosses; parade of military coincides with quiet firings to rebuild confidence in commanders. |
These actions have raised concerns about the PLA’s operational readiness and cohesion, potentially debilitating its capabilities despite Xi’s push for military dominance. Recent CCP regulations on ideological work, promulgated in early October, suggest the purges may extend beyond the military to mid-level cadres nationwide, evoking fears of a “second Cultural Revolution.”
If you were China would you turn the screws now…
Old leader only in tenuous connection in reality
Upper leadership without strength, integrity and competence
No independent base of strength
A purge beginning in the military
A deeply divided country
Allies driven away
Critical shortages in arms
Yep. You answered you own question.
So the Chinese say that you have to have a government license to buy Chinese made products? Products that can be used against them in war? I would think the US would do the same thing. Do we have export controls on selling F-35s to China? I’m sure we do. I guess I don’t understand what the big deal is here.
A sugnificant potion of US defense system are built with Chinese rare earths
Sources say up to 77% of defense systems (or should I call “war” systems)
Is this how you make China tremble?
On a serious note:
The stock market is starting to understand the reality of China going full tilt in restraining the export of Rare Earth’s and products made from them.
On Monday, traders will be contemplating being trapped under the insane valuations of Nvidia, AMD, Palantair, GE Vernova, plus ~ the entire defense industry. That insane valuation is all based on tiny amounts of key ingredients that will now be withheld from export to the US.
Thanks to: Donald J. Trump.
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Trump bankrupted a Casino!
Trump brought the US to a standstill when he mis-managed Covid.
Get ready for round two of Trump bringing our economy to a standstill.
<><><<><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Trump was never playing 5~D chess. On his best day he plays checkers against school children while trying desperately to see out of the beady title eyeholes of his KKK smock…
None of this is happening in a vacuum. I believe it’s next week when the Trump administration starts imposing port fees for all Chinese built vessels and also Chinese operated vessels. Apparently, this is to save an American commercial ship building industry that has largely not existed for 60 plus years. This is not getting the attention in media circles because there are very few American flag shipping companies anymore and we have little ship building capacity for large tonnage non-military vessels. What we do have is a fragmented ship building industry geared to military construction. But even that is constrained. I believe the rare earth limitations by China is a counter to the vessel fee issue. The timing aligns.
Close. China is also imposing similar port fees on US commercial ships in retaliation.
The rare earth restrictions are just China acting like Trump. They are intended to soften up your opponent before you meet with them. Trump and Xi are scheduled to meet.
Trump does the same thing before he meets with any world leader. Announce something outrageous about the other leaders country and claim that he is going to punish them. This is in the hope of gaining the upper hand in negotiations.
What US commercial ships? We have few, if any!
Fewer than 200 US ocean going commercial ships representing less than 0.1% of commercial traffic vs China’s 16%. China put port fees on them anyway in retaliation. Mostly symbolic.
“None of this is happening in a vacuum.”
Yes. China is preparing to take Taiwan by force.
your broken clock will be right, some day
Unfortunately, Trump only got the covid vax yesterday. Should have gotten the anti-stupid vax.
According to our resident medical experts, the vax should kill him within days.
Causes turbo cancer. Only remedy is Ivermectin, light therapy, foreskin replacement surgery, and frequent spike detox. Fortunately, this also kills screwworms. Who would have thought that?
Is one foreskin enough? Maybe I should have a foreskin put on my new foreskin just to be safe?
A foreskin a day keeps the legit medical doctor away
Q. “ Who would have thought that?”
A. Morons.
Or give him autism, LOL.
wondering what sparked the furor?
posted yesterday, you can auto-translate from Chinese
njbr
21 hours ago
https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcfb/art/2025/art_7fc9bff0fb4546ecb02f66ee77d0e5f6.html
…
Last edited 21 hours ago by njbr
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The EU and the US do that to them, so…
wondering what sparked the furor?
posted yesterday, you can auto-translate from Chinese
https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/69d6690a5220fcf3b51ce676c54093cd15cdf3bf84be6c8ef746707343bc7d3f?s=64&d=mm&r=g
njbr
21 hours ago
US and world about to find out more on the dependency on China for rare earths
https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcfb/art/2025/art_7fc9bff0fb4546ecb02f66ee77d0e5f6.html
….Huge escalation by China!
MOFCOM announces new exports controls taking effect after Dec 1 of rare earths to anyone anywhere in the world producing chips or equipment to make chips below 14nm or 256 layer memory due to “military applications”…
Last edited 21 hours ago by njbr
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China’s pretty frisky lately. Could it have anything to do with the erosion of leadership in the ‘free’ world?
