Tech titans hide in shadows awaiting Trump tariff threats A eerie quiet has descended upon elements in the tech exec community, and even the typically more vocal souls in the highest seats in corporations are scared to put the wrong foot forward ahead of a certain President Elect coming to power. A hike in tariffs is one of the levers that Donald Trump has committed to pulling when …
@ Fruit and Nutcase
"Musk is allowed to play puppet master"
I have noticed some comments very recently saying President Musk and stupid thinks like that. There seems to be an odd mental breakdown going on from some people who seem to worry about Musks influence on President Trump, yet for 4 years and still current President Biden we dont know who is actually running things as Biden doesnt seem mentally capable and has had issues since his presidential campaign. Some suspect Obama was still running things and other theories but nobody seems to know.
While I dont necessarily want Musk having too much say over Trumps term at least I am consistent.
@AC
"J.D. Couch"
I had to look that up. Apparently there is some couch story that was made up by some lefty who didnt like Vance and just posted it online. Explains one oddity in this conversation.
I am not seeing the link to nazi though. Any information? And why are you a coward? Is it related to stupid comments?
How does that make J.D a nazi?
Because JD now seems to be quite happy to be the right-hand man of America's Hitler. It's not like Trump has changed since then; if anything, he's got worse. It's more like JD no longer cares, or at best is putting his personal ambition ahead of any democratic principle. Personally, I think he expects Trump to kick the bucket while in office, so JD will get to become president. If that does happen and Vance steps back from Trump's policies, undoing the anti-democratic damage, then I'll concede that I was wrong about him.
@Rich 11
So were you the coward or are you joining in? Because that doesnt answer the cowards claim that Vance is a nazi.
"Because JD now seems to be quite happy to be the right-hand man of America's Hitler."
Or he was joining in the stupidity and insanity which we all know was bull.
"It's not like Trump has changed since then; if anything, he's got worse."
How?
"I think he expects Trump to kick the bucket"
I thought the same for Harris and Biden, except her duty is to take over if the President cant do his job and she didnt. Instead she covered up for Bidens mental handicap. I guess its hard to know the motives, but it still doesnt make Vance a nazi.
@AC
"Is that the AfD defender, Vance, you are posting about? Or the Mark Robison supporting one?"
AfD are gaining popularity in Germany as a right wing party. Nazi was national socialist. And who is Mark Robinson? I looked and he seems to be some US governor?
@AC
I have noticed the coward responds with anything but an answer. Assuming you are the same coward who claimed I am supporting nazi bastards you have failed to identify a nazi that I support.
If your own comment is too complicated for you to answer we have clearly left your level of ability already.
Your consistency is baseless "we don't know who is running things!" Fox News spin.
While 'stupid thinks' like President Musk may be mostly hyperbole, the man has a worrying amount of demonstrable influence over a president-elect - but ultimately I don't worry about that, at least not in this case. Musk's ego and Trump's ego will not live in the same space for too long - Trump psychologically cannot.
I am amused at your post, however. You spout entirely baseless right-wing theories like 'is obama in charge' with a straight face and then claim superiority over your consistency. I'll give you that, you are consistent. Wrong and spouting crazy conspiracy theories consistently.
I'd suggest taking a long hard look to see if being consistent is more important than actually having a decent, at least moderately sane take on politics.
@AC
"Your consistency is baseless "we don't know who is running things!" Fox News spin."
What spin? Remember Biden is running rings around his staff, no cognitive impairment and top of his game. Until he was in public and they couldnt hide it, now everyone and their dog knows Biden is not mentally capable of the job. So as we know Biden isnt running things who is?
"President Musk may be mostly hyperbole, the man has a worrying amount of demonstrable influence over a president-elect"
Ok, and we can agree that could be a potential problem maybe, but who has been running the show for Bidens term? We know it isnt Biden so who? Forget the hyperbole of President Musk, we dont know who has been the president for the last 4 years. The dems even needed the supreme court to explain the executive office to them when they went after Trump.
"You spout entirely baseless right-wing theories like 'is obama in charge' with a straight face"
And you are wrong. Read my comment. Not bias mis-parse it but read it. Some suspect Obama was still running things and other theories but nobody seems to know.. Its not a difficult read, I pointed out NOBODY KNOWS. I MENTIONED that there are theories out there but thats because NOBODY KNOWS.
