33 Comments
User's avatar
Jim's avatar

I am a big Trump supporter although he does nothing the way I would probably do it. I think his way is better in our current national and world situation.

I remember distinctly when NAFTA was implemented. I remember being completely unsure whether it was good or bad even though I listened carefully and considered both sides of the argument.

I think by the numbers and from my personal observation that NAFTA and the so called free trade we have engaged in for decades, that winners and losers are fairly clear now. Workers and small business have lost. Big business has won. The middle of the country has lost. The coasts have won. Urban areas have won (mostly) and rural areas have lost (mostly).

I think in net terms, America has lost. Trump is smashing the status quo IMO to attempt to fix this problem. It is painful. I am watching my investments take a beating. Hopefully short term. I think it is necessary however because America has been hollowed out. The excessive trade deficits DO matter. That was not always clear to me. They must be brought under control by exporting more and/or importing less. Probably preferable to export more but we will see.

I hope America will have the patience to wait this out to fruition and reap what I think will be the benefits.

Expand full comment
Dave Vierthaler's avatar

Bingo!

Expand full comment
Kevin Beck's avatar

I'm all for the elimination of the income tax, with a replacement of import duties. I would have preferred the Fair Tax, but that's an argument for another day.

My biggest question is: Why wasn't this talked up more in the Liberation Day speech? I know it was mentioned in multiple presentations by President Trump, but would it be a good idea to promote the two ideas together?

Expand full comment
Paul Fronapfel, MD's avatar

It's impossible to get liberals to understand this

Expand full comment
Andrejka's avatar

while I am no expert, there are questions about tariffs:

why is Cambodia, a poor country charged so much, over 90%?

This is based on the trade deficit.

It sounds like Cambodia is doing something bad to us...

However this means individuals, singular people (Cambodian, Vietnamese, etc) who make $3000 a year (at most), fail to purchase as much as Americans spend on Cambodian products. Is that a crime for which the already poor people in Cambodia etc should be punished?

There is maybe one million people in Cambodia compared to the 350 million Americans. By our sheer volume, we Americans purchase more and higher priced goods than Cambodian individuals can. We Americans can afford to buy over 90% of Cambodian products because we are richer and a larger population. It is not that Cambodia is scamming us. It is just cause and effect.

If Cambodia was to have a 0% trade deficit with the USA, they would need to magically have millions more people live there and magically have a much higher income to purchase as much of our goods as we do of theirs.

Cambodia’s lack of purchasing from us, along with Madagascar and Vietnam, is because

they are a smaller population

they are too poor to purchase all we manufacture in the USA

They would LIKE to buy all of our products, yet they are too few and too poor to do so

There is ZERO conspiracy of stealing by Cambodia, Vietnam, Madagascar etc.. from the USA

These countries are being murdered by these tariffs. This is economic warfare against what I guess are disposable countries by Trump.

Just because the liberals are wrong about many things, they are not wrong about this though for reasons the left cannot fathom being they like famine and suffering for others…

Additionally, where in the Constitution does the president get to make tariffs? It is only the Congress that can do so if we follow the constitution. So this is illegal.

I am sorry to say yet here we are. Just look it up.

Expand full comment
Gary's avatar

Jim, my sentiments, exactly! Thanks for taking the time to write it.

Expand full comment
Gary's avatar

Jim, my sentiments, exactly! Thanks for taking the time to write it.

Expand full comment
SD's avatar
Apr 8Edited

Really enjoying POTUS undoing 13 years of Democrat and RINO damage. The shellacking he is handing out to China is long overdue and whilst they cry about it being unfair.

They fail in their childishness to understand its not just about their flooding the market with cheap crap.

This is also sending a message to the belligerent bullies in the CCP, that America and the west have had enough and to play nice or expect repercussions.

I wish we had a similar leader here with enough vision to do the same. I have watched the Left wing Labor party ruin our manufacturing industry and reduce it to a mere figment of its former self, one that supplied 93% of all we needed. A position which, we need to get back to.

Expand full comment
FreedomFighter's avatar

I thought that President Trump wanted to eliminate the income tax by substituting tariffs. If that is (was) his intention, he needs to be an ideologue. If he simply wants to eliminate the tariff imbalance, he can play the dealmaker, but that won't bring in enough to scratch the income tax.

Expand full comment
Stephanie S's avatar

Great article and insightful. Really appreciate the clarity you bring to sometimes very obfuscated issues.

