I genuinely believe that Trump is playing with trade tariffs for the personal gain of himself, his family and his associates. I honestly don't think he gives a flying f**k about the long term prospects of the US economy.
He doesn’t know the first thing about economics.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/01/trump-has-no-idea-how-the-dollar-works-mnuchin-dollar
Trump is about blagging strength,unfortunately for the rest of the world, he is now in control of the largest economy and military in the world, and thinks they are his personal playthings...just like the US government.
The Founding Fathers gave great powers to the President, believing that Congress and the Courts would keep him in check, as they are EQUAL branches of the Government. Republicans, seizing on the major flaws in this system, have sought to control all three branches (plus the Chief Executive positions in as many states as possible, called Governors in the US) to give him almost King/Dictator/Tyrant style powers.
There are almost ZERO “checks and balances” in place right now, which is why Trump is keeping all the lies and rhetoric (red meat to his base, and the base in the majority of Republican states, so their Congressmen lap it up and get in line) at such a high volume.
There is a large slice of the American population that believes “might makes right,” because America is nothing if not a country born of, and a continuing result of, wars fought and won. In Trump, they see someone who says what they think, even though it is deemed racist, misogynistic, or even stupid, so they THINK he understands them. His level of pandering (reality TV, blagging billionaire, silver spoon, east coast (liberal) elite...until he wanted to be President) is of a level that intelligent people struggle to comprehend how and why it can still be effective. However, when you have a media empire run for his benefit (no, not RT, but Fox News) and you have simply coined a well-worn phrase (“fake news”) to describe any media output you don’t like or which sheds negative or investigative light on you, the “basket of deplorables” simply laps it up.
It is despicable genius in some ways, but speaks to a very sad indictment of America and Americans life in many others.
Just keeping lying and people will believe the lies.......he is not the first to do it, and his success to this point (President of the US!) suggests he won’t be the last! Good luck to us all!