Are the Democrats ready to Impeach and Convict now? No. Even if they know that all the primaryed Republicans will vote with them and then we will be rid of Trump.
They want total control of all three branches of Government and Trump is giving it to
them every day. The more that Trump screws up, the more powerful they are and
will become.
Waiting until after the mid-terms will be too late to save America
but it will give the “Power” to the Dems, that that is all they want.
So, do the cowardly Republicans Impeach Trump and dare the Democrats to vote against them? I don’t think the Republicans have the guts, but it looks like that is the only way we will be able to save ourselves.
That’s not how it works being in the minority party in Congress, at all.
Some people need democracy explained to them. Be patient.
The dems tried to Nixon Trump three times. They got a Biden. NixonII outsmarted them. The 100Y dems party disintegrated. Thanks to Chuck and Hakeem he neutered them in the gov.
The republicans started as simps, and now they’re gimps. They exist to serve the master.
So you think midterms are definitely happening
Stonks crater …. TACO has no cards!
Sam Altman became a XACO hostage. Sam Altman used NVDA money to buy chips from AMD. Investors fearing volatility will renege on promises. Demand for rare earth mineral will fall. XACO will not be able to blackmail Trump. He will deflate. The mag7 will keep their money in their coffer, instead of spending it on data centers. When volatility subside they and new smaller innovators will use AI as an option. If it works fine. They will invest more. If it doesn’t they will write it off. PCP (Primary Care Programmers) will get paying customers questions, do the initial data analysis, before referring them to specialists (ortho, cardio, neuro…). The specialist will use less chips, and less energy. They will get better. They will cut overhead. They might be very profitable. The holistic knowledge will expand exponentially. Cost will deflates due to the competition.
Look at which companies are on the DOW compared to 50 years ago. This will tell us all we need to know about US economic policies.
You mean 50 years of government not interfering in free markets and letting the invisible hand do its work.
People, consider an analogy.
The time from the 2014 Maidan coup to the 2022 war was 7+ years. During that time, Minks agreements came and went. Merkel subsequently claimed she agreed to them just to buy time. That means TPTB spent 7 years prepping Ukraine and Europe for war. 7 years of alternating their public statements between “we will have peace” and “we must prepare for war” — with only one direction in mind. The chaotic messaging “softened up their minds” like a mental artillery barrage for worse and worse potential outcomes. … They continue this chaotic public messaging regarding weapon shipments too. (“We will send X.” “No, we won’t.” … “Yes, we are.”)
So now what do you make of the chaotic messaging on USA-China trade, where the tariff rates don’t rise as fast as showman Trump says but rise nonetheless? Where is this leading?
I dislike the term “TACO”. I don’t want to use a word that implies cowardice for him not following through with his most extreme threats, while still moving policy in the direction the think tanks want.
How about TOFU?
Trump O***** F*cks Up.
Only
Openly
Overtly
Odiously
Ostentatiously
Obsessively
In these difficult economic times, permit me a little grammatical license while I repurpose an old acronym
TBTF
Trump – Bluster, Then Fallback
Obviously f***s up or f***ed up
5 people dislike me telling them they’re being played by an establishment meme.
looks like he’s trying to get the consumers to fill he funding gaps left by Biden and Yellen
And himself.
Trump is infatuated with Sultan Erdogan and Qatar. He will train Qatari pilots on
F-15 in Boise Idaho, teaching them advanced Israeli ECM and war plans.
will they be training for a one way flight to the twin towers replacement freedumb tower, in nyc? as a native new yorker we refer to it as the target. attacked in 2001 and early 90s.
The only big cities within flying range of the base are Seattle, Portland and San Francisco.
That was Dick Cheney’s gang.
The Avraham Accord: the US will train MBS and Qatari F-15 pilot to attack Israel, two ways. The THAAD was a thud. It failed to protect Ben Gurion and other places. The US will sell multi layers Golden Dome systems to Qatar and MBS, before building it in the US.
They are paying for their training as they should. I rather doubt that they are learning advanced Israeli stuff. Qatar used to be a partial Iranian conduit. That has changed recently.
Thanks Hakeem and Chuck: OMG Russ cut more dems programs and pet projects. A smaller gov, lower rates, higher realized gains taxes, higher tariffs and student loans…will fill gov coffer. Trump has over $1.4T to pay essential gov workers. Who can stop him from firing unessential dems gov workers.
Same old nonsense from you. Blah blah blah. My favorite is when you repeatedly say the deficit doesn’t matter. We should focus on the debt instead.
Hahahaha!
