Summary
Donald Trump reiterated his claim that Canada would be better as the U.S.’s 51st state, citing trade imbalances and lower taxes.
He also announced new 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada, despite a recent 30-day reprieve.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has not formally responded, but a government source said they await official confirmation.
Trump criticized Canada’s defense spending and border security, despite recent Canadian commitments.
Canada previously retaliated against similar tariffs in 2018 before a 2019 trade deal resolved the dispute.
I’m amazed at how quickly the US has come close to being on the brink of becoming a rogue state.
At this point, I’m seriously wondering what the Reichstag fire will be that will prompt the US to conjure up an “enemy without,” steamroll several sovereign countries and blockade the Mediterranean and most of the Atlantic.
The US has been a rogue state for decades. Just that they used to be smart enough to keep some countries in the empire aligned without direct military force.
We always have been.
Well the veneer of respectability politics scratched. It’s like people getting drunk it’s not that alcohol makes violent, or sobby, or anything in particular: It disinhibits (by anaesthetising the frontal lobe before everything else), allowing already-existing but usually under control tendencies to break through.
Internet Explorer meme