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Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true
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Who needs damn facts. Not Donnie Douchebag.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he made up some of what he said in a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, The Washington Post reported.


Trump said that, during that meeting, he insisted the U.S. had a trade deficit with Canada without knowing whether that was really the case, according to the Post, which obtained an audio recording of the president's Wednesday fundraising speech.


Here's the Post's transcription of part of the president's talk:

"Nice guy, good-looking guy, comes in — 'Donald, we have no trade deficit.' He's very proud because everybody else, you know, we're getting killed."
"... So, he's proud. I said, 'Wrong, Justin, you do.' I didn't even know. ... I had no idea. I just said, 'You're wrong.' You know why? Because we're so stupid. … And I thought they were smart. I said, 'You're wrong, Justin.' He said, 'Nope, we have no trade deficit.' I said, 'Well, in that case, I feel differently,' I said, 'but I don't believe it.' I sent one of our guys out, his guy, my guy, they went out, I said, 'Check, because I can't believe it.'"

As The Washington Post notes, the U.S. Trade Representative office says the country actually has a trade surplus with Canada, an American ally.
The White House didn't immediately respond to CNBC's emailed request for comment.


Trump has frequently complained about the U.S.'s trade deficits with economies such as the European Union and China. He has also accused those economies of ripping off the U.S. and hurting American workers.

https://www.cnbc.com/...ng-with-trudeau.html
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [Harbinger] [ In reply to ]
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Watching this on the news right now, never mind NAFTA, how is this going to effect Trumps relations with other leaders, is anyone going to trust him now? If they did that is. Or do they even care. lol
Last edited by: 50+: Mar 15, 18 6:34
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [Harbinger] [ In reply to ]
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Making up facts is the least of our worries here. Donald seems to think if you pay money for something then you just lost that much money. He literally doesn't understand the words that make up the term 'free trade'. The concept is that every trade is a win/win. I want some good or service more than I want the money I'm paying for it. The other party wants the money more than they want to keep their service or good. Each side sees additional value after any trade. Otherwise, why do it?

I guess Donald thinks we're doing Canada a favor by buying shit we don't want or don't need or don't have any use for -- you know, worthless crap like petroleum and timber.
Last edited by: SH: Mar 15, 18 5:52
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [SH] [ In reply to ]
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there are a few possible explanations to that, i think:

a) he's simply not that bright, and hasn't bothered to learn about how trade works

b) he's a devout mercantilist, who sincerely believes that there's a fixed amount of wealth in the world and that if someone else gets more, he gets less

c) some combination of a and c, filtered through the lens of the real estate developer - in which land actually is a finite quantity and only one owner can truly benefit from owning that single piece of land

d) he's a contrarian and given to distrusting the orthodoxy on everything, including trade, so if the general consensus in economics since adam smith and in global affairs since breton woods is that free trade lifts all boats in a liberal world order, trump says. . . no.

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [SH] [ In reply to ]
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SH wrote:
Making up facts is the least of our worries here. Donald seems to think if you pay money for something then you just lost that much money. He literally doesn't understand the words that make up the term 'free trade'. The concept is that every trade is a win/win. I want some good or service more than I want the money I'm paying for it. The other party wants the money more than they want to keep their service or good. Each side sees additional value after any trade. Otherwise, why do it?

I guess Donald thinks we're doing Canada a favor by buying shit we don't want or don't need or don't have any use for -- you know, worthless crap like petroleum and timber.


Hydro, if Trump tries to screw us, we'll turn out the lights...lol
Last edited by: 50+: Mar 15, 18 5:57
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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Another couple things to keep in mind...

1.) Evidently Trump is famous for stiffing his contractors at the end of their jobs. So, in Trump's experience, sometimes paying people for goods and services was really just losing money (versus just ripping them off). Good luck with that strategy over multiple periods...

2.) Trump thinks that just the intimidation factor of having someone hopelessly stupid across the table from you might get you to make concessions that you otherwise wouldn't. The jury is out on that one I guess.
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [Harbinger] [ In reply to ]
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Who needs pesky facts for international diplomacy?
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [Harbinger] [ In reply to ]
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Not sure he's helping himself ...



"We do have a Trade Deficit with Canada, as we do with almost all countries (some of them massive). P.M. Justin Trudeau of Canada, a very good guy, doesn’t like saying that Canada has a Surplus vs. the U.S.(negotiating), but they do...they almost all do...and that’s how I know!"

