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Trump strongarms South Korea for protection money like a mob boss [1]

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Date: 2025-04-08

Trump's call with the acting president of South Korea, whose name he couldn't remember, started off with the trade deficit. His name is Han Duck-soo.

Any trade deficit to Trump is "Unsustainable." He still doesn't have a clue that we've got a larger population, we've got more money, we buy more of their stuff than they buy of ours. There's nothing inherently wrong with a trade deficit, unless it's caused by unfair practices like currency manipulation or subsidies to make your products cheaper than anyone else's so you can take over the market.

Trump brings up a couple of mutually beneficial ventures then gets to the real bee in his bonnet. Protection money.

Trump starts off sounding like South Korea was paying money to him personally, which I wouldn't put past him.

"... payment for the big time Military Protection we provide to South Korea."

The mob boss speaks. It doesn't even disguise it. It's protection money.

"...but Sleepy Joe Biden, for reasons unknown, terminated the deal."

Maybe it was because it was unnecessary? We keep a lot of troops there because we don't want a continuation of the Korean War. It never ended. It's like a permanent ceasefire, which it isn't either. All kinds of stuff gets lobbed or floated over the border on a regular basis.

Factcheck.org says Trump is dreaming. There were negotiations, but they broke down in 2020. It was Biden who actually negotiated a higher charge to South Korea sharing 13.9% of our cost of stationing troops, planes and other equipment and munitions in the country in 2021. So, Trump is just plain lying again.

Trump is just jealous that their high tech sector is so huge in comparison to their population vs. ours. It's not their fault that we have passed up opportunities in favor of being a farmer to the world, and that is in jeopardy because of hormones in meat products, pesticides in agriculture, and genetically modified food, along with the insane tariffs.

"Their top TEAM is heading to the U.S., and things are looking good."

Trump is just so pleased that all of the supplicants are coming here, instead of our sending a team over there. Sure makes him feel big.

Trump just loves that all these countries are caving to his will. Everybody wants to make a deal. It's always a deal, not a treaty, not a pact. And just what are those other items of contention besides the tariffs and trade? Inquiring minds want to know. Then, Trump goes off the rails.

"'ONE STOP SHOPPING' is a beautiful and efficient process!!!"

One stop shopping. Trump is like a Walmart. Better watch out for that big total at the checkout. Maybe they're going to check their receipt before leaving the store. Or the store will check your receipt to make sure you're not stealing anything, like Costco.

"China also wants to make a deal, badly, but they don't know how to get started."

Actually, they did get started. You were the one that canceled trade negotiations. What is it you're asking for now?

"We are waiting for their call."

Sounds like a As Seen On TV huckster. Call now, and you'll get a two for one, and you only pay additional shipping and we still make money off of the second copy.

"GOD BLESS THE USA."

At least he didn't end up with Make America Great Again. But, where are the exclamation points?

Trump is claiming victory, without even having met their trade delegation yet. He just expects to win, like in every golf tournament he plays. When he doesn't win, there are penalties.

China has already retaliated by cutting off our source of rare earths and minerals we need to make integrated circuit chips. That doesn't bode well with the plans to increase that high-tech manufacturing here in the US. They don't need to buy our stuff, because they make their own. And they're working to reduce any kind of dependency on the United States.

By my calculations, there is a 104% tariff on Chinese goods. This is not going to work well for stores like Walmart or Target.

But, that's just the start. Small businesses will go under with this tariff regime. They won't come back. Walmart and Target may be able to figure out other avenues of acquiring goods.

The emperor has no clothes, and he still doesn't see it even in the full length mirror. The rest of us would feel much better if he would put clothes on, because he's not pretty to look at. He just thinks he's pretty.

The real problem is that Donald has created so much uncertainty here with these tariffs. The first uncertainties were with the ones on Canada and Mexico that were on again off again on again. Now he's playing the same game with 50 different countries. At least those that have inhabitants.

The stock market looked good this morning, but it just went negative. It's still got an hour to go.

It looks like we're going to be dealing with Trump's madness for a while because even Elon Musk couldn't change his mind. If Elon can't do it, nobody can.

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