The ball is in Trump’s court to make sense out of this.The evidence is overwhelming that he knows how to break things, to throw sand in the gears. Building things is much more sporadic. He gets mollifying pledges of vaporous future US investments from others in meetings, big round numbers designed for press releases but not business reality. On foreseeing things, very mixed. He didn’t see this rare earths crisis, though it is “suddenly” the biggest bargaining chip on the table. He didn’t build that capacity before throwing the dice here. He basically knows how to push people around, and add noise, and produce the noises calculated to look good on TV. But meanwhile are we drifting into fealty at this moment? Ironically from the guy who claimed the opposite?
Cards up!
The XACO trade: Xi Always Chick Out. He always reinstate rare minerals, his last card. Without rare mineral he deflates. Centrifugal forces, induced by Trump, are breaking China apart. XACO has a target on his back. If 1/3 billion unemployed Chinese rise on him, if their banking system implode ==> an injured China is a very dangerous animal. Trump wants to keep XACO in charge, to avoid a global depression, to prevent China from becoming a new Jasa. GW Bush, Obama and Biden didn’t have the skills to stop China.
A few “Libertarian” and radical left bloggers are as obsessed with rare earth as Israel with their 48 hostages.
Better to be obsessed by those things than to be obsessed by pronouns.
Xi has never chickened out.
If Oct/Xmas air shipping from China deflates XACO will chick out again. His
only card is rare earth minerals. He keeps them in secret tunnels.
NO, that is not his only card.
Invading Taiwan is XACO 2nd card. Trump tries to avoid a kinetic war
with China.
No, that is not their 2nd card. China has lots of cards. High cards.
So much now turns on how weak or strong China is, economically, internally. Everybody is calling everybody’s bluff. The cards are being tested and shown.
Maybe this moment was fated to happen, given the trajectories. Credit to Trump for recognizing China’s strategies and trajectory vis a vis us (as the Dems sleep-walked with risks that had accumulated), and at least trying to redress it. That said, my guess (admittedly on insufficient data) is, as a tactician Trump is (we are),set for a sudden and brutal climb-down, based on lack of recognition of pretty openly plain facts on rare earths, over these preceding months. We sleep-walked and bluffed our way right into this one. Finally something big and consolidated enough, came into Trump’s 2.0 path. He is personally incapable of climbing down publicly, I mean appearance-wise, vanity-wise, in his own brain, but we’ve seen TACO. Will this on a bigger scale, be a “Suez moment” for the USA? (Thinking of England’s decline becoming graphic and open in the 1950’s.) It seems a very glaring vulnerability has been uncovered, that Trump PR cannot jive away on FOX (or by his FOX-tinged administration). If so, we can thank the orange guy for steering us head-on into it, and priming the world for it. He is born to roll the dice big time (thinking of Julius Caesar: “the die is cast.”) But again, TACO is on record too. He will keep capriciously probing and disrupting until he churns up newer and more formidable frictions and speed bumps and barriers of some kind: amusingly, of some character one could call environmental, social, or governance (nemesis is a b*tch.)
If you believe that China has not been at war with us for over a decade and more and that all will be well if only we give China a free hand to destroy our industrial base by “free trade” then I would conclude that you cannot see the evidence before your eyes.
Give me a break. Look at a map of military bases, base expansion history, and weapon sales to Taiwan.
And the Obama announcement of “pivot to China” is already more than 10 years ago, probably on the heels of a decade of planning.
Beijing is not a threat to you.
Obama didn’t pivot. He just talked about pivoting. Most of the business leaders shrugged it off because the China trade was very profitable for them personally and for their companies. But many understood and investment into China started dropping sharply in 2018 but continued to source there but then came Covid and our vulnerabilities became too big to ignore any longer. The wakeup is only five years old so we are not out of the woods yet although we finally have an administration that understands the stakes. The risk is now the China sees its “window of opportunity” closing and might decide to do something stupid before the window is closed.
vulnerabilities??
Our asshole rulers know our vulnerabilities. like making you fear China enough to stop pestering them for a fair deal and less corruption.
Sounds like you are worried because the frog jumped out of the heating water before getting boiled. That was not supposed to happen.
China has not been at war with us for over a decade.
If you close your eyes you won’t see it.
Things look shitty when your head is up your ass.
Despite my alias, I normally don’t upvote personal insults. But… something about this one…
Oh, I know. It reminds me of those silly Confucius one-liners. Let’s try it!
Confucius says “Things look shitty when your head is up your ass.”
You have experience with putting your head up peoples’ asses. That’s how you personally make a living.
