Ignorant Trade War

Donald Trump does not understand trade deficits. He thinks if we have a trade deficit with China it means that China is pulling money out of America.  It just means that our economy buys more from China than it sells to China.  If we lower the trade deficit with China we will just increase a trade deficit with other countries.  We buy more than we produce, so we have trade deficits.

And Donald Trump doesn't know history - especially the history that says that the Smoot Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 was a contributor to the collapse of the U.S. and world economy of the Great Depression of the '30s.  This has been explained to this poor hapless guy in the White House, who is in way over his head, many times by many people, but he is incapable of learning because he thinks he knows it all already. 


Or he just doesn't have the mental capacity to understand complicated things, as has been reported by a number of former staff who tried to deal with him. 


Or maybe he is under other influences?

So, Trump announced a ridiculous 25% tariff on China.  He thinks he is negotiating.  He thinks the way you negotiate is with sledge hammers. He only is capable of imagining using force, and incapable of imagining or using persuasion.  He can only see the world in win-lose terms, and hasn't a clue to what win-win is.   He is the worst negotiator in U.S. history, as far as I can tell.  So, China responds with its own draconian measure, dropping the value of their currency.  And today the stock market dropped 767.27 points. Is this a surprise to anyone?

That Trump is ignorant is obvious.  That Trump is incapable of learning is obvious.  That Trump is incapable of admitting a mistake is obvious.  

I just hope and pray that he doesn't complete his mission of plunging the country into a real depression. 

It is almost as if he were taking orders from a hostile foreign power waging war against America and having him do those things most destructive to America, and America's economy, and America's leadership and standing in the world, and America's power in the world.  

Did someone mention Russia?