This is a good summary. But I would add that, though it does not matter to Trump, it should matter to you that these tariffs have done and will do a lot of damage to other countries, many of them small and weak and quite a few of them actual or potential allies of the US.
I was puzzled by why construction jobs in our state are up, counter-acting losses or flat employment in other sectors. That Reuters report you mentioned at the end reminded me that there are a lot of new data centers being built. So if you're concerned that there is an AI bubble (and I am), this is another reason to believe that the worst may be yet to come.
Why did Trump meet with Oil Executives, and did they refuse Trump's demand? Mobil=Exxon Executive, said it sounds like a scam. And knowing Donald Trump, it probably is a scam
Now Trump’s bribing Greenland—and he wants you to pay for it
Emily Singer, author
by Emily Singer
President Donald Trump has a brilliant idea: Bribe Greenland residents—and on U.S. taxpayers' dime.
President Donald Trump has a new idea for how he's going to accomplish his imperialist wet dream of annexing Greenland: Bribery.
Reuters reported Thursday that the Trump administration is mulling over a plan that would give every resident of Greenland up to $100,000 in cash in an attempt to convince them to change their minds about Trump’s takeover.
Given that there are roughly 57,000 residents of the Arctic island, this insane idea would cost U.S. taxpayers a whopping $5.7 billion. It's just the latest instance of Trump proving that he's fine with spending money on things that fluff his ego, all while refusing to fund health care subsidies, Medicaid, and food stamps.
For example, Trump said on Tuesday that he wants Congress to approve another $500 billion in military funding for next year to build what he calls his "Dream Military.” That funding would help him develop his idiotic “Golden Dome” missile defense program and a new class of battleships—named after Trump, of course.
But shelling out billions on things that Americans don't even want while refusing to fund programs vital to their wellbeing is mind-bogglingly stupid—and Americans know it.
For example, a YouGov survey released Thursday found that just 28% of Americans would support the United States purchasing Greenland, while 52% do not think that the United States should expand its territory.
Related | The world rejects Trump meddling in other countries
Polling shows that Americans want Trump to focus on affordability, which they cite as the most important issue ahead of the 2026 midterms. One way that Americans want Trump to address the cost of living is to extend Obamacare subsidies. But Trump and congressional Republicans let the subsidies expire, ensuring that premiums will skyrocket for millions of Americans.
What’s more, Trump has dismissed affordability as a Democratic “hoax” and has chastised Americans for wanting to buy so many things. Instead, he said, they should simply go with less.
But at the end of the day, Americans want health care and a lower cost of living—regardless of the lies that Trump cooks up.
"What if we funded health care instead?" Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia wrote on X.
I think that’s a winning message for the Democrats in the midst of all his pointless foreign adventures. How is the massive expense justified when the republicans are so reluctant spend money on healthcare and other things voters really care about???
The arsenic metaphor is perfect. Claiming victory because the economic damage was less catastrophic than feared only works if you ignore that the problem was self-inflicted. The gap between statutory and effective tariff rates shows how much of Trump's policy was performative theater rather than coherent strategy. Reminds me of firms frontloading imports last spring, they basically bet the announced policy wasnt serious which turned out to be half-right.
Besides horrible headlines which only result in half the horribleness, the other type of headline he generates is the GREAT NEWS headline (most recent example might be 10% cap on credit card interest) which not only isn't as great as it might first seem, but actually can't even be done.
You're absolutely right. These kinds of "good news" headlines may seem positive, but they're actually unrealistic, misleading, and essentially no different from headlines that create anxiety.
Good explanation! I feel that a lot of players in the economy are anticipating the tariffs so the signal of the effects of the tariffs is still masked by noise. And we still have to find out whether the Supreme Court will uphold his justification for them.
Agreed. The market has already priced in much of the expectation; the true impact of the tariffs will take time to materialize, and ultimately, it depends on the Supreme Court's stance.
I was curious about how the tariffs have affected individuals, and found that the personal saving rate has, by some measures, steadily decreased this year. For some reason I can't share a link here, but the Bureau of Economic Analysis at the Dept of Treasury reports the personal savings rate for June, July, Aug, and Sept as 4.6%, 4.3%, 4.1%, and 4.0%, respectively. Obvs not tariffs alone! But perhaps an interesting but if data.
I know my workplace was unable to purchase some equipment this year due to tariffs. The small business that sold the equipment in question was simply not importing it due to confusion about what the final price would be. I believe it is available again and we'll be purchasing it soon.
This is a good summary. But I would add that, though it does not matter to Trump, it should matter to you that these tariffs have done and will do a lot of damage to other countries, many of them small and weak and quite a few of them actual or potential allies of the US.