Dear Doug#78
If you don’t understandby now that Trump will trade anything away for an airplane with gold-trim, a golf course or hotel with his name on it, you really need to get new glasses
Trump/China escalation will end when China agrees to ship rare earths in exchange for Trump OK’ing the take-over of Taiwan
This is why this game is being played
Trump hotel in Beijing and Taipei
Dear njbr
He could have had all the hotels he wanted if he had stayed out of politics. That is what you don’t understand.
We’ve got a President who jacks up tariffs so he can reduce them in exchange for special lucrative deals for himself and his companies. Friday there were some very suspicious trades in the market that resulted in short positions yielding tens of millions in profits. That’s a serious problem. It happened 6 months ago as well, when Trump was making outrageous noise about 100% or higher tariffs. It’s illegal and dangerous. And nobody’s doing a damn thing about it. We’ve got a lunatic running a protection racket from the White House and he’s compromised the DOJ, the intelligence services and the FBI. Can you imagine the howling from Republicans if Obama or Harris imposed 100% tariffs on a country’s exports?
Trump reminds me of a third grader in a fifth graders body. He bullies his way around the playground, but when he comes back into the classroom, he turns into the class clown that is failing at everything. Loud, brash but stupid!
Failing third grade math skills requires some serious dumb!
But Trump is that dumb!
He knew that we did not have strategic stockpiles of rare earths and, instead of stockpiling them, he started bullying the only country on earth with both the mines and refining capacity.
Keeping in mind:
Trump has to be the dumbest President ever. Or? Is he working for people that hate our economic success and our nation as a free state.
When the market opens, look out below!
Written by an American farm owner!
I have seen this write-up about Trump many times now. I do not know who first wrote it. It captures the essence of Trump pretty accurately.
Behold. The festering carcass of American rot shoved into an ill-fitting suit: the sleaze of a conman, the cowardice of a draft dodger, the gluttony of a parasite, the racism of a Klansman, the sexism of a back-alley creep, the ignorance of a bar-stool drunk, and the greed of a hedge-fund ghoul-all spray-painted orange and paraded like a prize hog at a county fair. Not a president. Not even a man. Just the diseased distillation of everything this country swears it isn’t but has always been-arrogance dressed up as exceptionalism, stupidity passed off as common sense, cruelty sold as toughness, greed exalted as ambition, and corruption worshiped like gospel. It is America’s shadow made flesh, a rotting pumpkin idol proving that when a nation kneels before money, power, and spite, it doesn’t just lose its soul-it shits out this bloated obscenity and calls it a leader.
As I have traveled all over the world, I am shocked by how many Americans and Europeans I run into that all want to leave the US, UK, Australia or some country in Europe.
They all tell the same story, the US is in decline, too much debt, too much toxic politics and no path forward. I add the demographic crisis thats coming as the cherry on the toxic cake.
Your comment has similar shades I have had to hear about as well.
I am not surprised Trump crashed the market again, a baffoon will do that just as I predicted.
Wait till 2030 and the new great depression.
Got exit strategy?
No exit strategy necessary. I have a great location and can provide my own food water and shelter without dragging my ass all over the world looking for something that may or may not exist.
been telling my pals and classmates for decades, democracy works. the republic, by plato, explains it best. trump is amerikan as apple pie.
VLIQ….very low IQ
— ” The Trump Show ”
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G27eTmrWMAAvqhF?format=jpg&name=small
Not Sure if the Link will Work – but it is Trump Truth Social Post which states in part ” “It has just become known that China has taken an extremely aggressive stance on trade, sending the world a highly hostile letter stating that from November 1, 2025, it will introduce extensive export controls on virtually all its products”;
However, I researched this asking AI for the language or a link or a copy of the ” highly hostile letter ” to the world
apparently no such letter exists, or is known, nor any language regarding same
AI ” there is no definitive public evidence or official confirmation from credible sources (e.g., government statements, international news agencies, or China’s official channels like the Ministry of Commerce) that China has sent a “highly hostile letter” to the world announcing extensive export controls on “virtually all its products” effective November 1, 2025.”
“Trump does not provide specific details about this letter (e.g., to whom it was sent, its official text, or a verifiable source), which raises questions about its existence or scope.”
“Based on current data, the claimed “highly hostile letter” to the world announcing export controls on “virtually all its products” does not appear to exist as a single, verifiable document. It’s more likely that Trump’s statement reflects a hyperbolic or premature interpretation of China’s recent rare earth export restrictions, possibly combined with diplomatic exchanges not yet publicized. China’s actual policy, as documented, targets specific strategic materials, not a blanket control on all exports.”
