'Yes Mr. Trump, The Mexico Tariffs Are BRILLIANT' -- Just Totally Everyone

Everyone except Mnuchin, Lighthizer, Pence ...

CNBC reports that Donald Trump imposed those fun new economy-wrecking tariffs on Mexico at the urging of his immigration Obersturmbannführer Stephen Miller, even though the idea was opposed by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, according to administration sources. Further, we learn that Trump decided to go ahead and announce the tariffs without a lot of consultation with other economic advisers, because he was "riled up" over immigration talk on wingnut radio. That all sounds perfectly normal, presidential and stable genius-y to us, for sure!

CNBC notes that while Mnuchin and Lighthizer don't share economic ideologies much, their joint opposition to fucking over the US economy in hopes that Mexico would magic all the Central American asylum seekers away "marked a rare moment of unity" for the two.

Also, there's this fine nugget on President BigBrain's decision-making process:

Trump's move was announced as the administration's most prominent free-trade advocates — including economic aide Larry Kudlow and Vice President Mike Pence — were not around to argue against it. Pence was in Canada on Thursday. Kudlow, a former CNBC contributor, was undergoing surgery for a hip replacement, according to three sources.

Hee hee, Trump is probably just tickled by how cleverly he avoided even having to talk to those boring guys who might not have let him have any fun at all. "When Kudlow's in traction, The Donald's in action" he may have muttered to himself.

The Wall Street Journal   broke the news that Lighthizer opposed the tariffs, which will supposedly be increased each month immigrants still exist, until topping out at 25 percent on all Mexican goods brought into the US. "Lighthizer is not happy," according to one administration official who spoke to the Journal. Can't see why, since the tariffs will merely devastate US auto manufacturing, food imports, and agriculture .

The Journal also reported a former administration official said, "This is something he's talked about for a long time but people always talked him out of it." Again, we can only imagine how delighted Trump must be, for the moment. Give it a month or two and we'll no doubt hear that 1) Trump is pissed off that none of his economic advisers are team players, and that's why the tariffs aren't working; 2) He's certain the tariffs really are working, but traitors in the US government are personally driving Central Americans across the border in Mad Max cars, and 3) Could we please just start shooting people,   please? 

Fortunately, Lightizer's office is at least disciplined enough to completely disregard whatever the trade representative actually thinks, because everyone there knows how to keep a job in Trump's Washington:

Jeff Emerson, a spokesman for the trade representative's office, said Mr. Lighthizer "supports what the president is doing," without addressing whether he supports the new punitive tariffs, specifically.

 "Oh yeah,"said Trump to himself,"When Lighthizer's dozin', his people are brown-nosin'!" 

In addition, White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro told CNBC today that slapping import duties on Mexican imports just makes sense, since Mexico has been engaged in unfair trade -- in human beings, you see:

If you look at it from an investor's point of view and a corporate point of view, what we have in Mexico is theexport, one of their high exports, of illegal aliens.And it's a criminal enterprise. [emphasis added -- Dok Z] 

That's some darn smart economics-ing from a top US trade official. Next we can expect to hear that Mexico is manufacturing immigrants below fair market value, and the USA just can't keep up with its own creation of poor, desperate people fleeing violence. Fuck is he even talking about?

Navarro, the top trade expert, also echoed Donald Trump's own favorite lie about who pays tariffs, which are a tax applied on imports, don't you know. Jesus, even a rhetoric major knows that .

CNBC: Why punish American consumers w/tariffs if your beef is w/Mexico? PETER NAVARRO: Actually, foreign govts pay… https://t.co/Km8TDNWtAw

— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1559321523.0 

In conclusion, it's Friday and we don't have to think about this shit for a few days until it bites us on the ass again, goodnight.

[ CNBC / WSJ / CNBC ]