Anatomy of a trump negotiation (with himself)...

Tweet

He starts by recalling and getting worked up over how in his childhood (when his father never hugged him) foreign countries imposed tariffs on the USA. To resolve those feelings of unresolved conflict, he arbitrarily imposes a 145% tariff on China. Without any intervention or communication from China, he declares the tariff should probably be 80%. Getting no reaction and without any intervention or communication from China, his administration anonymously floats the idea that tariffs on China could be reduced to 40% as soon as next week. Meanwhile, he announces the concept of a tariff deal with the UK that has a tariff carve-out for Rolls Royce vehicles. A low-end Rolls Royce generally sells for $300,000 (USD). Note, this "deal" has not been officially approved by either the UK Parliament or the USA Congress both of which are necessary for any trade deal to become law. What a masterful negotiator... maga