The market manipulation and front-running is legendary.
Trump doesn’t have the courage to go all out. Place 500% tariffs if he dares. By his logic, that would really reap so much money into the US coffers that it will make America great again, right? Why not just do it once and for all? In fact, hit all the rest of the countries with 300 or 500% instead of all these wimpy 10 or 20% crap.
We would be so rich. LOL
frankly I was getting quite bored with the run I was having in rgti.
Timex keeps on ticking
Tariff this and Tariff that and then Tariff again some more. The Markets were up but now Markets seem to be heading down. Will the falling Markets lead to some needed compromises in this escalating Global Tit for Tat? Will anyone be a winner?
We all know that it’s Trump manipulating the markets for himself and his cronies. After the fall, he will reverse his ‘decision’ and the markets will very jump up again in a knee-jerk fashion, and he & his gang will cash out. SEC can’t do anything about these obvious manipulation, so you guys might as well jump in to play the game and make some for yourselves.
Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden are responsible for this disaster. They outsourced everything and gave away the keys to the kingdom. They left the US in a very bad position. Stop blaming Trump. He is trying to fix the damage from runaway outsourcing.
Lol! That’s funny. You must be snorting that cult cocaine.
Trump is causing more damage than any of those other Presidents ever did; economically, strategically, and diplomatically.
Just one example. If we are cut off from rare earths, we won’t be able to properly equip our military.
On March 16, 2010, Professor Karl A. Gschneidner Jr., Mr. Mark A. Smith, Dr. Stephen W. Freiman, Dr. Steven Duclos, and Mr. Terence Stewart, Esq. offered testimony at a U.S. congressional hearing, “Rare Earth Minerals and 21st Century Industry,” about the grave state of the domestic rare earth industry and its dire implications.
Gschneidner lamented that not long ago the United States had been the world’s leader in rare earth production, refinement, and use, but over just the last two decades, the domestic industry has virtually dissolved. He further warned that the concomitant decline of the intellectual infrastructure underlying rare earth technologies frustrated any attempts to resuscitate the industry.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265904989_The_US_Rare_Earth_Industry_Its_Growth_and_Decline
Did you actually read it, and the cites? Lol.
time to sell off the department of war bases overseas to the oligarchs. just like USSR did.
I don’t understand why people don’t think about the next Domino to fall after their initial statement. so by implication we should rely on our largest military enemy for our necessary military materials? good luck with that.
We are in agreement here.
Trump did not think about that when he began his verbal and economic attacks on China. He should have secured and stockpiled supplies of rare earths BEFORE he started the trade war. Then he wouldn’t be in such a poor negotiating position.
Lets blame Trump for not kissing Xi’s feet.
Maybe he can kiss his ass instead of his feet. That might work.
very good point.
Thank you.
Trump was Pres between Obama and Biden – he didn’t do anything about any of this either.
The “outsourcing” was done by American companies, urged on by Wall St (American) to “enhance shareholder value” – The President at the time had almost nothing to do with it, it happened to increase profits.
In Trump’s first term, he was working to bring America’s industrial base back. That is the purpose of the tariffs. Biden did his damage in the senate. He pushed through all free trade deals while taking money from corporations.
Yes. Trump worked hard to restore manufacturing and beautiful, clean coal in his first term.
The result:
Over 100 coal generation stations were shut down, representing 48 GW of electricity generation during Trumps first term
12500 coal mining jobs were lost
US coal production declined by 26.5%
In addition, the US lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs during Trumps first term.
Guess he should have worked harder.
Trump is mostly slogans and empty words.
China cornered the rare earth minerals market by dumping after the US open the free trade gates. US producers were unable to compete. Now, China intends to control the world with this position. This was due to the stupidity of every president since Clinton, with the exception of Trump. Trump was the only president who complained about US industries gutted by free trade, and the Dems countered by calling him names.
Trump is not responsible for this. Obama, Biden, Clinton, and Bush are. Put the blame where it belongs. Trump is right to counter China with the 100% tariff. That is the only way to address this.
Hahahahaha!
“ Trump is right to counter China with the 100% tariff. That is the only way to address this.”
Maybe Trump should have stockpiled and secured a crap load of rare earth minerals, and built a lot of US processing capacity BEFORE he started a trade war with China.
Now he is threatening China with an empty gun and asking them to give him some bullets.
Dumb f*ck.
That would take a decade. Lets put the blame on the string of presidents, mostly Democrat, who put the US and Trump in this terrible position. Trump did not approve those free trade deals. He was against them, and he was proven right.
Correct. It will take at least a decade.
