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The Ultimate Bait and Switch of Trump's Tariffs
Last edited Wed May 14, 2025, 08:05 AM - Edit history (1)
The Ultimate Bait and Switch of Trump’s Tariffs
How to understand the phony trade deals with Britain and China
By David Frum
May 12, 2025, 1:35 PM ET
If you’ve ever watched a game of three-card monte, you’ve noticed that the dealer talks nonstop. The chatter serves two functions. First, it distracts the victims. Second, and maybe more important, the dealer is deceiving his victims about what’s befalling them. The spiel invites them to imagine they’re playing a game in which they stand a fair chance. In reality, they are being swindled.
The Trump White House’s press releases about its so-called trade agreements and negotiations—first with the United Kingdom, now with China—are just so much dealer patter.
The tariff numbers go up. Up and up and up. Ooh, now they come down. Up! Down! And all the while, everybody involved is telling contradictory stories about what’s being done and why.
The noise is made even more confusing by the journalists trying to explain the game.
Snip...much, much more at the link.
Archive: https://archive.ph/XYCme
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/05/trump-trade-war-scam/682780/
How to understand the phony trade deals with Britain and China
By David Frum
May 12, 2025, 1:35 PM ET
If you’ve ever watched a game of three-card monte, you’ve noticed that the dealer talks nonstop. The chatter serves two functions. First, it distracts the victims. Second, and maybe more important, the dealer is deceiving his victims about what’s befalling them. The spiel invites them to imagine they’re playing a game in which they stand a fair chance. In reality, they are being swindled.
The Trump White House’s press releases about its so-called trade agreements and negotiations—first with the United Kingdom, now with China—are just so much dealer patter.
The tariff numbers go up. Up and up and up. Ooh, now they come down. Up! Down! And all the while, everybody involved is telling contradictory stories about what’s being done and why.
The noise is made even more confusing by the journalists trying to explain the game.
Snip...much, much more at the link.
Archive: https://archive.ph/XYCme
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/05/trump-trade-war-scam/682780/
❤️ pants
RESIST!! ✊️
2 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
