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Trump threatens to halt trade with top partners unless Fed cuts rates

cnbc.com
8 pointsivell7 comments
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Can anyone steelman this for me? What is the rationale for halting trade with trade partners as a reasonable response to the Fed not cutting rates?

To my (perhaps cynical) mind, it looks almost like using trade (or maybe even the whole economy) as a hostage to pressure the Fed.

Can anyone make this make sense?

No, nobody can steelman this for you, it's clear that trump is just playing his usual game of trying to manipulate people with bombastic statements.

Guy is crashing out. See what happens at the midterms if you can’t buy a Toyota or a Samsung.

Relevant(ish) XKCD: https://xkcd.com/3290/

He is threatening to "bring down the house", economic blackmail.

And this will pressure the Fed how? If the economy grinds to a halt, nobody's going to blame them.

Blackmailing oneself is an interesting development. Does saying "yes" or "no" hurt more? Isn't think one of the jokes in Blazing Saddles?

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