Trump 2.0

[Dona Ferentes]

.
maybe he's out of his depth.

 

[Value Hunter]

This is just one example but this type of abuse of H1B and other visa types is rampant. The reality is in most countries including USA immigration is just a scam to depress wages and has nothing to do with skills shortages.

Immigration is decimating the USA economy.

The Trump administration is starting to take some action on this but I do not think it is enough yet.

 

[sptrawler]

View attachment 199222
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maybe he's out of his depth.

He always was, but someone had to do it.

 

[basilio]

So why is the Trump administration adamant about rooting out any tarns gender person in the Military ? Lack of capacity to do the job ? Costs ? Friction with fellow soldiers ? Daily show did a interview with 4 transgender soldiers.

First interesting fact.. The US military spends a ton more on Viagra than Trans Gendercare

 

[sptrawler]

Trump hails China trade talks as a ‘total reset’

Trump says the first day of US-China discussions aimed at defusing a trade war were “friendly, but constructive”.

www.smh.com.au

On Saturday, top US and Chinese officials wrapped up the first day of talks in Geneva aimed at defusing a trade war that threatens to hammer the global economy, and planned to resume negotiations on Sunday, a source close to the discussions said.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson Greer for about eight hours in their first face-to-face meeting since the world’s two largest economies heaped tariffs well above 100 per cent on each other’s goods.
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Neither side made any statements afterwards about the substance of the discussions, nor signalled any specific progress towards reducing crushing tariffs as meetings at the residence of Switzerland’s ambassador to the UN concluded about 8pm Swiss time.

The location of the talks in the Swiss diplomatic hub was never made public. However, witnesses saw both delegations returning after a lunch break to the UN ambassador’s gated villa, which has its own private park overlooking Lake Geneva in the leafy suburb of Cologny.

Earlier, American officials, including Bessent and Greer, smiled as they left their hotel on the way to the talks, wearing red ties and US flags on their lapels. Bessent declined to speak to reporters.

Washington is seeking to reduce its $295 billion goods trade deficit with Beijing and persuade China to renounce what the United States says is a mercantilist economic model and contribute more to global consumption, a shift that would require politically sensitive domestic reforms.

Beijing has pushed back against what it sees as external interference. It wants Washington to lower tariffs, clarify what it wants China to buy more of, and treat it as an equal on the world stage.

Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin met both parties in Geneva on Friday and said the fact that the talks were taking place was already a success.

“If a road map can emerge and they decide to continue discussions, that will lower the tensions,” he told reporters on Friday, saying talks could continue into Sunday or even Monday.

 

[sptrawler]

It sounds as though the critical trade talks, between Scott Bessent, Jamieson Greer and the Chinese delegation, are making productive headway.
An announcement is due today apparently.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-china-talks-defuse-trade-row-resume-geneva-2025-05-11/

GENEVA, May 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. and China ended high-stakes trade talks on a positive note on Sunday, with U.S. officials touting a "deal" to reduce the U.S. trade deficit, while Chinese officials said the sides had reached "important consensus" and agreed to launch another new economic dialogue forum.

Neither side released details after they wrapped up two days of talks in Switzerland. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said a joint statement would be released in Geneva on Monday. Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said it would contain "good news for the world."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer described "substantial progress" and also said details would be announced on Monday.

In separate briefings with reporters, neither side mentioned any agreement to cut U.S. tariffs of 145% on Chinese goods and China's 125% tariffs on U.S. goods.

Greer and Bessent took no questions from reporters. The U.S. Treasury chief has said previously that these duties amount to a trade embargo between the world's two largest economies and need to be "de-escalated."

Financial markets have been on edge for signs of a thaw in a bitter U.S.-China trade war that has already begun to disrupt supply chains, prompt layoffs and raise wholesale prices.

 

[sptrawler]

US treasury secretary announces 90-day pause on reciprocal China tariffs

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also announced a substantial reduction in tariff levels following talks with Chinese officials in Geneva.

www.abc.net.au

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs and a substantial reduction in tariff levels.

The US and China confirmed on Monday, local time, that they had agreed to a deal that would see both nations reduce tariffs by 115 per cent.

It comes as Washington and Beijing seek to end a trade war that has disrupted the global economy and set financial markets on edge.