Perhaps if Trump had started in 2016, we would be close to being self sufficient in rare earth production and processing by 2030.
But he didn’t. And now we are no closer to being self-sufficient than we were in 2016.
The difference now is that Trump is biting the hand that produces 60% of rare earth minerals and does 90% of the processing.
Worst negotiating position possible.
And maybe you forgot, but Trump signed a trade deal with China in his first term. Same as with Canada and Mexico. Also Japan, S Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Phillipines, UK.
They were all “the greatest” according to him. And fixed everything.
It will take decades to fix the free trade damage caused by previous presidents. Trump is making the hard decisions and doing what needs to be done. Thank god he is president.
Why didn’t you propose that a few years ago?
I did. The same goes for renewables, and the electrification of everything, which China is also dominating now.
Meanwhile Trump is trying to crush renewables, and as a result, he is leaving the field open for China to dominate. Just like rare earths. He keeps using the strategy from the “How to help your competitors and screw over your own country” playbook.
Mish also did in his own way. He has been warning about China’s dominance in rare earths for many years now.
Renewables are a joke.
Is that so? Let’s see how much new power generation the world added in 2024:
Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of global power generation capacity additions in 2024 across the major energy sources:
🌞 Solar Power
• Added: 452 GW
• Share of total new capacity: ~77% of all renewable additions
• Leader: China (≈278 GW) accounted for over half of global solar growth A
🌬️ Wind Power
• Added: 121 GW• Onshore: ~109 GW
• Offshore: ~8 GW
• Leader: China again dominated, installing ~87 GW (≈72% of global wind additions)
⚛️ Nuclear Power
• Added: 7.4 GW from 6 new reactors
• Countries contributing: China, U.S., France, India, UAE
• Global nuclear share: Still modest, but growing interest in SMRs and long-term expansion plans
💧 Hydropower
• Added: 24.6 GW• Conventional hydro: 16.2 GW
• Pumped storage hydro (PSH): 8.4 GW
• Leader: China (14.4 GW), including the world’s largest PSH facility F G
🔥 Natural Gas
• Estimated Added Capacity: ~40–50 GW (based on demand growth and sectoral expansion)
• Drivers: Heatwaves, industrial rebound, and grid reliability needs in Asia, North America, and Middle East
🏭 Coal Power
• Added: 44.1 GW
• Retired: 25.2 GW
• Net Increase: 18.8 GW
• Leader: China (30.5 GW), followed by India and Southeast Asia
This mix shows how solar is now the clear leader in new capacity, while fossil fuels—especially coal—are still expanding in key regions despite global decarbonization goals.
That is only because the Dems spent all that money on renewables. All wasted. Dumb people.
Dumb? Lol! You are batting .000 so far.
If you bothered to read the post, it shows that China is dominating the world in adding renewable energy. More than the rest of the world combined each year.
They added more solar last year than the US has in 20 years: 272 GW. Same for wind: 87 GW.
For comparison, in 2024, the US added just 36 GW of solar, 7 GW of wind, 4 GW of gas, and 1 GW of nuclear.
The US needs 60-80 GW of new electric generation each year going forward. This is due to rising consumer demand, AI data centers, crypto, etc.
There is zero new power coming from nuclear, hydro and coal. That leaves natural gas and renewables. Natural gas is constrained by a lack of available gas generators (there is a 3 year wait list). The only option for new power generation going forward is a lot of renewables. Or if Trump shuts them down, lots of brownouts and blackouts.
You have to stop snorting that cult cocaine.
So what? The Chinese were stupid investing making investments in renewables. So stupid.
The presidents sent jobs and industry offshore!!
So it’s all them, not just the result of corporate capitalism doing what it supposed to do. Minimise costs, maximise profits and pay executive bonuses.
It doesn’t exist to benefit any particular country, but to exploit them all.
All the US has to do to get the jobs back is to cut wages, bring back 16 hour days and let industry dump waste into the water supply.
The elected officials set trade policy. A number of free trade deals, beginning with NAFTA, were approved by our elected officials. These trade deals destroyed the industrial base. Their votes were bought and paid for by corporations.
But Trump already renegotiated NAFTA and created USMCA in his first term. In his own words, “the greatest trade deal in the history of the world”. As he repeatedly said, he fixed trade with Canada and Mexico.
Trump’s USMCA corrected a lot of what was wrong with NAFTA. Canada is having a pissy because USMCA is successful.
Nope. You are not paying attention. Canada was happy with USMCA. Trump is the one having a hissy fit over trade with Canada now. That’s why he is putting tariffs on Canadian lumber, steel, aluminum, potash etc.
