… But, It Will Be Tweeted

Tariff by bloody tariff apparently.

Yes folks that’s right, despite all the talk of North Korean nukes, the Singapore summit, and “historic” de-nuclearization agreements reached (which were apparently the same as previous historic agreements); something far more sinister and much less subtle occurred recently — and I’m not talking about U.S. -sponsored human rights abuse committed along the U.S.-Mexico border either. No, I refer to the fact that U.S. President Donald Trump, and his team of economic advisors (and I use that term loosely), saw fit to consummate the trade war they’d been threatening since early 2018 … with the entire world!

Why the entire world Mr. President?

In the last weeks of late-May and first weeks of early-June 2018, President Trump canceled all country-based exceptions to the 25% steel and 10% aluminum tariffs he imposed earlier in 2018. This move angered long-time allies and trading partners around the world including our North American Free Trade  (NAFTA) Partners Canada and Mexico; the European Union (EU); and other countries such as Brazil, Japan, and India. In retaliation, the EU  enacted counter-tariffs on U.S. imports; prompting further tariffs threats from President Trump on European cars. The EU also lodged an official complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and Harley Davidson announced it is transferring some production to Europe to avoid the tariffs on its motorcycles sold in Europe. Continue reading →