Trump Suggests Tariffs Could Be Placed on iPhones and Laptops Imported From China

[sirozha]

That's great, and I don't know your circumstances, but some of these horror stories coming from Mexico and South American countries I wouldn't wish on anyone. It's easy to sit in our office or on the couch with our iPads and pass judgement, but if you're watching your family being slaughtered, you probably aren't going to care what amateur talking heads on a forum like you or I think.

I came as a refugee too. The fact that these countries cannot provide a safe environment for their citizens doesn’t mean that when they start flooding our borders we should let them in. Because if we do, they will turn our country into the mess they fled from.

 

[tigres]

I actually don’t disagree with Trump here. China has not played fair. There is no reciprocity in their market and the policies for foreign businesses essentially amounts to theft. You are a big business and want to do business in China? Be prepared to “partner” with a Chinese business, bring on a member of the communist party as an executive, and hand over your intellectual property. Then your Chinese “partner” will begin to duplicate your products and undercut your business. Oh, you make movies? Well, unless you have a Chinese partner as a producer that shares in box office profits, it won’t be allowed in China. This kind of crap has to change.

Fact!
My sister ran into this at WETA digital in NZ.

 

[FloatingBones]

Trump's steel tariffs is why GM just laid off everyone.

You are welcome to disagree with the negotiation tactics, but your narrative is just plain wrong. Even left-veering CNN spelled it out with a far more accurate narrative:

North American customers want SUVs, crossovers, hatchbacks and trucks. Sedans have fallen out of favor.

Mozumder, your story makes no sense. All of GM's cars need steel. Theses failed lines -- including the Volt and the Cruze -- need far less steel than SUVs and trucks. Lagging demand is the reason the layoffs.

"Everyone" wasn't laid off. Staff on profitable car lines are still employed.

Your story doesn't reconcile with reality. Up your game, man!

 

[T-R-S]

Obama over-regulated. The Federal Register grew to record levels. Dodd-Frank placed onerous requirements on relatively small banks, which discouraged lending to small businesses (remember commercial lending didn’t cause the financial crisis). That’s why we had slow growth for 8 years. Usually, coming out of a financial crisis the recovery is much more rapid.

Trump is returning to Bush era economic polices which lead to stock market and financial crash of 2008 which lead to the economy bleeding 100,000 jobs a month. Dodd Frank was needed because banks were selling toxic mortgages and derivatives that were rated by bond rating agencies as AAA when in fact they were FFF. Dodd Frank turned that around in Fact Dodd Frank was a bipartisan law is was not made just democrats. The Fed was given bailouts to bank who were supposed to make lending by the banks but the banks bought smaller banks instead of leading out the money because the republicans did not want to enforce the Dodd Frank. It let the banks do what they wanted with the money from the quantitive easing from the Federal Government to bail out the banks. The Republicans drove the US economy in to the ditch and the democrats bailed it out in the 90's and from 2008-2016. Trump imposed aluminium and steel tariffs on the auto industry now GM is laying off 15,000 workers in the first round. The Trumps tariffs will cost GM 1B in 2018.
Now Trump is aiming at the computer industry out off spite because California rejected Trump. This is an example of what a spoiled rich kid with power does.

 

[Edsel]

We need tariffs on politicians. Tax'em extra special when they attempt to monetize & monopolize the private sector.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

Republicanism is a mental disorder. Clearly. Orange is the new stupid.

 

[dan110]

Trump's steel tariffs is why GM just laid off everyone.

Congratulations Trump voters, you played yourself.

The US economy is a globalist one that seeks open borders and free trade. The quicker you understand that, the better off you will be in this country.

Apple is doing exactly that by designing products by brilliant engineers in Silicon Valley, while having them built by cheaper, lower educated people in China.

If a person in China can build something for cheaper than in America, LET THEM - that is economic efficiency. An efficient economy will always win over an corrupt, inefficient one. Americans should only do jobs that only Americans can do, like high-end services jobs. Our economy is based on massive higher-education - the best in the world. No other country has a university system like ours, and we should take advantage of that.

We don't want Americans to perform manual labor that oxen can do. We only want engineers and scientists and artist - people that can create value with their minds.

New York, Silicon Valley and Hollywood are good examples of the kind of economy the US should be going forward.

