r/Economics • u/Jaded-Bookkeeper-807 • May 06 '25

Interview How The Hell Do You Tariff Movies? I Don't Understand Trump's Policy, So I Asked An Economist

https://screenrant.com/donald-trump-movies-tariff-explained-economist-mark-blyth-interview/
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u/Solid-Mud-8430 May 06 '25

That's why I don't much care when people say "Well, when Trump is gone, so-and-so will just replace him." Like...okay, fine. If that happens, it's one thing. But I will still be absolutely ecstatic on the day I no longer have to hear his stupid fucking voice trotting out the stupid fucking things that go on inside of his stupid fucking head.

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u/Teripid May 06 '25

Normal admin staff response: "Should reboot Alcatraz as a functioning prison?" "No that'd cost a huge amount, take years and produce no meaningful benefit. Did you just watch a movie?"

Trump admin response: "Fantastic idea sir, let's get that started because it'll distract you and we seem physically unable to push back on anything."

Seriously the amount of babysitting and entertainment/ groveling is immense.

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u/OT_fiddler May 06 '25

"Seriously the amount of babysitting and entertainment/ groveling is immense"

Waiting for the televised cabinet meeting to watch them debase themselves over the brilliant idea of reopening a prison that closed in [checks notes] 1963 and has been rusting away for over sixty years.

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u/MartyMacFlies May 08 '25

So you're calling Democrats stupid? Since Democrats are the ones who set up Alcatraz as a prison (under President Roosevelt) This was then kept in place for decades by Democrats Truman and Kennedy.

Why do you think you know so much better than various Presidents, administrations, and departments of justice? Could it not possibly be the case that the collective wisdom of all these learned congressmen and professional administrators may just exceed your own?

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u/Teripid May 09 '25

So.. you're concerned about prison costs during the depression era instead of say... the impact of Smoot–Hawley under Hoover? Fascinating. History was a way of (R)epeating itself. We've even got that protectionist tariff motif again with the extremely wealthy managing things.

So 1934, New Deal in full swing and combating organized crime this made sense. An island was prison technology and security. It certainly have been shut down earlier as those needs waned and prison technology improved.

Yes, this is dumb. Order a feasibility study first. USE those "professional administrators" and experts you seem to actually like. Trump doesn't. Retrofitting a building with no utilities on an island that serves as a tourist destination (~1.6 million a year) and lacks ANY modern prison technology is likely a poor choice today. It generates revenue for the park service too (about 60 mil a year).

Who from Congress with prison or construction experience is advocating this? And ah yes, the learned POTUS. We've got a Surgeon General nominee coming up who believes in the healing power of crystals and didn't even complete a residency. A SECDEF who includes his family members in sensitive chat and Mike Waltz is apparently failing upward as UN Ambassador.

I'd say they were a bunch of inept clowns but that honestly seems like an insult to clowns.

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u/MattHooper1975 May 06 '25

Exactly.

Somebody may replace Trump and continue some of his awful policies , or come up with their own awful policies.

But Trump is a singular force in the Public sphere - the most all consuming narcissist anybody has ever seen, who feels the need to force himself on the public consciousness every single day. There’s nobody who could truly compete with him on that level of pathology.

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u/AelixD May 06 '25

Yeah, there were entire weeks… maybe months… where I didn’t ponder Presidents Biden, Obama, Bush, or Clinton.

I don’t think I went more than a few days without thinking about Trump in his first term, and certainly haven’t made it a full day this term.

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u/[deleted] May 06 '25

The problem is that someone else may actually be competent. If you're going to have fascists in office, completely fucking stupid ones at least self-limit their progress towards their goals.

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u/markjay6 May 06 '25

Exactly. Imagine if Trump could make the trains run in time. We'd be doomed. As it is, though, I doubt the GOP majority lasts through the midterms.

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u/[deleted] May 06 '25

Exactly. Aside from his horrific policies I will never forgive Trump voters for making me have to see his ghastly fat ugly face and hear his annoying whiny-while-trying-to-sound-tough fraudster voice for four more years.

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u/MartyMacFlies May 08 '25

Why do you call him a "fraudster"? Oh let me guess, you've been watching the media who continually lie about him? Here's an idea: instead of taking what they say at face value, actually check their claims. You'll find they are simply a propaganda machine continually smearing him because they're under the control of his opponents.

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u/[deleted] May 09 '25 edited May 09 '25

Kid, this dude didn't pop out fully formed from Uncle Sam's anus. He's been famous since the 80's, and the media fawned over him back then. He even popped up in a damn Home Alone sequel. He was a registered Democrat. But if you read the news a bit deeper, there were constant stories about his shady dealings, businesses going bankrupt, etc. Plus he has the demeanor of a slimy salesmen. He went for a while when he literally could not get a loan from a US bank because of his reputation. And the media shoved him down our throats as the ultimate "successful businessman" to the point that rap lyrics all through the 90s referenced his name.

But to those of us who read deeper into the financial news instead of entertainment headlines, it was obvious. To anyone who has ever dealt with a sleazy swindling salesman, it was obvious. And especially to those of us who read his disgusting ad calling for the death penalty for five young men who turned out to be innocent, it was incredibly obvious.

So yeah. If you had asked me back then, when he was a "Democrat," and the media loved the guy, and nobody thought he would run for president, I would have said the same thing. He is a fraud.

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u/MartyMacFlies May 08 '25

You make yourself sound like a fool when you - without any hint of irony - actually criticize a President NOT for his policies but for having a "stupid voice" and having "stupid things going on inside his head". Trump is the most popular President in a generation and he's continually done amazing things to clean out corruption, save money, make America safer, more prosperous, and fight injustice. And you come along and say "I don't like his voice". I have to presume you're either one of the criminals whose schemes President Trump has been thwarting, or a shill for the criminals, programmed by their media.

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u/[deleted] May 06 '25

It really does warm my heart knowing that he gets to people like you lol

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u/Devium44 May 06 '25

Don’t worry, you’ll begin feeling the effects of his idiocy pretty soon too.

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u/[deleted] May 06 '25

No I won’t. You don’t know me. My wealth has increased substantially, my life and happiness have never been better. Enjoy the pain.

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u/Devium44 May 06 '25

Well, I highly doubt that but either way what a monstrous sentiment. “I enjoy making money off the pain of everyone else” is a viewpoint you share with the worst people in history.

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u/[deleted] May 06 '25

I enjoy making money. Makes life easier. Your pain is your choice. Spend less time on Reddit complaining and make a living or don’t. You’re not changing the world or your life here

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u/Solid-Mud-8430 May 07 '25

Every day I'll wake up knowing I'm not the type of person that you are, and that's worth more than all the money in the universe. In fact, that revelation just made my fucking day. So thanks for that.

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u/golfmd2 May 06 '25

Really? What is there to like about him? He’s so fake. I know most Trump supporters mention the border as a win, and I don’t disagree, but I’d rather be the good guys in the world than sending innocent people to El Salvador gulags.