Posted on 07/28/2025 4:15:59 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
These are very early days, and there are good reasons to be skeptical of any public statements made by elected officials, diplomats, and other trained liars. But Trump announced his trade deal with the Europeans, the largest features of which are agreements to purchase American energy and arms. Those are major investments. A lesser component was the opening of European markets to more American goods at lower tariffs than what European goods will face coming here. Jim Geraghty uses cars to helpfully illustrate one problem for American manufacturers for breaking into the European market. Europe’s regulatory environment and lifestyle just preclude products made to fit America’s less-regulated environment and living-large lifestyle.
One thing I’ve noticed, though, is a lot of European statements saying that Trump got the better of them:
There is no hiding the fact the EU was rolled over by the Trump juggernaut, said one ambassador. "Trump worked out exactly where our pain threshold is." - The Financial Times
The ‘capitulation’ narrative on the U.S./EU deal is correct. EU exporters now have 15% tariffs where the previous average was ~5%, save for some protected sectors, plus massive commitments to buy American… while American exports are apparently treated/tariffed exactly as before. - Gavan Reilly, former Irish ambassador to the United States.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
I’ve got a better idea: if they tax our planes at 15%, we should tax theirs at ten times that rate.
[For fifty years we gave that away.]
Didn’t give it away. It was paid for with fat envelopes to select politicians and bureaucrats. Trump doesn’t need those envelopes.
Well,it’s easy to figure out what would happen then.
𝐒𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚, 𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬.
-—John Hinderaker Powerline blog
Nobody in the EU ruling elite seems to think it good that their subjects could buy products at lower prices.
Stupid people are easily confused. I still read opinions that say because of Smoot-Hawley we had runaway inflation, because tariffs cause inflation.
“There is virtually no logging equipment manufactured inside the USA”.
That’s the whole point isn’t it. Start making our own stuff, tariff free. And look, capex already is soaring at historic rates ever since Jaunuary.
Roflol.
John deeres forwarders and harvestors are made in FINLAND AND CANADA.
CAT, sold its forestry product line several years ago!
Bark poo is a secondary line of equipment where they purchase most of the compnents from out of country and assemble them here.
You have NOT A FU%KIN CLUE
Aint gonna happen.
Because of union sabotage of John Deeres equipment in the manufacturing plants...for example.
Tally- Ho !
the whole “greatest deal ever made” is complete bullshit unless EU tariffs on goods imported from the USA are reduced, which is the only part of a trade deal that really matters ...
I don't give a **** if it's good for Europe.
“The result of this?
Americans will pay a 15% tax on certain EU products instead of 5% previously.”
In practice, producers have to eat some of the cost of the tariffs, by discounting prices, to remain competitive.
During the first Trump Administration, foreign producers discounted the majority of the cost of the tariffs - almost 3/4ths of the total cost of the tariffs were absorbed by foreign producers.
“The result of this?
Americans will pay a 15% tax on certain EU products instead of 5% previously.”
In practice, producers have to eat some of the cost of the tariffs, by discounting prices, to remain competitive.
During the first Trump Administration, foreign producers discounted the majority of the cost of the tariffs - almost 3/4ths of the total cost of the tariffs were absorbed by foreign producers.
The European "regulatory environment" is often bent for the benefit of European industry while new rules are invented to stymie foreign competitors or importers. US autos are almost not sold because US automakers were forced to setup European subsidiaries in order to sell in the European market decades ago, and European gas prices are generally double that in the US due to high taxes. Gas is 95 octane though, so small high-compression engines can work.
I'm in Poland now and there are a surprising number of US pickup trucks: my guess is most of them are owned by farmers who get reduced tax gasoline. They are considerably more robust than the small Euro vans used by businesses.
Import rules are also bent for European companies that import: almost every tool, lawn mower, etc., I've looked at is made in China by a German company.
Oh sure. There’s a few fly by night businesses that have tried to start the production of third rate equipment. They never last.
You forgot one. Pat Crawfords Timberpro. Pat passed away several years ago and his son Mike couldnt pay off all the family investments Pat passed down so he had to sell. KOMATSU purchased it and is now expanding in Shawano Wi. Problems are, its not very good machinery anymore. Komatsu bought it to get their foot in the door but has a bad reputation.
Komatsu also got into it originally by purchasing Valmet, which was originally Gafner. Then there was Fabtek, which ended up as Cat.
I knew Pat Crawford, Tommy Gafner, as well as the people at Fabtek..which was originally the brain child of Dennis Doobie of DC equipment.
So before you continue on with your internet impressions, you better understand who the hell your arguing with.
BTW, i also knew JB Hood. Hood equipment founder.
I also knew the original developer of Gafner Iron Mule. A good ol boy from Rock Michigan who fashioned the very first wheeled forwarder made in the USA. Like i educated you on, Gafner was bought by Valmet who was taken over by Komatsu. Gafners facilities were in Gladstone Mi. Fabtek was in Menominee Mi. Timberpro in Shawano Wi, Hood in Iron River Wi. Prentice in Prentice Wi.
“There’s a few fly by night businesses that have tried to start the production of third rate equipment.”
The only reason I posted the Weiler link is that they are the ones who bought the Cat line. I didn’t know they were fly by night or were trying to start production of third rate equipment.
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