If I were a manufacturer outside the US, the tariffs would potentially be ruinous for me, so I'm going to want to look for ways to make a deal with Trump. I'd happily announce I'll invest millions or billions in the US if that's what it takes for Trump to give me an exception, but then I'd go as slowly as possible building the actual factories so I spend as little as possible, hoping I never actually have to spend the money. "Still planning". "Complicated to build such an advanced factory!". Etc. I’d be especially careful since I don’t know how long the tariffs will last, so I don’t actually want to make a big investment in the US that may eventually be useless.

I’d also be very careful never to criticize Trump or the government since Trump has shown how quickly he turns on people. So everyone gets what they want…except the American people.

• Trump gets a “loyal” business leader who will say and do what Trump wants
• Trump gets a big announcement that he “won” huge investments
• Business gets to continue making money. Maybe they’re not happy they had to do that, but they’ll see it as a cost of business. I’ll probably also raise my prices a bit since everything is getting more expensive, so I’ll make even more money. Trump may even drive some of my competition out of business!

Unfortunately the American people get higher prices and fewer choices. So don't get too excited if we hear a bunch of investment announcements. I'll believe it when I see the factory.

Absence of trust is infectuous.

Lead Lines:

Germany is considering removing an enormous stockpile of gold from a vault in New York over worries about Donald Trump’s unpredictable policies.

For decades, Berlin has stashed 1,200 tons of its famous gold reserves, the second largest on the planet after those of the United States, in a vault deep underground at the US Federal Reserve in Manhattan.

Now, senior figures from the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, which is set to lead the next German government, have discussed removing it from New York because of concerns that Washington is no longer a reliable partner, the Bild newspaper has reported.

This will have economic implications on America. See today's market.

We're All Dead': GOP Senator Reacts to Trump Tariffs.

Sen. John Kennedy (R) of Louisiana (of all people) said the quiet part out loud when he implied Trump is lying through his store-bought teeth. He openly admitted the Trump Administration is adrift, victim of the currents of uncertainty and fear it itself initiated, and all the world economies put in jeopardy by the arrogance of one fool.

Some say it is just a rash gamble, but it is so much more.

This jackass with a golf ball where his brain should be, has turned our allies against us -- they can never trust us again as long as we give dictatorial power to a green card holder and blithering incompetent! Our industries are staggering under uncertainty, our 401(k)s are bleeding our retirement dreams, and rampant unemployment will soon lead to a blinding recession if congress doesn't act.

But the Republican congress as uncaring as Kennedy about the deaths of children in Texas from measles, and while are economy is shuddering in disbelief, they are passing a bill to give 4 1/2 trillion-dollar tax cuts to the already filthy rich -- money that will go into stock portfolios and never see the light of day.

Read this:

'We're All Dead': GOP Senator Reacts to Trump Tariffs.

Story by Marco Margaritoff • 3h •

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) wasn’t concerned enough about President Donald Trump’s steep international tariffs to vote against them Wednesday — like some of his GOP colleagues — but did scold staunch supporters of the policy with a dire warning to multiple outlets.

“In the long run, we’re all dead,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju on Capitol Hill for “The Lead with Jake Tapper” on Wednesday. “Short run matters, too. Nobody knows what the impact of these tariffs is going to be on the economy.”

Trump dubbed April 2 “Liberation Day” and announced a sweeping 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the U.S., with levies on dozens of countries set even higher. He repeated his false claim Wednesday that foreign nations, rather than Americans, will shoulder the costs. Only four Republican senators Wednesday — Rand Paul (Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Susan Collins (Maine) — joined Democrats in voting against the emergency powers Trump is using to impose a 25% tariff against Canada.

Kennedy did not, but reiterated his concerns in a Newsmax interview later that day.

“What the president is saying is, if you want to sell stuff to Americans, move your business to America and hire Americans and contribute to our economy, don’t just sell stuff,” he told anchor Rob Schmitt. “In the long run, he’s right. But in the long run, we’re all dead.”

The Louisiana senator added that he’s heard both favorable and disastrous assessments on the tariffs from economists in Washington, D.C. but said even “late-night psychic hotlines” are more accurate in their predictions — and slammed blind supporters of the policy.

“It may not [lead to inflation] this time,” Kennedy added. “Am I predicting that it will or won’t? No. I’m going to say it again. We’re in uncharted waters and we don’t know. And anybody who tries to tell you that they know what the short-term impact is going to be is just lying.”

“Either that or they’re selling deep stupid,” he concluded.

Trump’s tariffs are a ‘negotiating tool’ and won’t be in effect ‘long term’: Republican lawmaker said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/we-re-all-dead-gop-senator-reacts-to-trump-tariffs/ar-AA1CfjLa

An administration in turmoil and lives are at stake.

It is a common misconception that because vitamins are generally good for you, large doses can't harm you. The thing is there are two forms of vitamins, fat soluble and water-soluble. The water-soluble vitamins are usually flushed from the body anywhere from 24 to 72 hours after ingestion. However, any excessive fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the liver until needed. If you ingest more than your body requires the vitamins will accumulate in greater and greater numbers until bodily functions become compromised and toxic reactions can be too numerous to record here.

