So the "elected" government is trying to control prices? Isn't that the definition of socialism?
this post was submitted on 17 May 2025
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It's an element of a planned economy which has been more commonly used in authoritarian socialist countries but isn't exclusive to them.
(Fun fact because I just looked it up: There doesn't seem to be one generally accepted definition of "socialism".)
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Old man yells at clouds. Too old and too much dementia to run the country.
Wow. I used to think he just couldn't stop lying about tariffs...
But now I'm convinced he has NO idea what they are or how they work... NONE
He is exceptionally stupid.
"Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had." - Professor William T. Kelley, Wharton School of Business and Finance
“This guy is a fucking Moron…”
—Rex Tillerson, Trump’s handpicked (first) Secretary of State
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Yeah everyone tries to convince me he's smart and the ignorance is an act but I don't buy it. He truly is mega dumb.
He's an idiot-savant. A total moron with a special talent for self promotion. Which it turns out gets you very far in life (along with the head start one gets being born wealthy).
It's really just the born wealthy. Your family is the biggest factor in success. That's why so many rich fucks are dumb as posts, they're born rich; they didn't earn it, and they've never had to develop problem solving skills because they've never faced adversity.
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That's the thing about spending 70 years lying and having someone else fire anyone that disagrees...
You start believing it all.
Same shit happened to Elon and loads of other rich people, they stop getting real feedback and understanding that they're being lied to.
The honestly believe their own bullshit, and they just don't know how to react to the truth.
We saw it with the interview about the ms13 tattoo, trump doesn't even know how to argue anymore, he's used to everyone just agreeing with him, so when they don't his only argument is "why aren't you saying what I want you to say, do you not understand what I want you to say?"
Because that's the only time they hear what they dont want to; when the person talking to them is confused about what they want to hear
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Rages at reality for doing the thing everyone said would happen?
Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected.
Under Joe Biden's absolutely terrible, awful, most baddest saddest America-lastest economy?
What the fuck did this moron think was going to happen?
I honestly don't think anyone actually informed him of how this would go down.
The president currently holds a cabinet of people and constituents who have, for the greater part of the past 12 years, relied on the ideals of sycophantic behaviour and likewise. To be in the room and suggest that an idea is not good would and likely has turned heads and gotten them removed from their positions. Look at the most recent Removal of the FEMA administrator: bashed on fema previously, incited change, told congress that axing FEMA would be a bad thing, immediately fired and replaced with a sycophant
Lack of informed information because it doesn't align is part of the M.O. of this administration and the GOP for several years now. The only thing that matters is the ideal of greatness, whatever logic that entails.
This individual also has notably refuted and refused to consume media that doesn't tailor to his outlook. Even bashing on Fox, which is the biggest right winged media outlet out there.
My point is, he probably did not truly know what would happen. On paper and in his entourage, tariffs are indeed technically a tax on other countries, but in practice It is a tax on the people.
He thought that applying pressure through broad import taxes would force foreign manufacturers to drop their prices to avoid losing those sweet sweet US sales, and that foreign governments would line up at his door, begging for "deals". He was wrong, and anyone with a brain would have known that.
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doesnt sound very free market to me
if they raise prices because they have to, thats just normal
if they raise prices because they can get away with it, thats kinda nasty though
Ironically, the Economy was one of the number one concerns among voters during the election. People blamed Biden for the stores raising prices, while the Biden admin actually investigated major grocers over artificially high prices, and then elected Trump who is actually responsible for raising prices.
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Walmart should put up price tags showing how much of the price is "Trump Tax".
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Dear 47, tariffs are essentially sales taxes based on origin rather than point of sale. If a business has, lets say, a 2.5% profit margin they cannot “eat” tariffs larger than that because to do so would defeat the purpose of being in business (to make profit) in the first place, and said business would soon be bankrupt. I know you know what that is, having numerous failed business’ yourself.
I just looked earlier today at WalMart’s self- reported profit margin for FY 2024, and it was approximately 4.2%. I had much the same thought. Even if tariffs are only raised by 10% on their imported products, that has the potential to completely disappear their profits. I’m enough of a socialist-leaning person to need to point out this: The American conception of corporations only purpose being profit machines has only existed in its current form since he 1980s, and is not an absolute law of economics. However, I’m certain that Trump is only interested in making Trump look good.
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What the fuck do you think businesses are gonna do? Their costs went up. Planet Money podcast had an interview with a small business owner that had to pay the 145% tariff on her imports ordered before the tariffs went into effect. On a $30,000 shipment, that’s an extra $43,500. You think businesses are gonna keep prices the same and eat that? They will go bankrupt.
This just happened to adafruit too
https://blog.adafruit.com/2025/05/08/high-tariffs-become-real-with-our-first-36k-bill/
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It's depressing how important this is. Walmart is core to a lot of American's purchasing. If Walmart decides to kiss the ring, even for a while, when they stop could determine when a wave of anger will hit, maybe even control the midterms. If they just pass on the prices now, many americans' cost of living is going to soar, right at the same time many of them will be facing layoffs as businesses choke to death on materials costs.
