Nest Of Spiders 🕷️

 Note to pundits who still think Trump “revels” in chaos and being unpredictable (which at least sounds like a “strategy”):

Just days out from Trump’s April 2 announcement of global tariffs, which he has hailed as “Liberation Day,” even those closest to the president — from Vice President JD Vance to his chief of staff Susie Wiles and his own Cabinet officials — have privately indicated that they’re unsure exactly what the boss will do, according to three people who have spoken with them.

While some details of the administration’s plan for what Trump has dubbed “reciprocal tariffs” on global trading partners are starting to trickle out, the president has at times upended them or floated contradictory policies that are keeping everyone — even his inner circle — guessing.

“No one knows what the fuck is going on,” said one White House ally close to Trump’s inner circle, granted anonymity to speak freely. “What are they going to tariff? Who are they gonna tariff and at what rates? Like, the very basic questions haven’t been answered yet.”

Indeed, while the White House is projecting confidence publicly, multiple administration officials, as well as top allies on the outside, are privately concerned that next week’s roll-out could be as rocky as when he imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China on March 4, worsening a rout on stocks that began in mid-February. Though the S&P 500 has since regained some ground, all of its previous gains since Election Day have been erased.

The man’s mind is just a nest of spiders. There’s nothing more to it than that. 

Part of the uncertainty stems from the president seeming to undermine his own team at times. After Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in recent weeks that only about 10 or 15 countries — or the “dirty 15,” as Bessent put it — would face reciprocal tariffs, Trump said Wednesday that actually every country will be hit with a tariff.

The president similarly undercut Lutnick earlier this month, after the Commerce secretary suggested Canada and Mexico might avoid the full 25 percent Trump had threatened over border security and fentanyl — though two people close to the president said Lutnick was freelancing and has since been told to stay on message. Trump went ahead and slapped that duty on the two North American neighbors on March 4, but then paused much of it a day later and exempted certain goods — a rollercoaster of announcements that left many businesses and investors unsure about how the new tariffs would work.

This ain’t chess. It ain’t checkers. He’s not eating the pieces. He’s not even sitting at the board. At best, he’s wandering in and out of contact with reality.

Indeed, Trump has continued to shift the scope, targets and timeline of his tariffs at a whiplash-inducing pace. The duties he promised, pre-inauguration, to levy on Canada and Mexico his first day in office shifted to Feb. 1, then Feb. 4, then March 4, before being largely rolled back until April 2. There is little clarity about what parts of those tariffs — which could hit more than $1 trillion worth of trade — will go into effect next week.

The size of the so-called reciprocal tariffs, which the administration says it’s calculating for individual trading partners based on their treatment of U.S. imports, could also shift. Administration officials have indicated to foreign diplomats that those duties are meant to be a starting point for negotiations with other countries, meaning American companies may not know what if any tariffs will stick.

Trump also threatened to impose tariffs April 2 on various critical industries, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, copper and lumber, before indicating in recent days that those tariffs are likely to be delayed.

Go on. Tell me I’m wrong. Go back to the start of the article. Nobody knows what’s going to come out of Trump’s mouth on Tuesday. Not even Trump. At least with George III, people realized he was mad.

Trump II brings on Great Depression II by the 4th of July. Maybe by memorial day. This is what happens when billionaires are allowed to buy the government.

I’m beginning to be suspicious of the “price of eggs” explanation for the electoral outcome. I think the majority really thought “it doesn’t matter,” but electing a black woman, does. Just can’t go there. There is no system of government that will protect us from ourselves.