Expand full comment
William  King's avatar

Trump is a damn narcissistic idiot that is starting to melt down and mark my word, he’s already killed many people & pretty soon there be Americans dying all over the world.

Expand full comment
Gene Douglass's avatar

Ouch, Kamalalalalala and Hillary both lost get over it.... You sound overeducated and stupid.

https://bit.ly/KrauthammerStvevil

https://bit.ly/idiotfeynman

Expand full comment
Lucy's avatar

You are still stuck in the matrix. Both sides are working together to destroy this country. And Trump is the deep state’s number one asset.

Expand full comment
Gene Douglass's avatar

Kamalalalala lost and Hillary 8 years before her. Get over it..... This time Trump won the Popular and the Electoral college vote. Democracy. Whiny losers like you should leave the noncommunist USA and go to Cuba or North Korea.....

Expand full comment
William  King's avatar

The country has already been destroyed

Expand full comment
Gene Douglass's avatar

Only for those hoping for a Soviet communist utopia, you obviously are one of Lenin's useful idiots.

https://bit.ly/Usefulidiots

Expand full comment
Greg Salmela's avatar

Does the Democrat-left have no vision or plan other than to cry?

Expand full comment
Gene Douglass's avatar

No, the useful idiots have been exposed for the communists they are.

https://bit.ly/Usefulidiots

Expand full comment
William  King's avatar

Gene has no real money

Expand full comment
Gene Douglass's avatar

Then why am I in the black debt wise, and you are not??? LOL Besides money is the root of all evil, my hope is in pleasing God and earning rewards in heaven.....

https://bit.ly/MoneyRootEvil

Expand full comment
William  King's avatar

I’m not for any of these presidential selectees as they are designed to make make central banks more power by keeping the currency weak

in order to endlave the middle class

while the FED owns it all. All wars our banker wars…

Expand full comment
Bandit's avatar

Hopefully, you'll be one of the ones to go.

Expand full comment
Thunder Road's avatar

Yep. He's definitely 1000x worse than Hitler. No joke.

Expand full comment
William  King's avatar

Amen brother & f—-Trump!!!!

Expand full comment
William  King's avatar

I think they will be out of power for a long time unless the republicans become Rhinos 🦏

Expand full comment
William  King's avatar

Good for Lucy & i bet she has real money called gold & silver

Expand full comment
Guy's avatar

Sensing a lot of hope in this post, JS.

Expand full comment
JAired's avatar

Trump also seems to want war, though he presented as wanting Peace. Am no on board with cavorting and colluding with a war criminal -- Bebe -- 73% of his own country wants him OUT!

Expand full comment
mile7bar's avatar

Not only the jewish satanic incest bastards, but also the goyimic cattle call that most primitive amoeba and satanic abomination PRESIDENT :)))

Donald Trump converted to Judaism/ Talmudism 2017 https://gab.com/jbrady3/posts/111595640711593305/media/1?timeline=video-clips

What should you know about Donald Trump (& E. Musk), that satanic* jewish zionistic incest bastard**, infinitely primitive, stupid & perverted piece of dog shit?

* John 8: 41-47 & 15: 21-24; Matthew 12: 34 & 27: 25

** Leviticus 18: 6. 20. 22. 29 (Satan & Devil = Synonyms) https://mile7bar.substack.com/p/donald-trump

Expand full comment
Comment removed
Apr 7
Expand full comment
Gene Douglass's avatar

Hamas is doing to their own people, by hiding behind and under their own families..... After crossing the border and killing thousands, along with all those rockets sent from Mosques, and Schools providing cover for the rocket launchers.....

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment removed
Apr 7
Comment removed
Expand full comment
Gene Douglass's avatar

Which side are during periods of piece shooting thousands of rockets into civilian areas?? You are just a Australian communist, just like the Stalinist Thugs Hamas, and ISIS, who hide like cowards behind their own civilians.

Expand full comment
Nathan's avatar

What genocide, dipshit? You keep using this word, I don't think you know what it means.

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment removed
Apr 7
Comment removed
Expand full comment
Gene Douglass's avatar

It is the Palestinian terrorists who want to wipe Israel off the map, from the "river to the sea", and praise Hitler for his attempted genocide....

Good riddance to the Hamas leadership.....

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/23/senior-hamas-leader-among-23-killed-in-israeli-strikes-in-southern-gaza

Expand full comment