A good example of complete economic failure is Russia - their economy is entirely based on selling things they find on the ground. When was the last time anyone bought something designed/made in Russia?

"When was the last time anyone bought something designed/made in Russia?"

Russia is the second largest global arms manufacturer. A sector led by the United States.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43873518

 

[3goldens]

This will do wonders for Apple’ s stock today. Just another stupid statement from a stupid president.

 

[john123]

Since when is any sort of trade agreement perfect?

The only reason we are in the situation with China that we are now is that several decades of political support sent vast quantities of manufacturing, tech and other jobs to China. Basically we built up China failing economy on the backs of workers and in many cases entire industries in the USA. So yeah politics but rather disgusting politics.

Actually China has literally turned evil in the last 2-3 years. The only real end game here is a major war that likely nukes millions of people. The problem is we empowered China through our political system to build up its country into a war machine. Frankly it sounds like some of the stupidity that occurred prior to WW2. I'm actually glad that Trump is trying something different because the alternative is pretty disgusting.

An idiot? That is a little extreme considering what we had to put up with when Obama was in office. Just look at what happened to alternative power while Obama was in office. In about 8 years we lost almost all solar electric panel manufacturing, 123 went under and a lot of allied businesses failed. All of this while the administration was supposedly trying to put us on a new direction with respect to energy.

No one said or implied that any sort of trade agreement is "perfect." But starting with a bunch of provisions that a lot of experts find problematic isn't a good place to begin.

What sent jobs to China isn't "political support." It's the globalization of the economy. That's a force you can't fight. Well, you can, but it's a losing battle. This is Economics 101 material.

I think you've been on the right-wing gravy train too long. China hasn't changed anything in the "last 2-3 years," although it's really funny you'd even say that. How long has Trump been elected now? Yeeeeeah. Talk about cutting your legs out from under you.

I stand by "idiot." Whether you like Obama or Trump, and whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, are irrelevant. Mr. Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. Mr. Trump, despite his claims of having been at the top of his class, appeared in neither the commencement program's listing of students graduating with honors nor the student newspaper's publication of students on the Dean's List. So yeah, add "serial liar" to "idiot." No one should be surprised though, given that this is the buffoon whose solution to forest fires is raking...and who rejects reports he doesn't like as false because he "doesn't believe" them. Yeah, that's a sign of a strong analytical mind right there.

As for the "what happened," we could go on and on all day comparing good events to bad events. I could talk about the incredible economic recovery under the Obama administration and the huge increase in retirement portfolio assets, rather than fixating on one industry. At the end of the day, these discussions, too, are irrelevant. Causation and correlation are not the same thing, and proving causation in a complex environment—i.e., the one where we live—is rather tricky given the number of confounding factors.

 

[x-evil-x]

all apple products being made in America will do greattttt for the company
Who wants an iPhone for 2300$? Apple wouldn't last. Barely holding on with the prices its increased to and the people are finally speaking back.

 

[sirozha]

all apple products being made in America will do greattttt for the company
Who wants an iPhone for 2300$? Apple wouldn't last. Barely holding on with the prices its increased to and the people are finally speaking back.

The iPhone can be assembled in robotic factories.

Give me a break! Kias are made in the US. BMWs are made in the US. Mercedes have been made in the US for about 25 years now - by robots. I visited the Mercedes plant in Tuscaloosa, AL exactly 20 years ago in 1998. It was a technological wonder. There were very few humans at the factory. Almost the entire assembly was done by precision robots; it was as though we were transported into the future. An amazing thing to witness with your own eyes, and it was 20 years ago. You don’t think robots can build iPhones in 2018?

Yes, this would require billions and billions of dollars in investment into robotic factories built in the US. The billions that Apple has sitting as cash in the bank.

How would US workers benefit from robotic factories? Simple. Robots need to be serviced, programmed, and tuned by humans. The ratio can be one human to one hundred robots, so instead of employing a million of cheap Chinese workers through its partners to build iPhones, Apple can employ 10,000 US workers directly and save money in the long run due to a higher productivity and higher accuracy of the robotic assembly. And, robots don’t commit suicide or steal from you.