US trade representative Jamieson Greer said the 10 per cent baseline "reciprocal" tariff on China would remain, as it did for virtually every other nation since it was announced on "Liberation Day" on April 2.

"We have, in addition to that, previous measures that we've retained, which have been, frankly, effective in reducing the US bilateral trade deficit with China over the past few years," he said.

"So that leaves us in a very good position all in, with respect to measures on Chinese imports, but more importantly, leads us in a constructive path forward to have a positive conversation with the Chinese on how to rebalance."

Mr Bessent clarified the US did not want trade decoupling from China.

"The consensus from both delegations this weekend is, neither side wants a decoupling," he told reporters.

"And what had occurred with these very high tariffs … was the equivalent of an embargo, and neither side wants that.

Mr Bessent said he also wanted to see China be open to more US goods.

"We expect that as the negotiations proceed, there will also be possibility of purchase agreements to pull what is our largest bilateral trade deficit into balance that has gotten out of balance," he said.

 

[sptrawler]

Trump taking on the big drug companies.
Best of luck.

Trump's order on US drug prices: What's in it, and will it work?

The president promises sweeping price cuts "almost immediately", but experts say these are unlikely.

www.bbc.com

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to reduce high prescription drug prices – but its details and long-term effects are far from clear.

Citing figures that patients in other countries pay much less than Americans for pharmaceuticals, Trump said he would order drug companies to reduce their prices inside the US.

Politicians from both US political parties have taken aim at the costs. During Monday's White House announcement, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr noted that prices had been a preoccupation of Democrats and a main target in socialist Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns.

Both Trump in his first term and former President Joe Biden tried to tackle the issue, particularly the cost of life-saving drugs such as insulin, but US prices remain stubbornly high.

 

[sptrawler]

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5295331-bessent-trade-talks-us-china-geneva/

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that he expects to continue trade negotiations with Chinese officials after meeting in Geneva, though he offered no timeline beyond the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs that was hashed out over the weekend.

“We got a lot done over two days, so I would imagine in the next few weeks we will be meeting again to get rolling on a more fulsome agreement,” Bessent said

Bessent and other officials from both countries huddled at the neutral location over the weekend to discuss a way forward following President Trump’s sweeping tariff overhaul in April and weeks of escalation and tension.

“We had a plan, we had a process, and now what we have with the Chinese is a mechanism to avoid an upward tariff pressure, like we did last time,” said Bessent, who was still in Switzerland during the CNBC interview.

The Treasury secretary, whom Trump designated as his point person on the discussions, described the U.S.-China trade talks as “always respectful” and noted that they established a “meeting mechanism” for future discussions.

“We tried to identify shared interest,” he said. “We came with a list of problems that we were trying to solve, and I think we did a good job on that.”

But Bessent also acknowledged issues that the countries haven’t resolved, including hurdles that American companies face when they try to do business in China.

“That’s the purpose of the 90-day pause to see what we can do and work on these non-tariff barriers,” he said.

The U.S. and China released a joint statement on Monday that said Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the U.S. in continued trade talks over the next three months, and Vice Premier of the State Council, He Lifeng, will represent China.

“These discussions may be conducted alternately in China and the United States, or a third country upon agreement of the Parties. As required, the two sides may conduct working-level consultations on relevant economic and trade issues,” statement read.

 

[Knobby22]

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5295331-bessent-trade-talks-us-china-geneva/

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that he expects to continue trade negotiations with Chinese officials after meeting in Geneva, though he offered no timeline beyond the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs that was hashed out over the weekend.

“We got a lot done over two days, so I would imagine in the next few weeks we will be meeting again to get rolling on a more fulsome agreement,” Bessent said

Bessent and other officials from both countries huddled at the neutral location over the weekend to discuss a way forward following President Trump’s sweeping tariff overhaul in April and weeks of escalation and tension.

“We had a plan, we had a process, and now what we have with the Chinese is a mechanism to avoid an upward tariff pressure, like we did last time,” said Bessent, who was still in Switzerland during the CNBC interview.

The Treasury secretary, whom Trump designated as his point person on the discussions, described the U.S.-China trade talks as “always respectful” and noted that they established a “meeting mechanism” for future discussions.

“We tried to identify shared interest,” he said. “We came with a list of problems that we were trying to solve, and I think we did a good job on that.”

But Bessent also acknowledged issues that the countries haven’t resolved, including hurdles that American companies face when they try to do business in China.

