this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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politics

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[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Trumps tactics only work on weak people like himself. In addition to that is china's history of dealing with others.

[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 44 points 1 day ago (1 children)

China nailed the "never interrupt your enemy while he's in the midst of making a mistake" strategy. Trump absolutely weakened his position.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

they had sun tzu, and china has always see the long picture of thier policies. despite what they say about taiwan, they at least know trying to attack taiwan would hurt them economically. china also has russia by the balls because they bought certain resource rights in siberia. USA anti-communism, chinese was the reason why CHina was able to develop the HYDROGEN bomb so quickly, basically they scared a specific nuclear scientist he fled to china and help the ccp go from fission to fusion very quickly.

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[–] Jaysyn@lemmy.world 72 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Why would they be?

Trump has effectively handed all of the USA's soft power over to the EU, China & Russia, depending on the part of the planet we are discussing.

All of it.

Worse. This is really a "don't negotiate with terrorists" situation. Trump could have gone to the Chinese, and any other country, and said, "look, this isn't working. We need to renegotiate our trade deals." Public opinion has soured enough on free trade that Trump likely could get some legitimate tariff package or set of new trade deals through. The public generally likes the idea of not trading so much with China. The problem is Trump is trying to do this via decree and blackmail. He thinks that by cutting off trade overnight, he can coerce China into giving the US favorable terms.

But all this shows is that the US is an unreliable partner that is willing to back on its word at any moment. Nations can renegotiate trade deals. That isn't some unprecedented violation of international norms. But it's common sense to do these things slowly, giving both nations time to adapt their economies to the new conditions. You can't just cut this level of trade off cold turkey without causing a global depression.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 23 points 2 days ago

Not really "handed" over" as much as made it disappear. It's up to other countries to fill the vacuum.

[–] Madison420@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

In Trump's words, "he doesn't have the cards" "he has bad cards". Which also makes it fairly clear he's never played poker or has and is baffled by the rules.

[–] jecxjo@midwest.social 16 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It makes more and more sense that he failed to keep a casino afloat.

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I wish I could find the youtube interview with someone who worked with him during his casino mismanagement days. The guy said that he never saw anyone know so little about what he was supposed to be running. He knew absolutely nothing about any of the games at all. Not poker, craps, roulette, or blackjack.

[–] jecxjo@midwest.social 6 points 1 day ago

That reminds me of an article from back in the late 90's or early 00's about how much of the money he did make came from other people using him basically. They would talk him into projects and make him think it was his idea. He was such an easy mark and now we are starting to see it. Simply making fun of him will cause him to double down, major ass kissing will make him like you.

[–] Snowclone@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It's like he's NOT a deal maker, but some kind of absolutely unqualified idiot!

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

mostly to china, as they have the most leverage right now. russia is heavily codependant on USA surprisingly.

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 15 points 1 day ago

The Art of the Kneel.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 day ago

Trump is the jealous ex who thought they would find someone better after breaking up with you

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 168 points 2 days ago (3 children)
[–] peetabix@sh.itjust.works 20 points 2 days ago

Not enough eyeliner

[–] vegeta@lemmy.world 28 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)
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[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 63 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It was always eventually going to come down to US vs China for economic leadership of the world. Trump ceded that fight. Or accelerated it in a way that makes real conflict a greater concern than it was before, depending on the aggression/militarism of future administrations.

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[–] godot@lemmy.world 133 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (40 children)

Why would China be desperate?

China offers the cheapest high spec manufacturing in the world. If the US doesn’t buy that manufacturing, that leaves the rest of the world. Of course China wants American money, but it’s not going to devastate their economy in the short term. It’s a reasonable cost for providing China with so many opportunities, which they are aggressively pursuing, to cultivate deep seated international power.

The prevalence of Chinese manufacturing actually is a national problem for the US. While China has its pick of buyers, the US is stuck with one seller. The US should have been working for twenty years with India, Pakistan, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, and maybe even some counties in Africa to create access to alternatives. It didn’t.

Weaning the US off Chinese manufacturing would take decades of elegant economic policy and diplomacy featuring several countries. China knows this is where it actually has power over the US.

[–] Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee 35 points 2 days ago

I have worked professionally with Chinese vendors and suppliers for years, both pre and post COVID. China offers the whole range of manufacturing, not just cheap labor but high tech and precision devices too. You want cheap injection molded toys for Happy Meals? Done. Precision machine tools for CNC? Can do. Medical imaging devices? No problem. Mass assembly of automotive cable looms? Easy. If a business wants quality product from China they can do it.

And much like the classic European model where a textile or steel industry would collect in a valley for logistic/resource reasons and organically form an industrial ‘core’ the same is true in China, but with a centralized planned economy. Vocational schools feed local industry with skilled workers like engineers or tool and die makers, so that region experiences further and further specialization and conglomeration.

There’s no coherent or comparable manufacturing:educational alliance in the US, closest we have is ‘feeder schools’ that partner with individual industrial/scientific giants on an ad-hoc basis.

[–] match@pawb.social 21 points 2 days ago (1 children)

China has been working with African countries for decades to build their supply lines. The US has had a blind spot over Africa the whole time

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Not true, they've just done a better job and built infrastructure instead of corrupt power networks based on the threat of regime change

[–] Snowclone@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

What do they got better principals than us? Wait are we the bad guys?