If anything, a robotically assembled in the US iPhone would cost less, not more, than an iPhone built by the Chinese.

As a shareholder, I want to ask Tim Cook this question. Why are you not building robotic assembly factories in the US, Tim?

 

[cocky jeremy]

Trump's steel tariffs is why GM just laid off everyone.

Probably has nothing to do with the junk cars they make, huh?

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

...I mean, what sense do these tariffs make? So far they've only caused problems. What is the end goal here?

Trumps wants equal exports and imports worldwide for example EU <-> USA or ASEAN + China <-> USA in order to protect american jobs. That's an illusion and the opposite happens, especially with the additional tariffs. Both methods are inefficient in a globalized world and show that Trump and his administration do not understand globalization. Globalization does not consist of equality or tariffs. That is the short version.

 

[cocky jeremy]

The iPhone can be assembled in robotic factories.

Give me a break! Kias are made in the US. BMWs are made in the US. Mercedes have been made in the US for about 25 years now - by robots. I visited the Mercedes plant in Tuscaloosa, AL exactly 20 years ago in 1998. It was a technological wonder. There were very few humans at the factory. Almost the entire assembly was done by precision robots; it was as though we were transported into the future. An amazing thing to witness with your own eyes, and it was 20 years ago. You don’t think robots can build iPhones in 2018?

Then what's the point in trying to bring the jobs here if robots do the work?

 

[jona2125]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/canadian-medical-tourism_n_5949b405e4b0db570d3778ff

As a Canadian who lived on the border of the US until immigrating, I can confirm the accuracy of this.

 

[sirozha]

Then what's the point in trying to bring the jobs here if robots do the work?

Read the entire post.

 

[koa]

It’s odd the way so many people feel compelled to preface Trump's name with a derogatory term like that bolster's their position and makes what they say a fact. Yet they tend to be silent when someone with an opposing position responds with facts backed by links and without any name calling. This thread is a perfect example of this phenomenon.

I suggest try listening to Dennis Prager's radio show or watching a few of his Prager University YouTube videos for a different perspective from CNN, MSNBC, New York Times etc.

 

[GermanSuplex]

It’s odd the way so many people feel compelled to preface Trump's name with a derogatory term like that bolster's their position and makes what they say a fact.

You mean like Trump always does to others?

Go here;
http://www.trumptwitterarchive.com/archive

And type in terms like "stupid", "wacky", "crazy", "moron", etc. and let the good times roll.

 

[sirozha]

As a Canadian who lived on the border of the US until immigrating, I can confirm the accuracy of this.

Seriously? The article says that the Canadian universal healthcare doesn’t cover cosmetic surgeries or dental care. Guess what? Overly expensive US health plans don’t cover either cosmetic or dental care either.

For dental care, Americans have to buy additional dental insurance. Canadians have to do the same - buy private dental insurance. How is the American system better again?

I’ve had to wait for a specialist appointment in the US with a private insurance for over six months too. It’s not unusual to have to wait for a specialist appointment for months in large US cities unless you want to see a “specialist” from a third-world country who practices here on the H1B visa.

When I couldn’t wait due to an acute unless and chose to see an Indian specialist in the US, his treatment almost killed me. I had to wait for an American specialist for months to get proper treatment.

I have a good friend who is a doctor practicing at a US hospital on the Canadian border (literally) in the Buffalo, NY area. He can see Canada out of his office window. The border crossing is less than a mile away. He told me there are fewer than a dozen Canadian patients in his hospital per year. So, Canadians flocking across the border to US hospitals is a myth.

 

[gavroche]

And yet the US government has to borrow money to prop up the economy while growing a massive deficit in a growing economy, to be paid for by raising taxes.

All while the stock market has been stagnant.

Republicans simply don't know how to grow an economy, and will always have to borrow in order to do so.

Give it up man. You reveal how uninformed you are in your original comment when you said that those tarrifs are why GM is laying off all those workers. Perhaps you aren't aware that GM LOST 3.9 Billion last year. Perhaps you haven't read what they have said about streamlining, and eliminating models that aren't selling well.

And don't even try to change topics and start mentioning the debt. Name me a single year that Obama was on office that he didn't increase the national debt. I'll wait while you try to do so.
[doublepost=1543344275][/doublepost]

A large number of whom aren't making a living wage and need to work 2-3 jobs per household to make ends meet, and still live paycheck-to-paycheck and are unable to save.