So back to the point that worrying over Musk isnt necessarily wrong, but worrying who ran the country for 4 years is very legitimate and been a concern for the last 4 years.
Washington Post cartoonist resigns over paper’s refusal to publish cartoon critical of Jeff Bezos
Pulitzer prize winner Ann Telnaes had drawn a cartoon of the paper’s owner kneeling before Donald Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jan/04/washington-post-cartoonist-resigns-jeff-bezos
Ann Telnaes’s cartoon rejected by the Washington Post...
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jan/04/washington-post-cartoonist-resigns-jeff-bezos#img-2
Its an editorial cartoon.
Like all other editorial functions at a newspaper, its supposed to be an opinion. Political cartoons, in particular, are supposed to 'take the piss' out of someone, even if its the publication's owner. That's called editorial independence.
When a newspaper decides that its boss's ego is more important than the editorial page, its not a newspaper anymore, its just a propaganda outlet.
Similarly, if you buy a newspaper, particularly one that in the past had the strong reputation as the WaPo did, you shouldn't expect them to bend the knee in the editorial section.
When you accept the idea that newspapers should be run to please their owners, you might as well simply give up on journalism.
>Similarly, if you buy a newspaper, particularly one that in the past had the strong reputation as the WaPo did, you shouldn't expect them to bend the knee in the editorial section.
But if we just print the same front page "All Hail Bezos" then there is a great saving in journalists and type-setting costs. Assuming we sell exactly the same number of copies and get the same advertising of course
> Ann Telnaes’s cartoon rejected by the Washington Post...
> https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jan/04/washington-post-cartoonist-resigns-jeff-bezos#img-2
Thanks for the link - I hadn't seen it before. Since it was due to be published on Epiphany (which is the celebration of the Magi visiting the new born baby Jesus) I was hoping it showed the 3 tech leads visiting a baby Trump being held in Musk's arms.
Adam Smith said so—he endorsed them only for national security, like 19th century Britain's shipbuilding industry, or as temporary bargaining chips.
I'm thinking they're bargaining chips in this case. They'll probably be slashed within six months—just long enough to extract concessions from the PRC & co.
- Your Majesty, I've come on the most urgent of business. It is said that the people are revolting.
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That bribe will cost you $1B that's one bullion dollars.
President Elon will not thank you if it is less.
Any non Musk boot-licking billionaires will have already moved most of their wealth outside the USA and are keeping their heads down waiting for their new private jet to arrive. Buy in USA, sell abroad. A Great way to launder money legally.
I don't think he understands that any tariffs regarding the US and Canada will be a violation of the USMCA trade agreement ("NAFTA 2.0"). Under the provisions of that agreement the US will then be forfeit, I expect there will then be a battle between Canada and Mexico as to who gets it - a battle not to get it that is! :-)
[Yes, obviously the provisions bit isn't true but the violation bit is and would also cause general trade chaos].
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So the rest of us need Trump to be true to his word, and make them high. We get our tech from Japan and South Korea, who will sell less to the US and may want to discount.
Only really stupid regimes will go tit for tat. Europe has populist neo Nazi parties gathering votes all over the place. If they impose reciprocal tariffs on the US, it won't cause Trump to back down but it will ramp up domestic inflation in countries that buy stuff from the US (that's LNG in the UK, so it will boost already artificially increased energy bills). Inflation is the ultimate regime killer. You can lie and spin all you want, but even really stupid people notice when everything costs more. That's what got Boris out in the end, the rampant inflation caused by Brexit taking down Sterling and the consequent ineffective but punishing interest rate rises. European governments have no margin for error and cannot allow prices to rise. Last nail in the coffin for their regimes.
The tech CEOs are doing what anyone would when Glorious Leader threatens to take down their businesses - keeping their heads down, buying favours where possible, and hoping for the best. That's how it is everywhere, China, UK, US. It's more obvious in the UK because we have a Register of Members' Bribes, er, Register of Members' Interests, which documents the brown envelopes offered for favours. Apparently that makes it OK.
We might assume that this is all trolling and threats to get a better deal, but you never know with Trump. I think GAFA are hopeful that President Musk has enough sway over the orange coffin-dodger. But who knows?
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