No. of Recommendations: 2
I can only imagine the trouble Trump had playing the game with Putin and Xi.Hey, how about a check in on that?
Let's first stop off in Italy.
europeanconservative.com - Stop complaining on tariffs meloni is showing the way forwardYou can tell why they’re so angry. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has flown to Washington to negotiate a tariff deal with the United States on Italy’s terms. Her April 17th meeting with President Donald Trump, the first by a European leader since his administration’s sweeping tariff announcements, marks a pivotal moment not just for Italy but for a continent shackled and immobilised by Brussels’ bureaucratic yoke. Meloni’s audacious move—officially ‘coordinated’ with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen but unmistakably her own—signals a path forward for Italy and Europe: one of national sovereignty, pragmatic diplomacy, and liberation from the suffocating tutelage of the European Union’s unelected elites.
Meloni’s decision to engage Trump directly is a masterstroke for Italy. Facing a 20% U.S. tariff on European exports, Italy’s economy—heavily reliant on luxury goods, wine, and machinery—stands to lose billions. By securing a foothold in negotiations, Meloni aims to shield key actors while multiplying her international influence. Her rapport with Trump, who lauded her as a “fantastic leader,” gives Italy a diplomatic edge. Unlike von der Leyen’s abstract calls for a “zero-for-zero” deal, Meloni’s approach is grounded in realpolitik and the conditions of the new geopolitical cycle: she seeks concrete exemptions, perhaps trading increased defence spending or tougher EU stances on China for tariff relief. This not only bolsters Italy’s economic resilience but also elevates its stature within Europe, proving that a nation can act decisively without asking Brussels for permission.I believe it was somebody here who mentioned that part of the tariff negotiating would be to form a bloc against China. :)
Tee, hee.
Say, how about China? They're totally kicking our behinds right? We're the only ones feeling any pain at all, right?
nypost.com - China drops tariffs on US semiconductors weighs more exemptions reportsChina has quietly exempted some semiconductors from tariffs, and is considering more exclusions for certain US industries, as the world’s two largest economies attempt to navigate a trade war with potentially devastating effects, according to reports.
Taxes on at least eight classifications of US microchips have been lowered to zero, a huge drop from China’s 125% retaliatory tariff on all other US goods, Caijing, a Chinese financial magazine, reported on Friday.
Though the article was later deleted, two importers confirmed that certain semiconductors have been spared from the hefty duties, according to The Washington Post. The only people who seem to be okay with the current status quo are...leftists.
Now let's visit India.
cnbc.com - Modi and vance tout significant progress on india US trade dealIndia’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Monday hailed the “significant” progress made in trade talks between the two sides during Vance’s visit to India.
Vance, who was in India on a mostly personal trip with second lady Usha Vance and his family, met Modi in New Delhi.
A statement from Modi’s office said the two leaders “welcomed the significant progress in the negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement.“Hmm.
msn.com - One of first US trade deals may be with india treasurys bessent says"I would guess that India would be one of the first trade deals we would sign," Bessent told CNBC, adding that the U.S. had also held very substantial negotiations with Japan and discussions with other Asian trading partners were going well.and then
Bessent told CNBC that China's recent moves to exempt certain U.S. goods from its retaliatory tariffs showed that it wanted to de-escalate trade tensions with the United States, and noted that the U.S. had refrained from escalating by embargoing those goods.These things take time.
One more time - would I have done it this way? No. But did a strategic decoupling from China have to take place? 100%.