Just the opposite, are you ignoring the things you don't like?

So having fewer people employed was better? Average wages haven't changed. Many businesses openly stated that new policies have enabled them to start hiring more.
I love how when you question people on something they say, they respond by changing the subject. pay levels are an entirely different subject than the unemployment rate. Being unemployed is NOT better than being employed... at a rate that's lower than you prefer.

 

[GuruZac]

You really have to be naive to think iPhone prices will increase by 10%. If this tariff happens, Tim Cook will increase prices by at least 20%. Even more for the rest of the world, even though these tariffs don't affect rest of the world. By why would TC waste a chance for more money grab if he sees one?

Which will screech iPhone sales to a halt. They’re already much slower in part because the phones are unreasonably expensive.

The part on the tariffs, not sure what the answer is. We can’t continue to be screwed by China and everyone else. And what is the problem with all tariffs being dropped globally? Problem solved. Instead, all of the people whining on here seem to suggest we leave things status quo and continue to pay 25% imports on China and allow their sub 5% imports here. Because you know, it’s a global economy, which means we pay more tariffs than the countries we trade with. Makes sense.

 

[KPandian1]

Is it really, though? Why should the entire country’s votes be dictated by just a handful of cities?

2016 election results by county:

Because most of those dark red counties have about 100-1000 people in total in them and are larger than some major cities.

Some of them look like primary school class elections!

Bring the minimum number of people living in a county to ~ 10,000 -25,000 to qualify as a county.

 

[9081094]

LOL, this is the guy Americans elected as their president?

I'm sure Apple isn't going to like this news... and especially if it actually get's implemented. Just imagine how high the prices would be for Apple products considered they're already insultingly high.

Will those tariffs only Apple to Apple products or also to other brands who manufacture in China?

 

[KPandian1]

I was blind for nearly a year because no eye doctor would even take Obamacare in a rural area.
What good is free if you still are denied healthcare?

This is the 21st century America - finding the eye doctor who will take your health insurance, especially in Maryland, should not have been a problem. If you were too crippled or lazy to do the research, ask a friend.

 

[polbit]

Trump's steel tariffs is why GM just laid off everyone.

Congratulations Trump voters, you played yourself.

The US economy is a globalist one that seeks open borders and free trade. The quicker you understand that, the better off you will be in this country.

Apple is doing exactly that by designing products by brilliant engineers in Silicon Valley, while having them built by cheaper, lower educated people in China.

If a person in China can build something for cheaper than in America, LET THEM - that is economic efficiency. An efficient economy will always win over an corrupt, inefficient one. Americans should only do jobs that only Americans can do, like high-end services jobs. Our economy is based on massive higher-education - the best in the world. No other country has a university system like ours, and we should take advantage of that.

We don't want Americans to perform manual labor that oxen can do. We only want engineers and scientists and artist - people that can create value with their minds.

New York, Silicon Valley and Hollywood are good examples of the kind of economy the US should be going forward.

A good example of complete economic failure is Russia - their economy is entirely based on selling things they find on the ground. When was the last time anyone bought something designed/made in Russia?

While I'm against tariffs as well, let's not pretend that GMs decision had anything to do with steel prices. They did it because the sedans are not selling well, and they strongly believe in autonomous, electric future. Making the cost-cutting measures now, when they are making money, as opposed to waiting until it's too late, is a great move, and a needed one, if they want to compete against the Teslas, Googles or Apples of the world in the near future. This is about re-focusing their mission as a company, not because steel went up.

You might not think so, but Chinese economy is a global risk to the US. The Chinese consumer is steadily gaining buying power, and with their very tight and pro-nationalistic policies and tendencies, they are not friendly to foreign investment. We are not talking about cheap labor source or horrible knockoff products here anymore. In only 20 years or so, we are now talking about major companies born in the cut-throat business environment where copying others is normal, so constant innovation is key. Add to that the failure of EU to create a vibrant economic market of similar scale, and you have a possibility of a global power unprecedented in history, while still driven by oppressive principles and lack of freedom. Tariffs are not the solution, but let's be real here...