Vitamin A is one of those fat-soluble vitamins and overdoses can be lethal!

Bobby Kennedy is beyond doubt the most inept of all Trumps incompetent appointees. He has no medical knowledge -- none, zilch -- yet with the arrogance of a zealot and the ignorance of a dullard -- he relies on anecdotes and old wife's tales while giving no consideration to the harm he will inflict.

Trump in now in the doldrums of his own inabilities and unwarranted confidence. He is watching as the economy he vowed to protect slips into recession as 401k's crater and the stock market trembles in fear of what Monday morning might bring.

Perhaps we all should have read the Trump/Musk Manifesto, Project 2025; it was all foretold there.

Read this:

RFK Jr.'s measles 'cure' sickens Texas kids amid outbreaks

Story by Jon Shelton • 2h • 3 min rea

Covenant Children's Hospital says it has treated several children suffering from hypervitaminosis A — or vitamin A toxicity

© Mary Conlon/picture alliance

This article may be potentially distressing to parents with children.

West Texas has been gripped by a measles outbreak for the past several weeks and as a result of misinformation passed on by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., it now faces a second, related health problem: Vitamin A toxicity — or hypervitaminosis A — in infants and children. The situation appears to be the direct result of bogus medical information pedaled by the vaccine-skeptic secretary himself. Kennedy recently said that although the measles vaccine is the best defense against the highly contagious and potentially fatal infection, he emphasized that getting inoculated was a "personal choice."

Kennedy, whom President Donald Trump appointed to be the nation's top health advisor, suggested, "vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality," or even prevent measles infections.

Kennedy recently directed the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to update measles guidance to promote vitamin A use in fighting the infection. In early March, the CDC's top communications officer, Thomas Corry, cited Kennedy's slow response to the West Texas outbreak and his embrace of so-called "alternative measles treatment," as the reason for his resignation. Numerous other CDC and HHS officials have resigned since Kennedy took over, more health workers still —so far at least 10,000 — have also fallen prey to Elon Musk's cost-cutting measures.

In all, HHS has lost a quarter of its workforce.

Though Kennedy and the CDC suggest vitamin A should only be taken under doctor's supervision, West Texas parents are apparently giving their children so much of it that they are now being admitted to hospital emergency rooms. Among other remedies, Kennedy has claimed that cod liver oil, which is rich in vitamins A and D, "works" as a treatment against measles.

Although vitamin A may be given to measles patients who suffer malnutrition-related vitamin A deficiencies, there is no evidence suggesting that it is effective in preventing measles.

And even though it is known that excessive cod liver oil consumption can have serious negative health consequences, demand for it has exploded in West Texas, with pharmacies saying, "it's flying off the shelf."

Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, has said it has treated "fewer than 10 cases" of vitamin A toxicity over the past couple of weeks. Administrators say the children were initially admitted with measles symptoms but later determined to have had abnormally functioning livers as a result of vitamin A toxicity.

Doctors at Covenant are publicly warning against excessive vitamin A intake, saying that it could lead to severe side effects such as dry skin, impaired sight, bone problems and liver failure.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) on Friday said that it had recorded 481 cases of measles since January. The number of nationwide measles cases stood at 607 as of April 4, according to the CDC. Measles — a highly contagious respiratory infection that spreads when an infected individual sneezes, coughs or speaks, as well as when people touch their eyes, nose or mouth after contact with a contaminated surface — was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 thanks to decades of sustained mass-vaccination campaigns.

According to the CDC, the only effectively proven method of preventing measles is the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, which boasts 97% efficacy.

In February, the Texas DSHS confirmed the death of a "school-age child who was not vaccinated" and who had "tested positive for measles" when she was hospitalized.

It was the first confirmed measles death in the US since 2015.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/rfk-jr-s-measles-cure-sickens-texas-kids-amid-outbreak/ar-AA1ClULq

The most popular theory I’ve seen is just crash everything, buy low, sell back at normal levels, and maybe short first to make money both ways. Couldn’t he just do this on a smaller, more subtle scale a bunch of times over the course of his presidency for the same result? I don’t think this adds up. My favorite explanation comes from a comment I read recently. Essentially, economy crashes —> civil unrest —> martial law —> coveted third term/more power. Or, economy crashes —> trump blames an ethnicity or country (Hitler style) —> we go to war —> same result. The thing he wants most is to have the biggest possible amount of power, until he dies. What’s your explanation?

EDIT: Thanks for all the comments. I can’t believe I forgot the Russian asset/agent one — probably the best. Also the idea of him being able to control businesses and crush anyone in his way seems very trump-like. Probably power or russia. Maybe both…

For information, it's next to 40% of its stock of gold!!!

🔹If tariffs are good and essential, there’s no need to justify it with reciprocity — i.e., “We are doing it only because they are doing it.”

You cannot blame others for having tariffs, which you claim are wonderful economic principles.

🔹Plus, if others reduce their tariff to 0%, and you do the same, then all your rationale for tariffs just went out the window.

That is, you’re okay with a scenario of no tariff to bring manufacturing back, and no tariff revenue to replace income tax etc.