Also, please list what Trump corrected in NAFTA. I can only think of one thing. A five year time frame and then renegotiate. What’s in your list?
That is misinformation. Trump is pushing for more concessions beyond USMCA.
Today Trump once again turns to Truth Social
Yes there may be upcoming additional sanctions
so sit back and watch the fun unfold
and The Best Way to announce that, is on a Friday afternoon – before a Holiday Weekend – So the market cannot digest it and dumps rapidly
On todays Episode watch as Donald Trump dumps SIgnificant China Tariff news on Truth Social and causes thousands of people to lose their savings
Brilliant – Truth Social
This is so infuriating. I consult for mid sized manufacturing companies in the US, specifically make to order high-end goods. He is killing these guys. Trump does not understand supply chains, because what he is doing is making it impossible for these guys to buy products from other suppliers that rely on offshore components and manufacturing. Forget even paying more, the confusion over what to pay is equally as confusing. As far as I’m concerned, economically speaking, Trump is so far, far worse than your typical economically ignorant Democrat politician. I know he was a Democrat at one time and it sure as hell is showing itself regarding his tariffs. I’m hoping he loses that case coming up in the Supreme Court, otherwise these guys are going to have to make some very hard choices when it comes to employee retention.
Yep. Trump’s tariffs and uncertainty are very bad for most businesses and the economy in general.
The Supreme Court “might” overrule his reciprocal tariffs, but even if they do, he will simply find other ways to f*ck everything up. He keeps adding other tariffs wherever he is allowed to, and he will continue to piss off all our trading partners. There is no stopping his stupidity.
It’s not just stupidity it’s his mental illness.
86/47
If they hadn’t secured their supply chains by now they deserve to go under. There has been ample evidence for years now that sourcing in China was more than risky. If they continued in spite of the signs then that is on them.
Lol! Too bad all those mid-sized US manufacturers didn’t consult with you. Now they “deserve” to go under.
In addition, you should have told Apple’s Cook, and Tesla’s Musk not to go there. Or Intel, GM, Boeing, Microsoft etc.
What were you thinking?
You know what I am thinking?
I’m thinking you’re a moron.
ha ha. bingo.
They were like you. They believed that if we let anybody trade free with us they would reciprocate in kind and not use it to take over strategic industries. They are paying the price for their naivety because they are a company with clients and suppliers. You on the other hand are just an investor who buys and sells stocks. You have no responsibilities. You are just an opportunist with a portfolio and delusions of competence in managing companies which you never have done. You are a blowhard.
Goodness. Why didn’t you tell them all what would happen 5 decades ago? None of this would have happened if they had just listened to you 50 years ago. Where were you when the world’s most important companies were making these decisions and why didn’t you stop them?
You are a dumb f*ck.
With the amount of hardware cheaply sourced from China and in excellent quality for a decade or more – just take SMD electronic components for example – a 100% tariff on those is a suicidal act of desperation. The question “who is Trump working for” immediately comes up. If the aim is the destruction or at least massive economic damage of probably thousands of US companies relying on these sources then that’s the thing to do. Difficult to understand.
Correct.
Did they actually swap 20 billion dollars for Argentine pesos? If so, how many pesos did we get?
A lot! But don’t worry, they will be worthless soon…
But why hasn’t Scotty Basement and the US Treasury bragged to the American people about the number of pesos 20 billion got them? “Uh, can you just keep them in Argentina?”
i still have italian lira and zimbabwe billions in my wallet next to my gold and silver coins. i believe.
A full shipload. Which will buy you cup of coffee, maybe, or by next month, a book of matches, that you can use to light the pesos on fire, for some warmth in the winter.
Ask a Boomer how many points down would be equal to – 2 to 3% on the Dow 40 years ago.
Oh, so the US removes Russia from SWIFT, lets Europe steal 300 billion in US treasury securities, puts tariffs on everyone and their dog, is preparing to attack Iran, and probably other countries, is bellicose towards our few friends that are left, and he expects every country to ignore these provocations and just do business as usual. I supported Trump, but the US is now the biggest bully in the schoolyard.
You supported Trump and now you’re learning what FAFO is all about. If it was just you and the other 70M ignorant Americans I wouldn’t care but the rest of us are getting screwed for your collective ignorance. I stated ignorance but if you confess that you and your MAGA brother and sisters knew what Trump was all about then I call it stupidity.
We have to coddle these fools, at least the few willing to admit they were stupid as dirt
Junk bonds (HYFI) peaked 5 days ago. The 20 day moving average support broke, and the price closed below the 50 day moving average. Since junk bonds behave more like stocks, and they led stocks lower; I’d conclude fear of default was just switched on.
