The sleight of hand comment by a poster here was interesting and I think they may be on to something. When the tariffs were announced they had every country (some which I had never even heard of) listed. Why not just list the countries that make up 95+% of the trade...was it done as a "distraction" so one wouldn't focus on 1 or 2 specific countries?

Why was an unknown formula, one which makes absolutely no sense, used for calculating the tariffs? Was it by design to target specific countries? If a any country complains the response can be that the metrics apply to everyone in the same way...no one country is being singled out.

Vietnam, a country that many US companies who left China moved their supply lines to, was hit with a crazy high tariff %. Within a few days of the tariffs being announced there have been news reports about discussions that could result in completely free trade (zero tariffs) with the US. Just a coincidence or might that have already been negotiated? Vietnam could be the poster child for how trade should be done...why can't other countries do the same thing?

What are some other things that the administration wants that the tariffs might bring about? A tax cut passed by Congress? The Federal Reserve lowing interest rates? If not, then Powell sets himself up to be the scapegoat for a poor economy as well as an endless stream of personal attacks from the administration. Lower energy prices? Oil dropping like a rock...does that hurt Iran?

As of now the response has been that the tariffs are insane and the people in the administration implementing them are total idiots. It may turn out that those criticisms are spot on but I suspect that there are a number of other related things going on. We'll see how it plays out. My own take is that without question China is the main target.

Berkshire Hathaway FAQ

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