Punching the Bully in the Face: Trump’s Tariff Retreat

[SpankyMcFarland]

China’s restrictions on rare earth exports should be deeply alarming for the world. Let’s hope Trump and Co. have put more thought into that trade war than they seem to have:

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/10/21/us-china-now-in-a-very-different-kind-of-trade-war-experts-warn

Edited October 22, 2025 by SpankyMcFarland

[SpankyMcFarland]

Again, I’m not hearing much concern about a potential rare earth crunch in supply:

 https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/concerned-carmakers-race-beat-chinas-rare-earths-deadline-2025-10-21/

 

Of course, we can play a role in protecting the US from future metal shortages: 

https://www.aol.com/news/opinion-canada-quietly-building-trusted-130000839.html

 

But America doesn’t seem to value what we do and can do for them these days, 

Edited October 25, 2025 by SpankyMcFarland

[herbie]

We don't need no rare earths anyway.
We could go back to lead-acid batteries and re-open all those lead mine jobs. It would bring EV costs down $10,000 and we wouldn't need to subsidize them!
Excuse me while I shovel more coal into my Stanley Steamer. Should be warm enough to use in an hour or so. And I don't worry about range in the cold, you just use snow in the boiler.

[herbie]

 

[CdnFox]

23 hours ago, herbie said:

We don't need no rare earths anyway.
We could go back to lead-acid batteries and re-open all those lead mine jobs. It would bring EV costs down $10,000 and we wouldn't need to subsidize them!
Excuse me while I shovel more coal into my Stanley Steamer. Should be warm enough to use in an hour or so. And I don't worry about range in the cold, you just use snow in the boiler.

ONE. Teaspoon. Of.  Nyquil. Per. Day. 

How hard is that to remember?

[herbie]

Donnie Diaperman and his MiniMe Hoekstra are lashing out at Canada over a bloody TV ad to distract from the explosively obvious fact the President is up to his eyeballs in his own shit.

OR

Because Trump really is a small, petty insecure person and Petey's a suckhole extrodinaire.

[paxamericana]

31 minutes ago, herbie said:

OR

Nah, the greatest presidential president America has to offer the world and Canada.

[SpankyMcFarland]

On 10/26/2025 at 6:32 PM, herbie said:

We don't need no rare earths anyway.
 

Sounds like a remake of The Wall. 

[CdnFox]

3 hours ago, herbie said:

Donnie Diaperman and his MiniMe Hoekstra are lashing out at Canada over a bloody TV ad to distract from the explosively obvious fact the President is up to his eyeballs in his own shit.

OR

Because Trump really is a small, petty insecure person and Petey's a suckhole extrodinaire.

This fro the guy who's small and petty enough to call someone 'donnie diaperman"  LOLOLOL

I don't think you cared about the app. He saw the ad and it didn't freak out initially. I think he's been getting a lot of pushback and commentary from his supporters and his staff with regards to the ad and he's pissed that people's reaction is not favorable to him at all.

[SpankyMcFarland]

So it’s hard to tell what’s going on exactly between the US and China after the Trump-Xi meeting. The good news is that rare earths seem to be flowing from China for now and some effort will be made to curb fentanyl precursors, while soy beans will be going the other way. We’ll just have to see how the details work out. So far I’m feeling the Chinese got the better of it. 
 

 

[SpankyMcFarland]

What sort of government allows one of their senior diplomats to behave like this?

Quote

The U.S. ambassador to Canada delivered an expletive-laced tirade at Ontario's trade representative at an event in Ottawa on Monday, multiple witnesses tell CBC News.

Word spread quickly through some of the most powerful circles in Ottawa and Washington after the encounter, which happened during the Canadian American Business Council’s state of the relationship event at the National Gallery of Canada.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ambassador-hoekstra-rant-9.6957854

[herbie]

19 hours ago, SpankyMcFarland said:

What sort of government allows one of their senior diplomats to behave like this?

