It’s difficult to know which awful story to even highlight and discuss on a daily basis. Should we talk about how Elon Musk now has access to the US Treasury’s payments system? Or how President Musk locked government workers out of their computer systems? Or should we talk about the growing f–king trade crisis between America’s neighbors? This is the stupidest f–king thing in the world, and it’s just Donald Trump inventing a crisis where none exists. As Trump promised on the campaign trail, he’s going through with huge tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods. In response, Canada and Mexico will also impose extreme tariffs on American goods.

President Donald Trump vowed Sunday to move ahead with steep new tariffs on U.S. allies and trading partners, saying the nation has been ripped off and is “not going to be the ‘Stupid Country’ any longer,” while Canada and Mexico prepared financial countermeasures.

“WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!)” Trump posted on Truth Social. “BUT WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID.”

Trump commented hours after imposing new levies on imports from Canada, Mexico and China, the nation’s three largest trading partners, bewildering the leaders of Canada and Mexico. The tariffs are set to take effect early Tuesday, when American importers will be assessed a new 25 percent tax on goods from Canada and Mexico and 10 percent on products from China.
Most imports from Canada and Mexico currently face no tariffs, the result of a trilateral trade deal Trump reached with those countries during his first term. Many Chinese products already are assessed tariffs of up to 25 percent. Trump has said he’s adding 10 percent to Chinese products.

Trump has framed the levies as a response to an “invasion” of migrants and fentanyl across the nation’s northern and southern borders.

Canada punched back Sunday, releasing a list of 1,256 U.S. goods to be hit with tariffs starting Tuesday, including oranges from Florida, household appliances from Ohio and South Carolina, and motorcycles from Pennsylvania.

A senior Canadian government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to brief reporters, said the goal was in part to inflict pain in such a way that it would mobilize Republican politicians to press Trump to drop the tariffs — a tactic that Canada used during the first Trump administration.

“This is disrupting an incredibly successful trading relationship,” Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, told ABC’s “This Week.” “We’re hopeful that they don’t come into effect Tuesday.” She said Canadian officials have been “meeting nonstop” with U.S. border officials and “it’s hard to know what more we can do.”

[From WaPo]

Not content to merely start a trade war over nothing, Trump, JD Vance and other people within the administration are insulting our North American neighbors and denigrating our shared history. From everything I’ve seen, Canadians are beyond pissed and this has inspired a nationalistic fervor within Canada. Good – I hope Canada inflicts a lot of pain on the US. Canadians always say that Americans behave like the methheads in the apartment below. They’re exactly right.

TRUDEAU: “I want to speak directly to Americans — our closest friends and neighbors… yes, this will harm Canadians, but it will also have real consequences for you.” #TrumpTradeWar

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— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 10:48 AM

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.