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How Trump's tariff plan is lining his and Musk's pockets [1]
['Jason Weisberger']
Date: 2025-04-17
The Wall Street Journal reports that Vietnam is rushing approval of a new Trump resort and buying Starlink as part of a plan to stave off Trump's tariffs.
Negotiating new trade deals takes time, and just buying some more US-made goods, while kissing Trump's posterior, is a lot easier.
"Vietnam, which has a surplus of more than $120 billion with the U.S. and saw tariffs on its goods rise to 46% on Liberation Day, shows how anxious countries are to stave off the duties," the Journal reported. "It recently closed a $300 million financing deal to buy a fleet of new Boeing jets. It pushed through the authorization of Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser. And it accelerated the approvals for a $1.5 billion Trump resort." WSJ
It is doubtful that all the new trade agreements will be negotiated before Trump's latest pause expires, but that doesn't seem to be the primary goal. Anything that gives the Trump administration room to claim victory is likely going to be good enough.
"While splashy purchasing announcements are welcome, they are often short-lived," said Wendy Cutler, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former U.S. trade official. "It's easier to implement a 'buy more' strategy than negotiating structural measures typically found in trade agreements."
RawStory
Previously:
• Trump's tariffs finally makes sense: Ruble soars past dollar
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