I was puzzled by why construction jobs in our state are up, counter-acting losses or flat employment in other sectors. That Reuters report you mentioned at the end reminded me that there are a lot of new data centers being built. So if you're concerned that there is an AI bubble (and I am), this is another reason to believe that the worst may be yet to come.
Demand to know what and where the Oil Tankers' oil is, or is that money from Venezuela Oil in Trump's account?
I was wondering the same thing!
Why did Trump meet with Oil Executives, and did they refuse Trump's demand? Mobil=Exxon Executive, said it sounds like a scam. And knowing Donald Trump, it probably is a scam
Now Trump’s bribing Greenland—and he wants you to pay for it
Emily Singer, author
by Emily Singer
President Donald Trump has a brilliant idea: Bribe Greenland residents—and on U.S. taxpayers' dime.
President Donald Trump has a new idea for how he's going to accomplish his imperialist wet dream of annexing Greenland: Bribery.
Reuters reported Thursday that the Trump administration is mulling over a plan that would give every resident of Greenland up to $100,000 in cash in an attempt to convince them to change their minds about Trump’s takeover.
Given that there are roughly 57,000 residents of the Arctic island, this insane idea would cost U.S. taxpayers a whopping $5.7 billion. It's just the latest instance of Trump proving that he's fine with spending money on things that fluff his ego, all while refusing to fund health care subsidies, Medicaid, and food stamps.
For example, Trump said on Tuesday that he wants Congress to approve another $500 billion in military funding for next year to build what he calls his "Dream Military.” That funding would help him develop his idiotic “Golden Dome” missile defense program and a new class of battleships—named after Trump, of course.
But shelling out billions on things that Americans don't even want while refusing to fund programs vital to their wellbeing is mind-bogglingly stupid—and Americans know it.
For example, a YouGov survey released Thursday found that just 28% of Americans would support the United States purchasing Greenland, while 52% do not think that the United States should expand its territory.
Related | The world rejects Trump meddling in other countries
Polling shows that Americans want Trump to focus on affordability, which they cite as the most important issue ahead of the 2026 midterms. One way that Americans want Trump to address the cost of living is to extend Obamacare subsidies. But Trump and congressional Republicans let the subsidies expire, ensuring that premiums will skyrocket for millions of Americans.
What’s more, Trump has dismissed affordability as a Democratic “hoax” and has chastised Americans for wanting to buy so many things. Instead, he said, they should simply go with less.
But at the end of the day, Americans want health care and a lower cost of living—regardless of the lies that Trump cooks up.
"What if we funded health care instead?" Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia wrote on X.
What if.
I think that’s a winning message for the Democrats in the midst of all his pointless foreign adventures. How is the massive expense justified when the republicans are so reluctant spend money on healthcare and other things voters really care about???
The arsenic metaphor is perfect. Claiming victory because the economic damage was less catastrophic than feared only works if you ignore that the problem was self-inflicted. The gap between statutory and effective tariff rates shows how much of Trump's policy was performative theater rather than coherent strategy. Reminds me of firms frontloading imports last spring, they basically bet the announced policy wasnt serious which turned out to be half-right.
Besides horrible headlines which only result in half the horribleness, the other type of headline he generates is the GREAT NEWS headline (most recent example might be 10% cap on credit card interest) which not only isn't as great as it might first seem, but actually can't even be done.
You're absolutely right. These kinds of "good news" headlines may seem positive, but they're actually unrealistic, misleading, and essentially no different from headlines that create anxiety.
Good explanation! I feel that a lot of players in the economy are anticipating the tariffs so the signal of the effects of the tariffs is still masked by noise. And we still have to find out whether the Supreme Court will uphold his justification for them.
Agreed. The market has already priced in much of the expectation; the true impact of the tariffs will take time to materialize, and ultimately, it depends on the Supreme Court's stance.
Either tariffs produce fair trade or they don't. If they don't, what's next? Go back to gutting American manufacturing?
I was curious about how the tariffs have affected individuals, and found that the personal saving rate has, by some measures, steadily decreased this year. For some reason I can't share a link here, but the Bureau of Economic Analysis at the Dept of Treasury reports the personal savings rate for June, July, Aug, and Sept as 4.6%, 4.3%, 4.1%, and 4.0%, respectively. Obvs not tariffs alone! But perhaps an interesting but if data.
I know my workplace was unable to purchase some equipment this year due to tariffs. The small business that sold the equipment in question was simply not importing it due to confusion about what the final price would be. I believe it is available again and we'll be purchasing it soon.