45: "I want tariffs! Bring me some tariffs!"

[Tanuki]

https://www.axios.com/exclusive-trump-vents-in-oval-office-i-want-tariffs-bring-me-some-tariffs-2478121273.html

...."The scene: The Oval Office, during Gen. Kelly's first week as Chief of Staff. Kelly convened a meeting to discuss the administration's plans to investigate China for stealing American intellectual property and technology. Kelly stood beside Trump, behind the Resolute desk. In front of the desk were U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, senior trade adviser Peter Navarro, top economic adviser Gary Cohn, and Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Trump, addressing Kelly, said, "John, you haven't been in a trade discussion before, so I want to share with you my views. For the last six months, this same group of geniuses comes in here all the time and I tell them, 'Tariffs. I want tariffs.' And what do they do? They bring me IP. I can't put a tariff on IP." (Most in the room understood that the president can, in fact, use tariffs to combat Chinese IP theft.)
.....

Gary Cohn, who opposes tariffs and the protectionist trade measures pushed by the Bannonites, had his shoulders slumped and was clearly appalled by the situation.
......

At one point in the meeting, Navarro pulled out a foam board chart. Trump didn't pay attention to it, saying "I don't even know what I'm looking at here."
.......

"John, let me tell you why they didn't bring me any tariffs," he said. "I know there are some people in the room right now that are upset. I know there are some globalists in the room right now. And they don't want them, John, they don't want the tariffs. But I'm telling you, I want tariffs."
(More at link)

[kysrsoze]

1. Bring me Hasenpfeffer!

[link:|

[Tanuki]

2. He is exactly that kind of cartoonish autocrat. It would be totally comical

if he didn't have the power to launch nuclear weapons on a whim.

[Johonny]

3. Let's start with steepTariffs on all Trump goods manufactured overseas...

The guy's a total fraud.

[dalton99a]

4. +1

[FSogol]

8. +1 n/t

[Orsino]

5. "Do the thing! The thing with all the numbers!" n/t

[Tanuki]

6. "I don't even know what I'm looking at here." That may be

the first truthful statement to cross his puckered lips in a long time.

[Orsino]

9. "Psst. Just tell him it's a tariff." n/t

[Oneironaut]

7. Tariffs will crash the economy. This is why nativism is by its very nature destructive.

Trump has very little understanding of economics. He knows just enough to be dangerous. He's an ignorant man who thinks he knows everything.