You have fans that you are not aware of.

I don't have the skills to be a serious journalist ;and if I did I would be posting at other sites. It doesn't matter how many people here read my posts . To me the fun was in the conversation. That doesn't happen at this site anymore.

Yeah. This site is in pretty sad shape relative to five or six years ago. Still, some people continue to read your comments, so that's something. The chance to have some influence for the good is valuable. I do have a lot of interest in the effects of Trump's tariffs, but with my wife's illness, I've been pretty distracted.

Trump's tariffs Immediate impact slowed economic growth ;slashed job gains manufacturing is crashing. Lagging is the stats on the inflation . It won't be pretty .

Steel and Aluminum 50% ???? As if we have the capacity to immediately make up the difference . As you know this impacts almost all sectors of the economy . Today WSJ is calling for greater recycling efforts to offset this foolishness.

And yet there is the problem of other countries (i.e. Canada and Japan) imposing tariffs on our potential exports to them. How should we handle that?

And then there is this. The GDP growth rate for the second quarter of 2025 is 3.0%, reflecting a significant recovery from a 0.5% decline in the previous quarter. Can Trump use that to justify his actions?

GDP increase in consumer spending getting in on what they perceive as a chance to purchase before price increases They dipped into savings .AND a reduction in imports that will affect prices down the road.

Gross Domestic Product, 2nd Quarter 2025 (Advance Estimate) | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) (https://www.bea.gov/news/2025/gross-domestic-product-2nd-quarter-2025-advance-estimate#:~:text=The%20increase%20in%20real%20GDP, an%20increase%20in%20consumer%20spending.)

Rebound in US economic growth in second quarter masks underlying slowing trend | Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rebound-us-economic-growth-second-quarter-masks-underlying-slowing-trend-2025-07-30/)

If correct, then the 3rd quarter report should reflect that. Perhaps that will be the case, but some predictions are encouraging such as, "The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the third quarter of 2025 is 2.5 percent on August 7, unchanged from August 5 after rounding."

GDPNow - Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (https://www.atlantafed.org/cqer/research/gdpnow)

Almost a 1% increase in the consumer price index last month. Trump wants a Fed Rate Cut but if inflation is on the rise it is doubtful that will happen .


PPI inflation report July 2025: (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/14/ppi-inflation-report-july-2025-.html)

Even ABC had to admit that the rise was less than expected. ""Consumer prices rose 2.7% in July compared to a year ago, clocking in lower than economists expected and holding steady from the previous month. The reading defied fears of further price increases as result of President Donald Trump's tariffs."


Prices climbed less than expected in July, despite Trump's tariffs - ABC News (https://abcnews.go.com/Business/inflation-expected-increased-slightly-july/story?id=124480499)

The article went on to say, "The reading snaps two consecutive months of increased inflation. Price hikes stand below a 3% rate recorded (https://abcnews.go.com/Business/inflation-increased-january-posing-obstacle-tariff-plans/story?id=118730266) in January, the month Trump took office. In recent months, tariffs modestly contributed to the uptick in overall inflation, analysts previously told (https://abcnews.go.com/Business/tariffs-blame-rising-inflation-experts-weigh/story?id=123799224) ABC News."

You are assuming that the tariffs are responsible for all the inflation we are seeing. That would not be correct.

As long as businesses eat the tariff increases there won't be a major CPI increase . How long will that last ?

The major increase inflation number was in the Producer Price(PPI ) If I was one of the business leaders I would try to keep it away from the consumers too even if it affected the bottom line. Trump's rates goes up and down like a yo yo .So maybe the impact would be short term . And like Biden; Trump gives tongue lashings to companies who raise prices (see his comments to Walmart ;Ford , and Goldman Sachs ) .He publicly said businesses should eat tariff costs .


Also major tariffs from nations like China(another 3 month delay) and items like semiconductors (which he threatens to be as high as 300%) have been delayed and are still in the negotiation phase.

I don't know if Trump's tariffs are the way to go or not, but I do know that we cannot continue down the fantasy road of "free trade" when so many other economically powerful countries use tariffs routinely.