Kicking off the BIGGEST, most BEAUTIFUL trade talks. SIX countries a week, EIGHTEEN total! Some will make incredible DEALS, others will go home EMPTY-HANDED. Only the best get America’s business! VERY EXCITING! Stay tuned!!! trump-feed

    • Keld [he/him, any]@hexbear.net
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      1 day ago

      I don’t know why they haven’t stumbled into the idea of tributary nations. Sure that’s already indirectly a thing. But you can’t tell me it doesn’t appeal to Trump to demand protection money directly.

      • FunkyStuff [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        1 day ago

        That’s what NATO is and the whole point of letting Europe bear the weight of the war in Ukraine is to make them pay for America’s war.

        • Keld [he/him, any]@hexbear.net
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          1 day ago

          Sure that’s already indirectly a thing

          The point is not that the US isn’t extracting value from their client state, the point is that current US leadership is venal enough that they would desire a direct extraction of species.

          • FunkyStuff [he/him]@hexbear.net
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            1 day ago

            Fair, but in my mind if we can consider a tax credit a form of government spending, getting someone else to pay for something you were doing is basically getting them to pay you.

            • Keld [he/him, any]@hexbear.net
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              1 day ago

              Basically

              see there you go. Remember we are dealing with a ruling class who think getting industrial goods in return for an IOU is a rip off on behalf of the IOU writer. There is a layer of obfuscation between the money and the American government and that is why they’re mad currently. I am saying it is odd that they have not discovered that they can just ask for money directly by means of threats.