Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain

Unsurprisingly, the Financial Times is reporting that Japan does not agree with Lutnick's description of the deal - and that there is no written agreement for the $550 billion. Lutnick has been saying taxpayers will get 90% of the profits from these factories - Japan says profits… pic.twitter.com/qkQozuYvhs

— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) July 25, 2025

Japan says profits will be “based on the degree of contribution and risk taken by each party.” If the US contributes nothing, it gets no profits.

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

It's frustrating that we have no real idea of what this deal involves. But that's not surprising, given that the FT says "the deal was pulled together in a slapdash manner during a 70-minute meeting between Japan’s chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and Trump."…

— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) July 25, 2025

As a reminder, the only rule that really matters to Trump is "Win that day's headlines." So you send Lutnick out to brag about a $550 billion "signing bonus" that hasn't been agreed to in writing, and that isn't actually a bonus, and may not be $550 billion, because who cares if…

— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) July 25, 2025

As a reminder, the only rule that really matters to Trump is "Win that day's headlines." So you send Lutnick out to brag about a $550 billion "signing bonus" that hasn't been agreed to in writing, and that isn't actually a bonus, and may not be $550 billion, because who cares if it turns out later not to have been true.

So who’s the unreliable narrator here? Trump? Or the legacy media? Who can’t understand why they’re losing their audience….

We can just take Trump’s word for it like legacy media does. pic.twitter.com/Fg87EMaRic

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 26, 2025

The only trade deal that Trump is going to actually close is the one with Ghislaine.

— Bill Johnson (@Bill43111) July 26, 2025

Imagine being gullible enough to believe Trump when he claims that Japan will hand over 14% of their GDP to the US as part of a “trade deal.”

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 26, 2025

And why we don’ need no steenken’ Epstein files!

Comer tomorrow: DOJ giving Maxwell immunity shows the genius of Donald J. Trump. Art of the deal! pic.twitter.com/RHIzN7oEHi

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 26, 2025

Let me guess, Ghislaine Maxwell implicated lots of people but said Trump is entirely innocent.

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 25, 2025

I’m going with “Don’t ask, don’t tell” on that last one.Blanche didn’t ask, and she didn’t tell, and there’s no third-party who can say “No, that’s not what she said.”

Benny confirms that @DAGToddBlanche came in with a selected list of 100 men he wanted dirt on--and Trump's defense attorney was not going to ask about his client! https://t.co/DYoRGjLmMA

— emptywheel (check) (@emptywheel) July 26, 2025

Kudos to @Timodc for actually focusing on the victims, while Trump's defense attorney @DAGToddBlanche chats with sexual predator Ghislaine Maxwell about a pre-selected list of people to get dirt on.https://t.co/hK02GQ4F82

— emptywheel (check) (@emptywheel) July 26, 2025

That pre-selected list obviously courtesy of the Epstein files. Which can’t be released. Because; “insert reason here.”

All being done very transparently and in complete accord with standard DOJ practice.

I’m sure.