“That’s the purpose of the 90-day pause to see what we can do and work on these non-tariff barriers,” he said.

The U.S. and China released a joint statement on Monday that said Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the U.S. in continued trade talks over the next three months, and Vice Premier of the State Council, He Lifeng, will represent China.

“These discussions may be conducted alternately in China and the United States, or a third country upon agreement of the Parties. As required, the two sides may conduct working-level consultations on relevant economic and trade issues,” statement read.

Good to see Besant involved.

 

[sptrawler]

Good to see Besant involved.

Bessent.

Yes he really can articulate the issue and has a pleasant demeanour, pretty well the opposite of Trump.

I can see why Trump chose him to lead the delegation, Bessent is one smart guy IMO.

 

[IFocus]

Trump taking on the big drug companies.
Best of luck.

Trump's order on US drug prices: What's in it, and will it work?

The president promises sweeping price cuts "almost immediately", but experts say these are unlikely.

www.bbc.com

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to reduce high prescription drug prices – but its details and long-term effects are far from clear.

Citing figures that patients in other countries pay much less than Americans for pharmaceuticals, Trump said he would order drug companies to reduce their prices inside the US.

Politicians from both US political parties have taken aim at the costs. During Monday's White House announcement, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr noted that prices had been a preoccupation of Democrats and a main target in socialist Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns.

Both Trump in his first term and former President Joe Biden tried to tackle the issue, particularly the cost of life-saving drugs such as insulin, but US prices remain stubbornly high.

Reports of Democrats asking Trump to organize a bill and they would pass it as law, unclear if Trumps executive order will do much pharmaceutical lobby has to be one of the strongest in US politics pretty much a symptom of all that's wrong with the US system as far as the middle class go.

 

[IFocus]

First look at the new Air Force One gifted to the US by Qatar?

 

[JohnDe]

As Beijing’s mouthpieces claimed they could do just fine without the American market, factory owners in Guangdong told me: “I feel like the sky is falling”.​

​

For all Beijing’s blustering about its successful diversification from the US, these businesses clearly needed American consumers.​

​

China’s south, another factory owner told me his firm, which supplies components for American chip giant Nvidia and Elon Musk’s Tesla, had been ordered by its American clients to open a new factory in America.​

​

It was clear that the tariffs were hurting many Chinese people. Goldman Sachs forecast more than 10 million jobs were on the line.​

​

Of course, America was hurting too. Complaints by American retailers that many of their shelves would soon be empty weren’t made up.​

​

Yes, Trump blinked and did a deal to avoid the worst of the consumer pain that he had been warned about — but Xi blinked too.​

Who buckled: Trump or Xi? They both did, but this is still a pretty Trumpy deal

Remember when Beijing declared that President Donald Trump had “no factual basis” for claiming that China and America had begun discussions over their prohibitive tariff walls?

That was way back in late April, three weeks ago, when China was declaring it would “fight till the end” and “never kneel down” to America. Well, now we learn that days before Beijing made that claim, America’s Treasury secretary Scott Bessent held a previously secret meeting with China’s finance minister Lan Fo’an in Washington on the sidelines of the annual IMF meeting.

If you were to put it bluntly, you might say that Beijing had lied as it tried to present a strong posture to the world.

My reporting assignments across China since Trump’s “Liberation Day” on April 2 have underscored, again and again, the huge gulf between what China’s government says and what is going on in the country.

As Beijing’s mouthpieces claimed they could do just fine without the American market, factory owners in Guangdong told me: “I feel like the sky is falling”.

At the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, Chinese export businesses stunned me with how openly they discussed plans to get around Trump’s tariff wall. One said his firm was opening a business in Vietnam that would do little more than put on stickers claiming that their products, made in China’s Fujian province, were actually made over China’s southern border.

For all Beijing’s blustering about its successful diversification from the US, these businesses clearly needed American consumers.

On a later trip in China’s south, another factory owner told me his firm, which supplies components for American chip giant Nvidia and Elon Musk’s Tesla, had been ordered by its American clients to open a new factory in America.

It was clear that the tariffs were hurting many Chinese people. Goldman Sachs forecast more than 10 million jobs were on the line.

Of course, America was hurting too. Complaints by American retailers that many of their shelves would soon be empty weren’t made up.