- DJT
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [Harbinger] [ In reply to ]
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Donny pulls facts and figures out of his ass? Who would have ever guessed? The guy needs to research a bit more before he starts shooting from his lips.
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [50+] [ In reply to ]
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how is this going to effect Trumps relations with other leaders, is anyone going to trust him now?

You think other leaders trusted Trump up until now?




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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [cerveloguy] [ In reply to ]
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cerveloguy wrote:
Donny pulls facts and figures out of his ass? Who would have ever guessed? The guy needs to research a bit more before he starts shooting from his lips.

Why? Being a bullshit artist has worked fine for him.
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [SH] [ In reply to ]
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SH wrote:
Another couple things to keep in mind...

1.) Evidently Trump is famous for stiffing his contractors at the end of their jobs. So, in Trump's experience, sometimes paying people for goods and services was really just losing money (versus just ripping them off). Good luck with that strategy over multiple periods...

2.) Trump thinks that just the intimidation factor of having someone hopelessly stupid across the table from you might get you to make concessions that you otherwise wouldn't. The jury is out on that one I guess.

Well with Trudeau he’s definitely nailed it.
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [Harbinger] [ In reply to ]
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I think the surprise here isn't so much that Trump makes stuff up, it's that he admitted it
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [SH] [ In reply to ]
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Quote:
2.) Trump thinks that just the intimidation factor of having someone hopelessly stupid across the table from you might get you to make concessions that you otherwise wouldn't. The jury is out on that one I guess.

I think this is less complex than that. Some people aren't well informed, and assume others are likewise poorly informed. They think that if they just make strong assertions, they can basically bully the other person into accepting their account of reality. We see this in the LR all the time. Some people don't even realize they're poorly informed. They still think they can just bully their position into existence.

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [slowguy] [ In reply to ]
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I guess this goes back then to Trump failing to read his own daily briefings and then assuming that other world leaders don't need tonread theirs.

Trudeau might have his failings, but you can be reasonably sure that he (and any other reasonably competent leader) went into that meeting knowing that the US had a trade surplus with Canada.

The only reason Trudeau couldn't push him on it was because cancelling NAFTA would do a whole lot of harm to the Canadian economy (the US too, but I suspect the Donald either doesn't care or disagrees)
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [racin_rusty] [ In reply to ]
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racin_rusty wrote:
SH wrote:
Another couple things to keep in mind...

1.) Evidently Trump is famous for stiffing his contractors at the end of their jobs. So, in Trump's experience, sometimes paying people for goods and services was really just losing money (versus just ripping them off). Good luck with that strategy over multiple periods...

2.) Trump thinks that just the intimidation factor of having someone hopelessly stupid across the table from you might get you to make concessions that you otherwise wouldn't. The jury is out on that one I guess.


Well with Trudeau he’s definitely nailed it.

While I don't like a lot of what he's doing, when it comes to NAFTA negotiations I think you may be surprised.
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [50+] [ In reply to ]
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50+ wrote:
racin_rusty wrote:
SH wrote:
Another couple things to keep in mind...

1.) Evidently Trump is famous for stiffing his contractors at the end of their jobs. So, in Trump's experience, sometimes paying people for goods and services was really just losing money (versus just ripping them off). Good luck with that strategy over multiple periods...

2.) Trump thinks that just the intimidation factor of having someone hopelessly stupid across the table from you might get you to make concessions that you otherwise wouldn't. The jury is out on that one I guess.


Well with Trudeau he’s definitely nailed it.


While I don't like a lot of what he's doing, when it comes to NAFTA negotiations I think you may be surprised.

JT has been doing a stellar job by keeping Donny on his side. Read the tweets - they are favorable to JT. Trudeau has handled this very well even if small town Alberta (ie r_rusty) won't cut him a break. If this was Harper he would already have signed where Trump told him to.
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [50+] [ In reply to ]
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IIRC he’s been consulting with some of the original authors of the first agreement that didn’t include Mexico. (Cough) Brian Mulroney (cough) for one.
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [racin_rusty] [ In reply to ]
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racin_rusty wrote:
IIRC he’s been consulting with some of the original authors of the first agreement that didn’t include Mexico. (Cough) Brian Mulroney (cough) for one.

Mulroney would have already signed and given Don a shoe shine at the same time. The most unpopular PM in Canadian history, for obvious reasons.
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Re: Trump: 'I had no idea' if what I told Trudeau about trade was true [cerveloguy] [ In reply to ]
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Blah blah blah “insert conservative name here” worst politician ever. Thanks for your non input. Yet again.
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