A GOP shitshow obviously. Declare Hoekstra personna non grata. Whiney, lying, insecure baby just like his Boss. Replace our Ambassador to the US with Charlie Angus in retaliation... LOL

[herbie]

 

[SpankyMcFarland]

Trump had to compromise with Xi, to put it mildly. Let’s see if that makes him more reasonable or more vengeful with us. 

[paxamericana]

1 hour ago, SpankyMcFarland said:

Trump had to compromise with Xi, to put it mildly. Let’s see if that makes him more reasonable or more vengeful with us. 

We were just about to sign a trade deal with Canada but Canada engaged in foreign interference. 

[herbie]

Yeah. Quoting Ronald Reagan is interference.
With Trump's policies, not the USA's.

 

[paxamericana]

9 hours ago, herbie said:

Yeah. Quoting Ronald Reagan is interference.
With Trump's policies, not the USA's.

 

It’s been one of life pleasure that Canucks lose their minds over:  “Trump’s taunts about Canada becoming the 51st state, describing it as a term of endearment.”

[CdnFox]

16 hours ago, SpankyMcFarland said:

Trump had to compromise with Xi, to put it mildly. Let’s see if that makes him more reasonable or more vengeful with us. 

I don't know about more vengeful but it's definitely going to reduce the pressure on him to do a deal with Canada. If you've got China and Canada fighting you, as the united states that's two of your biggest customers and suppliers. That puts serious strain on the economy. But if the pressure comes off with china, then the pressure on the economy is reduced and you can afford to be a little harder with those who remain.

Basically it's not good news for us. 

Eby's  'Me too! I'm tough too!"  ads are expected to roll out sometime this month.  I'm sure that will come him down.

It would appear that Carney has lost control of the negotiations, americans are disputing that they were even close to a deal as Carney claimed which is one of the reasons they're frustrated, I don't see these negotiations moving forward anytime soon and I don't see them going the way we want them to when they do.

I think trump's strategy will be to allow the Canadian economy to sink into recession, if necessary with a little help, and then go into NAFTA next year basically dictating terms which carney will have to accept if he wants to turn the economic tide

If there was one thing about this guy I wanted desperately to be wrong about it was his ability to deal with trump. Has it a conservative there were many other areas where we could be critical of him and still win the next election even if he was able to get a good deal with trump, but either way Canada needed a deal. And to get a deal with trump you need to be tough as well as accommodating. If you're a pushover he walks all over you and doesn't respect you and that's exactly where we are right now.

[SpankyMcFarland]

16 hours ago, paxamericana said:

We were just about to sign a trade deal with Canada but Canada engaged in foreign interference. 

Says somebody from a country that does nothing but interfere abroad. 

[CdnFox]

5 minutes ago, SpankyMcFarland said:

Says somebody from a country that does nothing but interfere abroad. 

Don't kid yourself. He's from Alberta  

[SpankyMcFarland]

1 minute ago, CdnFox said:

Don't kid yourself. He's from Alberta  

These days I wonder if that’s different. For many of them, anyway. 

[CdnFox]

1 minute ago, SpankyMcFarland said:

These days I wonder if that’s different. For many of them, anyway. 

There is. For one thing americans don't think they're albertans  

[paxamericana]

1 hour ago, CdnFox said:

There is. For one thing americans don't think they're albertans  

I’ve never seen a group of people go so absolutely livid over a compliment. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. 

 

[CdnFox]

11 hours ago, paxamericana said:

I’ve never seen a group of people go so absolutely livid over a compliment. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. 

 

Being told you are worthy' of joining america is like being told you're a good candidate for a career in prostitution   I'm sure OTHER prostitutes think it's a compliment..... 

[John Stone]

On 10/22/2025 at 12:26 AM, SpankyMcFarland said:

China’s restrictions on rare earth exports should be deeply alarming for the world. Let’s hope Trump and Co. have put more thought into that trade war than they seem to have:

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/10/21/us-china-now-in-a-very-different-kind-of-trade-war-experts-warn

........... has anyone explained the strategy of the 'trade war'? 

Tariffs are nothing more than a tax on the people - asinine! 

Any money raised thru tariffs is simply tax collected 'from the people'.