Yes, Trump blinked and did a deal to avoid the worst of the consumer pain that he had been warned about — but Xi blinked too.

Many in China are now crowing about the mutual backdown agreed over the weekend in Switzerland, saying it demonstrates the wisdom of Xi’s tough approach. “Of course it is a victory,” bellowed the jingoistic Fudan professor and commentator Shen Yi.

The pugnacious professor compared China’s trade tactics to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s war against the United Nations co-ordinated forces, led by America and including Australia, which forced an armistice on the Korean peninsula and gave the world North Korea (a glorious outcome, according to official Communist Party history). “If this is not victory, then what is victory?” asked Shen.

It is an interesting victory for China. They have accepted the second Trump administration adding 30 per cent across-the-board tariffs on Chinese goods, which build on tariffs from Trump’s first term.

Capital Economics estimates the effective US tariff rate on China is now around 40 per cent. China’s effective tariff rate on American goods is around 25 per cent.

That is a steep fall from the 145 per cent and 125 per cent tariffs that America and China had respectively imposed (after being forced up by Xi’s retaliation), but it is still an amount far beyond any other American trade partner.

It will allow much trade to resume without going through grey channels, which should see Trump collect far more tariff revenue (a part of his tariff policy which many ridicule but which the president takes seriously). But if these rates stick, and so long as high rates aren’t imposed on Southeast Asia, India or Mexico, it will lead to more manufacturers leaving China if they want to sell to America.

Trump has also maintained the 120 per cent tariffs he had imposed on small parcels from China, closing a loophole that had been used by Chinese discount retailers Temu and Shein.

The Chinese meanwhile will lift restrictions on rare earths needed in high end manufacturing — although, as with everything in this deal, that agreement could be binned when the relationship encounters its next shock (say if either party is not happy with how TikTok is dealt with in the coming months).

Taken together, the Swiss deal lands the US-China relationship in a place not a world away from what Trump campaigned on — with America’s tariffs on China much higher than on the rest of the world. Perhaps most remarkably, the Chinese have resigned themselves to this arrangement with only a new 10 per cent impost on American goods to save face.

While Trump has compromised, this is economic terrain far removed from the “win-win” vision of globalisation that Xi continues to champion (at least in his speeches for foreign audiences).

Trump and Xi may be the world’s two most powerful people, but neither is omnipotent. Each has agreed to things they said, only weeks ago, they would never tolerate.

That is a great relief for the world economy, including Australia. Growth rates in 2025 will be higher because of this deal.

Trump and Xi have shown a surprising level of flexibility. We should be grateful they did — even if it required a few white lies to get there.

 

[basilio]

The Flying Trojan Horse indeed. Marina Hyde had a great time sending up the shameless, naked graft that epitimises this kleptocracic government.

Poor Trump: you can’t even accept a luxury jet from Qatar without being called corrupt these days​

Marina Hyde

Even his Maga pals are questioning the lavish gift. Don’t they know not to look a wooden gift horse in the mouth?

If you’re familiar with your folklore, you’ll know the story of The Emperor’s New Plane, in which some barely-even-wily out-of-towners turn up with an offer to give a vain and selfish leader a new $400m Boeing 747-8. The merits of accepting this “flying palace” are invisible only to those who are stupid or incompetent, which means the emperor would literally be an idiot not to take it, right?

Right? And so it is that Donald Trump is STUNNED that anyone could be so dumb as to not think he should accept the offer of a state-of-the-art griftliner from the Qatari royal family. This will supposedly become Air Force One, with that other candelabra-free dumpster presumably pensioned off to ferry someone tasteless and irrelevant. (Eric Trump?)

Then, when the second Trump imperium finishes – and please be assured that a guy who would take a freebie plane off a petrostate autocrat could not possibly have any more respect for the two-term constitutional limit – the plane will be transferred to Trump’s presidential library and become his personal property. Trump calls this entire deal with a foreign government “very transparent” – and I think we can probably agree on that. You’d have to be wearing a lead blindfold not to see right through it. In many ways the most opaque thing about it is the notion that Trump is even planning a presidential library. I thought he kept all his most precious papers behind a shower curtain or stacked next to the toilet in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom that a realtor might describe as “a wonderful opportunity for updating”. In this reading, the term “presidential library” simply functions as one of those twee euphemisms for the guest loo. “I wonder if you could show me to the presidential library?”

