Comment by Guvante
6 months ago
The US imported $3.3 Trillion in 2024 and had goods value add of $4.9 Trillion of which $2.1 Trillion were exports.
Given generally speaking imports and exports tend to be distinct products we would need to add 118% goods production to not need to import.
The US isn't capable of doing that in even a decade.
And it is going to impact everything because unlike most tariffs which exclude manufacturing goods this set hits everything so you cannot competitively produce things unless the entire production chain from raw materials is in the US.
big bulk importers (e.g. walmart sources) already have infrastructure to deal with import duties so its not like trade is going to come to a halt. IIUC realistically its small shippers that are going to get whacked like aliexpress or temu, shein.
I responded to "we are going to have to build up our internal stuff to survive" which isn't reasonable in the medium term let alone the short term.
So what you're saying is that Trump is... a tree-hugging environmentalist by dint of being a de-growther?
Him making an anti consumption policy would fall under the "broken clock is right twice a day" situation.
Arbitrary policies can be found to align with arbitrary ones if you inspect on a different metric than is used to create them.
In this case I would assume from what has been released isolation via destabilization is the goal. (Not major destabilization mind you just "ruffling feathers" enough that we naturally pull away)
The fact that destabilization results in reduced consumption is a coincidence.
What people get from Trump is almost always the opposite of what he promises them (if he is promising them what they want anyway), so I suspect he may be the best thing for the climate since COVID.
In a similar no-not-like-that kind of way, of course.