The Trump Presidency, Season 2

[Cindy Claveau]

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Tim Cook telling why Apple still produces in China telling that it stopped being the low labour cost country many years ago. The reason to go there is because of the skill, quantity of skill in one location and type of skill it is. Apple requires very advanced tooling, and tooling skills are very deep there. In the US having a meeting with tooling engineers he's unsure if he could fill the room, but in China he can field multiple football fields.

Or in other words: America's education and build quality is too fucked up to meet Apple's standards.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Trump visited Dr. Sean Barbabella (mh, Jane Fonda begone!) , the White House physician, for the obligatory health test.

According to him Trump is in excellent health and fully for for the office: Trump now weighs 224 pounds (101 kg), so lost 20 pounds compared to 2020. All his vaccinations are current as well. Hearing is normal.

One of the few abnormalities is the scarring at the ear, where he was shot.

This is the first detailed information on Trump's health since the assassination attempt in Butler, PA. Presidents are not required to share this type of medical data.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/13/g-s1-60074/trump-physical-medical-report

 

[Noodles]

> Fully Vaccinated

> In perfect Heath.

Look, we all know that he definitely has Autism now if he is vacced so how can he be in perfect health?

/s

PS, that Ear scarring this makes the entire thing extra suspect. Like "put that in because people think I was not shot because Unlike constantly."

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

Trump now weighs 224 pounds (101 kg),

With a build like his, the only way that could be true is if he were closer to Danny DeVito in height.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

With a build like his, the only way that could be true is if he were closer to Danny DeVito in height.

If he's 224 pounds, then I'm a 90-pound ballerina!

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

With a build like his, the only way that could be true is if he were closer to Danny DeVito in height.

"Muscle ways more than fat."

...but yes, I'm certain he's just lying.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

It's really amazing that Trump still rants on about tariffs with so much stuff exposed about his advisors. Trump doesn't care.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Trump's iPhone olive branch is a significant trade war retreat

Exempting electronics from US tariffs is a stunning about-turn by the Trump administration after 10 days of chaos.

www.bbc.co.uk

This is a lot more than a "row back". Some have called it the "Art of the Repeal". The 4D chess has been replaced by someone playing one dimensional checkers, but unable to tell the difference between opposing pieces.

 

[Noodles]

Things are subject to a 20% Fentanyl Tariff?

What does that even mean?

 

[Veritable Quandry]

Things are subject to a 20% Fentanyl Tariff?

What does that even mean?

In normal times, Congress has to approve any tax, including tariffs. Trump is relying on an Emergency Powers law that gives him authority to take some actions (although tariffs are not explicitly mentioned) in the event of "a national emergency." So he has cited the export of fentanyl and chemical precursors of fentanyl as the "emergency" to allow him to set tariffs.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

Totally unhinged random observation from far left field #592:

I'm really starting to think that gutting the workforce has been Project 2025's plan to reduce inflation.

When unemployment is low and masses are gainfully employed, Demand for goods and services increases. Supply falls behind so prices go up.

They're counteracting that by not just increasing unemployment with massive federal layoffs, they're killing tourism, scaring off foreign students, deporting workers, cutting cancer research, threatening to shut down the dept of education, shutting down anything and everything to do with DEI and the people that not just promoted it but got employed indirectly because of it. They want abortion access cut off so that women will be forced out of the workplace and become dependent upon family/partner for income.

So not only are they in the process of putting a lot of people out of work, they're laying the groundwork for more to end up unemployed as the year continues. Businesses will fail, increasing competition for the few jobs that have living wages, driving compensation -down-. And as consumer confidence and buying power withers, demand will wither with it.

So despite the suffering, starvation and dramatic increase in bankruptcies and homelessness that's going follow.... they'll take a victory lap because they "Solved The Inflation Problem".

Every last one of these Project2025 bastards deserve a regularly scheduled jalapeno enema.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Every last one of these Project2025 bastards deserve a regularly scheduled jalapeno enema.

Sriracha.

 

[detrius]

Sriracha.

Carolina Reapers

 

[Sid]

A view from the EU

The thing about Europe: it’s the actual land of the free now

Europe’s very real problems don’t look so bad by comparison

www.economist.com

Evernote Link

If the Economist wants to attack American politics (there is reason enough) they should not make it look like an article about the EU.
The EU did not change. It is the American government that walks around with the goal posts all the time.

 

[Noodles]

So despite the suffering, starvation and dramatic increase in bankruptcies and homelessness that's going follow.... they'll take a victory lap because they "Solved The Inflation Problem".

Every last one of these Project2025 bastards deserve a regularly scheduled jalapeno enema.

Desperate poor and homeless people also means it's easier to get slaves for prison work camps.

Why pay some Chinese person pennies to make Nikos when you can pay a prisoner nothing.

 

[Noodles]

In normal times, Congress has to approve any tax, including tariffs. Trump is relying on an Emergency Powers law that gives him authority to take some actions (although tariffs are not explicitly mentioned) in the event of "a national emergency." So he has cited the export of fentanyl and chemical precursors of fentanyl as the "emergency" to allow him to set tariffs.

What does increasing prices on iPhones have to do with stopping Fentanyl though.

(PS, this question is facetious andayne rehtorical.)

 

[Free]

What does increasing prices on iPhones have to do with stopping Fentanyl though.

Forced to endure the pain of buying an iPhone at the new tariff pricing, people are going to seek out far better pain-killing drugs then they can get here.

(P.S. )

 

[Cindy Claveau]

Totally unhinged random observation from far left field #592:

I'm really starting to think that gutting the workforce has been Project 2025's plan to reduce inflation.

While tha't's a distinct possibility/probability, I'm more convinced that the strategic plan (if they have one) is to crash the economy and neuter government so it can't fix anything. Then Trump can say "I alone can fix it" with a modicum of reality. Martial law, a controlled economy (tilted in his direction), total control over everything.

It's a horrifying thought, mostly because DT is an ignorant, uninformed, narcisstic asshole. And that's just the factual analysis. Don't make me get personal.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

While tha't's a distinct possibility/probability, I'm more convinced that the strategic plan (if they have one) is to crash the economy and neuter government so it can't fix anything. Then Trump can say "I alone can fix it" with a modicum of reality. Martial law, a controlled economy (tilted in his direction), total control over everything.

It's a horrifying thought, mostly because DT is an ignorant, uninformed, narcisstic asshole. And that's just the factual analysis. Don't make me get personal.

Undoing decades of anti-monopoly efforts are pretty clearly part of their strategic direction. Trump is just the wrecking ball they're using to smash everything to rubble so the ultra-wealthy can re-monopolize on the cheap. After that, what's left of the government will only exist to protect them from the rest of us.