Poor Trump: you can’t even accept a luxury jet from Qatar without being called corrupt these days | Marina Hyde

Even his Maga pals are questioning the lavish gift. Don’t they know not to look a wooden gift horse in the mouth, asks Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

www.theguardian.com

 

[sptrawler]

It will be interesting to see who turns out correct, Trump, or the the other loonies following the multinational media and posting up chook food.

It certainly is entertaining, the West seems to be re adjusting the status quo, is China winning?

https://www.autoblog.com/news/former-nissan-ceo-said-he-predicted-automakers-current-crisis

From the article:

Among the changes ordered in Espinosa’s turnaround plan for Nissan are an increased number of job cuts affecting 10,000 people in addition to the 9,000 cuts that were previously announced. The plan also calls for some heavy shifts to its global production capacity, which include the shutdown of seven global assembly plants, consolidating its global production base of 17 plants to just 10 plants by the end of the 2027-2028 fiscal year.

During a February quarterly earnings announcement, Nissan said that 6,500 of the 9,000 job cuts would be manufacturing jobs resulting from three plant closures. According to Nissan, the first to close will be its plant in Thailand, which it intends to close sometime between April and June this year. It plans to close another plant between October and December this year, and the third will come offline within its 2026-2027 fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2027. Nissan has yet to announce which plants will get the axe.

In addition, Espinosa stated during its earnings announcement that Nissan is in talks with Mitsubishi and Honda about joint manufacturing in the U.S. as it seeks to use additional factory capacity.

“The size of the company is just not sustainable. If we didn’t do something now, the problem would only get worse,” he said. “We need as a company to be faster, quicker, more decisive.”

Nissan’s bold plan comes as the automaker posted net losses not seen in nearly 25 years. During the company’s 2024-2025 fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2025, Nissan posted a net loss of 670.9 billion Yen (~$4.48 billion), an 88% dip in operating profit, as well as a global sales decline of 2.8%.

To tackle what Espinosa called a “very big and very challenging” task, Nissan aims to prioritize U.S. production, including keeping a second shift of production at its Smyrna, Tennessee plant to create a steady flow of U.S.-made Rogues. In addition, the new CEO stated that Nissan is in talks with Honda about possibly using some of its local manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

I believe the image below may be from Trump 1.0 but it is relevant as the "religious" vote got him in this second time.

I'm titling it, PICK THE FRAUD

And it ain't Mr. Trump.

gg

 

[sptrawler]

Well Trump has finally got through to the EU, that they need to grow a pair, rather than thinking the U.S is its Dad, who they run to for protection.

Meanwhile the loonies still go on about Trump not getting traction, well I think the proof is starting to show, here is a big call by Germany that is well overdue.

At least this, will stimulate a bit of growth in the EU.

Germany must have a stronger army than Britain, chancellor says

Friedrich Merz has outlined plans to create Europe’s largest fighting force in his first major speech as chancellor.

www.theage.com.au

Germany must have a stronger army than Britain, its chancellor has said, as he committed to spending 5 per cent of annual GDP on defence.

In his first major address to the German parliament, Friedrich Merz said: “We must make all the means available that the Bundeswehr [German army] needs so that it can become the strongest conventional army in Europe.”

His comments suggest that Germany, which for decades has been deeply reluctant to rearm owing to its Nazi past, now hopes to eclipse the leading armies of Europe: Britain, Poland and France.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin was ready to commit to spending 5 per cent of annual GDP on defence as demanded by US President Donald Trump. He said Germany would “follow him there”.

Trump has been lobbying NATO members to meet the spending target, with Estonia and Poland already committing to do so.
The figure is double the UK’s aim to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence per year by 2027.

Germany has vowed to become a major European security power in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a process that requires massive reinvestment in the Bundeswehr.

For decades, the German army suffered from a lack of investment and poor equipment, linked to a belief in Berlin that defence was no longer a priority.

 

[IFocus]

Meanwhile the loonies still go on about Trump not getting traction, well I think the proof is starting to show, here is a big call by Germany that is well overdue.

Trump sane.... everyone else loonies?

Did you ask Stormy for a reference?

 

[sptrawler]

Trump sane.... everyone else loonies?

Did you ask Stormy for a reference?

No, not everyone else loonies, just a few of you. Lol
You have to remember, you guys were the cheer squad for Mark Latham. Lol