[–] clutchtwopointzero@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Also, China has a shitload of US debt that they can use as leverage

[–] dryfter@lemm.ee 5 points 1 day ago

Which makes the debt ceiling fight that's coming up even more interesting. (article from March 24th)

The U.S. is most likely to default on its $36 trillion national debt sometime between mid-July and early October if Congress doesn’t act, the Bipartisan Policy Center predicted Monday.

......

Debt limit forecasters are expected to release a narrower X-date prediction after most tax receipts have landed at the IRS in April. While it’s “quite unlikely,” there is still a possibility that the U.S. could run out of borrowing power in early June if that gush of tax revenue comes in far below projections, the Bipartisan Policy Center cautioned.

The cost-cutting efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency effort headed by Elon Musk could also affect cash flow enough to change the X-date prediction, along with the strength of the economy, tariffs and any new spending or cuts Congress approves, the center said.

Given how DOGE is inflating it's cost cutting savings by over $140 Billion, the tariff trade war, and congress' habit of pushing things to the brink when their luck is going to run out sooner or later -- this could get ugly quick.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Which is why Trump tried to declare it void, as a very stupid person.

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[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 22 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I think that underestimates the extent to which the Chinese economy is vulnerable to reduced demand from foreign partners. I'm not saying China's in a worse position than the US, since the US has a blithering imbecile traitor as President. But they're not invulnerable to economic shocks either.

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[–] coyootje@lemmy.world 27 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I hope they don't back down, even if that orange whimp ends up pulling back the tariffs. Don't re-engage with the US until they elect a decent leader. They should really feel the impact of electing such a moron for a internationally significant role.

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago

Yep. If America doesn't have a severe depression &/or civil war, the mental illness of MAGA will continue destroying the country from within, and wreaking havoc with global stability.

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[–] Embargo@lemm.ee 138 points 2 days ago (2 children)

They've called your bluff, buddy and now you're going to have to take an absolute beating of a lifetime. Enjoy!

[–] PurpleTentacle@lemmy.world 43 points 2 days ago

Not him, he'll take whatever he can get and sell it to his cultists as the world's greatest deal.

As usual, it's the US taking the beating ...

[–] Chainweasel@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The tariffs will be something Biden put in place and Trump removed to save the economy within a week.

[–] carbonari_sandwich@lemm.ee 10 points 2 days ago

I will say, lots of people in my state remember the 2008 Economic Crisis as being caused by Obama.

[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 95 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The Art of the Deal:

  1. Behave recklessly and make threats to destroy the global economy
  2. Get pushback from allies
  3. Reverse course for allies, but behave even more recklessly against rival
  4. Rival realizes you don’t know what you’re doing
  5. Beg rival to engage
  6. Rival refuses
  7. Take insanely reckless actions toward rival
  8. Rival stands firm
  9. Get told by billionaires that you’re messing with their profits and, as a side note, domestic stability
  10. Reverse course for rivals, look incredibly weak and get exposed for not having a clue what you’re doing on the global stage
  11. ?????????????????
  12. Make America Great Again
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[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 44 points 2 days ago

Trump is desperate.

No quotes or further words needed.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 62 points 2 days ago

He needs a W and has pissed off anyone capable of giving him one.

[–] Greyghoster@aussie.zone 50 points 2 days ago

He abuses people hardest to try to force them to submit. It may work with some of his business deals but in international politics with an economic superpower? What a clown.

[–] LarryLurkman@lemm.ee 7 points 2 days ago

Jesus Christ Donald Trump sucks.

[–] roserose56@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago

Like we didn't know that Trump wants to make a deal, lets not fool our self's! China has the upper hand and Trump can do nothing ATM.

[–] Linktank@lemmy.today 43 points 2 days ago

Mussolini his ass already.

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Trump and Jinping are playing a game of chicken and Trump has already slammed on the brakes while Jinping still has 1000m of track left in front of him.

If I were them, I wouldn't make a deal either - Trump had to be reminded by all the big box giants just how much he needs cheap Chinese goods to keep the shelves stocked. They have all the power and hold a shit ton of US national debt so they can wait out a trade war indefinitely while Trump will use any tariff profits to bail out farmers and other industries impacted by them not being able to sell to China at a 140% markup or whatever they set their nonsensical made-up tariff rates at.

[–] davidagain@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Trump will use any tariff profits to bail out farmers and other industries impacted

I remember when UK right wing lying populist Boris Johnson (who only really cares about himself) promised to bail out farmers and other industries adversely affected by his insane isolationist Brexit policy.

Here's US right wing lying populist Donald Trump (who only really cares about himself) and you think he's gonna bail out farmers and other industries adversely affected by his insane isolationist global trade war policy?

Why would he do that?

What have farmers got to offer Trump?

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why would he do that?

It's not why, but when. He already did this during his first term, the first time he started a trade war with China (which he lost).

He didn't bail out the farmers because he actually cares about them, but because there was an election in 2020 that he was trying to win and needed their support.

Remains to be seen if he will bother to help them again this time. He's talking about a 3rd term and other frightening shit, but his second term has been moving so fast that I'd like to think he doesn't care about what the public thinks anymore, he just wants to extract as much value of of the position as possible.

[–] davidagain@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

If he holds another election it'll be like a Russian election. You know, where it doesn't really matter who you vote for, Putin wins anyway.

[–] uienia@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah, a Trump never pays his bills, so why would he start paying other people's bills?

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Trump didn't pay them, the American public did with the tariff revenue. He has absolutely no qualms spending other people's money on stupid shit, especially if it makes him look good in their eyes. He would never directly pay for anybody's relief.

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