Anyone else remember what happened last time large numbers of americans experienced large amounts of free time? Do you think they'll be any happier when they are experiencing that level of free time without the benefit of CoViD stimulus? A lot of people are going to get hurt.
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Hahaha! This is the ONE time I agree with Trump.
All defending the house that Sam built, it is the richest company in the world by revenue beating out Amzaon and state owned organizations like Saudi Aramco and Chinese controlled organizations. It regularly bullies its way into small towns, demanding tax cuts and the infrastructure to build their stores, run those stores at a loss until all competition is gone then raises prices to squeeze out the area. Then is happy to shut down the "bottom performing stores" leaving a wasteland behind for these towns that lost everything to the mega giant. They're turning the home town of Bentonville into Austin, even driving out local business for their friends out of Austin.
And the biggest thing is... Project 2025, all of this going on, written by the Heritage Foundation... The Walton Family Foundation is one of the big funders of the Heritage Foundation as well as many of the other Project 2025 advisory board partners. They made it easy to search even! https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/grants-database
I've come from its home town, Walmart has always pushed a radical republican conservative agenda. Walmart is not some hapless victim, this is pure 100% leopards dining on some faces that voted for the leopards eating faces party.
Walmart is garbage, but the claim they can eat 30% tariffs because they made billions is by itself not a credible argument.
They made 16 billion in profit, on the back of 650 billion in revenue. Percentage wise that's 2.5%. The acquisition cost of the goods is a fraction of their operating costs, but if cost of acquiring the goods was even only 10% of their revenue, the tariffs are enough to push them red.
If he is right then I would expect a nice analysis of the financials of Walmart showing this is feasible, rather than a hollow rant.
Alternatively, if it were as he stated earlier temporary pain like medicine to fix the manufacturing imbalance, I would want a more coherent strategy. As it stands, businesses can't plan around his tariff policy as it shifts day to day without warning. If they did bring home manufacturing at significant expense, they lose because Trump gives in and competition that didn't bother has an advantage.
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King Canute knew he couldn't control the tides to but Trump thinks he can control supply and demand.
What a Cnut.
Why not refund the taxpayers cost of tariffs from the tariffs collected? Tariffs are being broken out on invoices, file the tariff tax as deductions on 1040’s. It would be a wash for the taxpayers.
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If he's supposed to be such a great businessman, why is he angry over this? This is exactly what a business does in a tariff situation. No business willingly reduces its margins, it just passes the costs onto the customer.
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And once the trade war is done, the prices will remain higher due to "record profits" and "people will continue to pay it because they have to".
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If Walmart really loved Trump, they'd sell their items at a loss to own the libs. Well, I guess I can't be too surprised, another woke corporation making excuses to jack up the prices. Trump said China'd pay the tariff so I don't see what Walmart has to do with it.
WalMarts whole thing is tiny profit margins
They literally don't have a choice. It isn't about giving up profit margins, it's about having a profit margin AT ALL.
Walmarts whole thing is driving out competition. They're the richest company in the world and supported Trump. They asked for this.
chance are they will rise prices way more than necessary to cover for the tariffs.
they will cry that they had no choice and have record profits.
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Reality does not conform to dementia hallucinations. This is what happens when you vote for a geriatric cantaloupe.
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Man he really is the American lukashenko D:
Just more displaying that the rich, and particularly rich people like trump, live in the land of no consequences. They make demands that others pay for, never themselves, and when underlings defy them they become furious. Walmart CEOs are underlings, now.
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If the stuff comes from a place where tariffs have been applied, the price should go up.
If it's modified corn gloop from Kentucky, the price should not go up.
So which prices are going up?
That's a bit of a gross oversimplification. Overseas or foreign product? Sure tariffs apply 100%.
But what if the modified corn gloop is processed with a machine from Germany? And quality inspected with a sampling device from Canada? And the cameras used to inspect the packaging come from Japan? And the computers to power the logistics operations come from Taiwan, Korea and China?
Sure the corn gloop isnt taxed via tariff, but every single part of its manufacturing just got 20-120% more expensive (and supply chains got that much less predictable). Most businesses would go under if they tried to eat that cost.
The answer? Sweeping tariffs mean sweeping price increases. The list of which prices won't go up will be infinitely smaller.
Yeah, this is also true. Global supply chains are unfathomably large.
And really, Walmart aren't really doing a lot themselves. All those Walmart branded products are made by a third party, just like the regular branded stuff.
If the amount goes up on Walmart's supplier invoice, the amount goes up on the shelf. High volumes and thin margins means there's no wiggle room to "eat" anything.
Their only two options are to stop stocking a product, or to pay and charge more.
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Trump rages at truth, facts and concrete .evidence
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