Posted on 02/07/2025 8:57:37 PM PST by RandFan
When Donald Trump's fortunes took a downturn in the 90s and he needed to raise cash fast, he sailed his 282ft (85m) superyacht, the Trump Princess, to Asia hoping he could attract Japan's wealthy.
It wasn't the first time the businessman had sought out Japanese buyers or lenders for his projects.
In the cut-throat world of New York real estate, Trump had a front-row seat from his Fifth Avenue skyscraper of Tokyo's buying spree in the 80s of iconic US brands and properties, including Rockefeller Center.
It was then that his worldview on trade and America's relations with its allies was formed, and his fixation on tariffs, a tax on imports, began.
"He had a tremendous resentment for Japan," says Barbara Res, a former executive vice-president at the Trump Organization.
He watched with jealousy as Japanese businessmen were viewed as geniuses, she says. He felt America wasn't getting enough in return for assisting its ally Japan with military defence.
What are tariffs and why is Trump threatening them?
Trump often complained that he had difficulties doing deals with large groups of Japanese businessmen.
"I'm tired of watching other countries ripping off the United States."
That Trump quote could've been pulled from 2016, but it's actually from the late 80s when he made an appearance on CNN's Larry King Live, around the time he first floated his name as a potential presidential candidate.
Fresh from sharing his business philosophy in his 1987 book, The Art of the Deal, Trump went on a tirade against America's trade policies in national interviews.
In an animated interview with Oprah Winfrey before a live studio audience on The Oprah Show, he said he would handle foreign policy differently by making the country's allies "pay their fair share".
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
40 years in the making
12:01 EST
The 20th Day of Trumpmas is here!
Shout it from the rooftops!
Its been an interesting few weeks
Tariffs are good if used to assure fair trade. Once fair trade is fair the tariffs go away. Tariffs also have a place in political diplomacy but will hurt both sides but is sometimes necessary.
Example: Brutal tariffs against Russia and Venezuela will increase the cost of petroleum worldwide but will perhaps insurer a safer and sane world. That is a good tariff.
I started thinking about Japan and trade in the same 1988 onward time frame. I worked for Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot in 1992.
“Getting ripped off”, Trump has been using that slang for ages. And I love it!
Donald Trump is the second coming of Pat Buchanan. But kind of late! If Trump had been elected President in the year 2000, America would be 300% easier to set right. Instead, we got stupid Bush wars and the awful Kenyan Muslim Obama.
Or you bankrupt them with cheaper oil. Bidens plan of defeating Russia with $100 oil only helped Russia and Iran with higher prices.
China has been copying what Japan was doing then, which is the context of Trump’s China tariff policy.
How did we get so lucky to deserve such a great man? I am serious.
One trade deal I would make with Japan, Korea and Germany - you get to sell or build cars in the U.S. only in proportion to how much of your market is buying U.S. cars. If the U.S. has only 1% of your car market, your automakers get no more than 1% of the U.S. market - reciprocity.
The Lord and Christianity is woven all through Trump’s life from youth up. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior at a birthday party for Billy Graham at Billy’s home in NC. Franklin led him to the Lord after the group viewed a christian movie. Now he is a gift to our Nation directly from God; after the likeness of the ancient biblical King Cyrus.
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