UPS Admits ‘Disposing’ of Parcels as Trump Chaos Creates Backlog
“The situation is compounded by UPS’s policy of disposing of shipments that cannot clear customs after three attempts”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ups-admits-disposing-thousands-of-us-shipments-thanks-to-trump-chaos/
3 strikes and you are shit-out-of-luck.
We need those rare earths to make the weapons to attack China. And Russia. And Iran. And Venezuela. Am I forgetting anyone? Afghanistan maybe? Kudos to China for saying no to America. Trump isn’t the only American politician who thinks we have a right to whatever China produces. He’s just the most ostentatiously ridiculous. And his cognitive abilities are slipping.
You forgot Stockholm. And Portland. Chicago too.
Or Denmark, for not giving him Greenland.
What about Canada! Gotta go attack them for sending us all that inexpensive aluminum, crude oil and lumber!
Well, there was the band Rush. We should probably nuke Canada for that, but then we had REO Speedwagon.
Nuking Canada for Nickleback would be justified. But not for Rush.
I like both of them for various reasons… The 70’s had great music!
You should be nuked for the Jackass 5, The Osmonds and David Cassidy.
A plague on all your houses.
Christ I’m showing my age.
Yeah, how dare China not sell the US the rare earths they need to build the weapons they will use to attack China – the nerve of those Chinese!
It’s hard to imagine China haven’t anticipated Trump’s response to this.
China acted in advance and is prepared for 100% “additional” tariffs.
In addition to soybeans, China halted beef imports from the US as well.
Now, Trump wants a farm aid bill to counteract his stupidity, but guess what?
Government is shut down.
That’s what I was getting at, they’re prepared. My bad phrasing.
Obviously no reasonable person predicts. They handicap. I have to think Trump freaking out like a 14 year old girl on her period was China’s base case. His tantrums are nothing if not predictable, but this one was a doozy.
The high cost of decades of offshoring factories and jobs.
Offshoring the manufacturing of socks, underwear, etc was a great thing. Let em have it.
It’s idiotic to attempt to produce such items here. Of course, the Fed is complicit in this nonsense. 2% perpetual inflation, not properly counted matters.
Production practically had to leave.
What was wrong with paying American textile workers with wooden coins?
The nicest wool socks and hiking boots I own are made in America. 30 year old Jeep still runs like new,and paid for. 65 year old toaster still working, made by Americans. Kodak Heliar lens from the 50’s is a sharp as anything made today. Magnesium view camera rivals anything out of Europe. I have American made clothes that last for years or decades rather than months. American Ingenuity, Engineering , and labor was the best the world had and has to offer, except the Boomers gave it all away for the sake of their passive income aspirations.
“was the best” – at one point true. Now being an advocate for American labor means you want some opioid addicted twenty or thirty-something year old from Northeast Philly making your air conditioner, so that you can send it a meth addict in Oklahoma to get it repaired when it breaks. No thanks.
Nostalgia is not what it used to be.
We don’t do “labor” anymore, btw ….
I suspect regulatory costs in the US being prohibitive for the rather dirty processing of rare earths is the main reason they aren’t refined here.
Who had the great idea of offshoring chip and rare earths production along with socks and underwear?
Wall St – moar profit!
An successive compliant administrations because of well, trade.
Lol! Who?
Are you asking? Or do you have an answer?
if you have an answer, then please explain “who” was responsible for this occurring over the last 60 years.
You wouldn’t have the faintest idea because since you are a Libertarian you can’t blame the policies you yourself believe in. For you it must be the fault of someone else but certainly not Libertarian ideas of ‘free trade”.
Nope. Wrong again. I have no affiliation to Libertarians or any other political party, platform or organization. You make way too many assumptions.
And you still did not answer your own question.
“ Who had the great idea of offshoring chip and rare earths production along with socks and underwear?”
How about an answer?
I want to read what you have to say.
Chimerica was born on Wall Street. With no regard to what might happen if China started to use the factories for their own massive developing market.
This will be very inflationary no matter how the cookie crumbles.
At least there is a cookie to crumble. Working people will gain strength, passive income types not so much
Really? Please explain how that will happen.
One possible line of reasoning-
https://stoicquotes.com/what-does-not-kill-me/
It isn’t as contemporary as the diversity = strength slogans, but the working proles need all the strength they can get.
Recall what happened in 2006/8.
That is what will happen, plus inflation and shortages.
Yes 2006/8 was truely the high cost of decades of offshoring factories and jobs. While China industrialized, the US financialized.