Start Hedging (Trade War)

[Saz]

[Kane]

Cool story bro.

[Saz]

[Kane]

Well, you're about to have your wish come true:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... na-tariffs
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... s-on-china

$100 Billion more in tariffs on Chinese goods.

I'm guessing this is posturing after Chinese State Media came out hard against his tariffs? But $100 Billion in new tariffs basically gets us to that magical all US exports to China valuation.

[Saz]

[Kane]

[Spider]

[exploited]

The problem is Donald.

It isn't that confronting China is wrong, something that shouldn't be done.

The problem is that so long as Donald Trump is in charge, there will be no significant concessions made by your allies, and so there will be no "grand reckoning" in Europe or elsewhere. The rest of the West is practically tripping over itself trying to get some of dat Chinese money.

To put this plainly, Donald is on his own.

Saz correctly understands the scope of American power, and how it can be used as leverage. What he doesn't understand is that the bulk of the West has already decided that to give into Trump in any significant way will open floodgates that we can avoid if only we ride out the next few years. He is the creepy guy trying to grab a chicks kitty at the bar - you don't concede a thing, otherwise you'll end up getting finger-banged in an alleyway while passed out.

It is one thing to go against the full might of the US government on trade - it is another to go against a man who is universally perceived as weak, stupid and pampered, who will never be able to rally the US government, utilize it properly, or get more than a small group of prescription-opioid addicted Boomers behind his initiatives.

The expectation is that he will be promptly removed next election, and then business can resume as usual. If he wins again, the strategy will change and he may have the power to pursue these kinds of changes. But at this point it is just a waiting game. Trump will only get more and more frustrated as he comes to term with the fact that, in the eyes of the world, he has been a lame duck President since day one.

[Kane]

Thank you.

[Saz]