Given it has a (good quality) color photo attached to it, it was definitely published when we already understood the theory of electricity really well, so it doesn't get a pass.
It's even worse than that. Electric lighting predates the photo camera by several decades
Unless of course you talk about the perfect MAGA in a self-sufficient farm in the middle of nowhere, with a tinfoil hat and a cork in his ass against alien probes.
No, it only sucks for the vast majority of them. If you produce locally, from local materials, you're golden! I mean, its 2025 and nobody does that anymore. But there might be a few of them left.
International trade is often done simply because it is cheaper. China is a manufacturing hub for a reason.
So, do you imagine there are factories producing goods that simply go unsold, (Tesla doesn't count) just waiting for a reduction in foreign imports and/or an increase in price?
No, they're producing to meet demands, having too much excess capacity is a waste of money, so they don't have it.
cars are actually a funny example, because the tariff used to be 25%, so it actually decreased. But let's pretend it didn't. Let's say a BMW just started costing 15% more, and people look for an alternative. They spot a US car, how much do you think that will cost? If you answered "14.5% more than yesterday", you're spot on!
But here's the thing. There aren't suddenly, magically more US cars to make up for the difference. The people who want that BMW-like car, will find it doesn't actually exist at the previous price, simply because demand went up (and due to profit seeking).
They have capitulated over the fundamentals of free trade
The US chose to set themselves a tax that will hurt themselves. The EU will really not feel it all that much, except in the need to stick some "To: China" shipping labels over the old "To: USA" labels.
and gotten nothing in exchange.
There is no "deal". This isn't a negotiation. Trump phrases it like that, but this is internal tax policy. The USA wants to hurt their economy to increase their tax revenue, and they're doing it by taxing their own people on imports. Let em.
The only pain the EU feels is the pain of the US buying fewer products and having fewer products as a result.
Honestly, the more I think about it, letting the US hurt itself is not a bad policy in the long term. For the EU, it's mostly a selling market anyway, and there are plenty of those.
Yes, and all consumer protections too. This is just a country setting a stupid tax hike for themselves after everyone told them this will only hurt them.
You can't "make a deal" over someone's interior tax policy. In the end, if the moron wants to make a stupid tax decision that will offer no benefit and massively hurt the US economy (for his own benefit, of course), another country or bloc can't stop him.
This "deal" hurts the EU far less than a long tradewar with hugely uncertain and constant changes. Not that these terms won't change (probably when the moron in chief realizes the trade deficit isn't shrinking, but the US economy will hurt).
This is horrible for the EU. They now have a huge economic disadvantage over the US.
Yeah, that IS the point of tariffs. It's also a very basic understanding of global trade.
When you buy something from another continent, you're already paying WAY more than when you're buying it nearby. So why would you do that? Well, in most cases, it's because you can't buy it locally.
Global trade is global because lots of products aren't produced everywhere. Much of what the EU is selling to the US is stuff that the US either doesn't make, or doesn't make in enough volume to cover its needs. And vice versa. Trade balances group products together, so it doesn't usually show, but you can sell me a billion worth of ball bearings, and I can sell you a billion worth of ball bearings, and if I tariff you heavily, that won't change at all because there are a thousand different types of ball bearings.
Now, traditionally, a tariff can promote growth of local industries, but you can't just make a new factory in a few weeks, months or sometimes even years. If we assume the industry reacts immediately, it will be many years before simple factories are up, and decades before entire chains are reproduced.
And the industry won't react immediately, because nobody trusts that these tariffs will stick. You need to put a tariff in place for decades to be effective, and Trump can't even stick to a plan for months.
So in practice, just having short term stability is worth it. Plenty of industries are actively holding off on large purchases because it might suddenly have a 20% tax hike on top. Or lose one, or god knows what the orange idiot does next that will destroy your profit margin.
Because again, they're not buying abroad for a small advantage, they're doing it because that's where this product is made, and they can't buy it elsewhere.
Strike breaking
That doesn't remotely apply. Assuming International Trade is like your personal bank account is a Trump level misunderstanding of economics.
Just stick to the strict, well known schedule. Don't forget to all stand on deck and salute, and not man any defensive systems. Nothing could go wrong.
The nice thing about jammers is that they're basically giant homing beacons though. Unfortunately, using them as such is pretty much an act of war.
Which is the whole point: provocation.