Tariff Trump is increasingly losing his mind. Let’s us be clear, he does have a point about tariffs and how there is a mismatch between America and some nations. And there is no reason why a nation would not wish to play around with tariffs to see if it can extract a bit more for every Dollar of trade.
However, using tariffs with intelligence, or to use tariffs as a tool to dominate and control other nations are two very different objectives. The former most nations would entertain in a conducive discussion; the latter would be rejected by some nations who see themselves strong enough to hit back. He tried these strong-arm tactics with China and ended up with quite a bloody nose. He did the same to the EU who immediately went on their knees, as usual. He is now trying it with India, unsuccessfully, and just cannot understand the Indian mindset. PM Modi, a Gujju, is not someone you should mess about with. By his very nature, his silence and thoughtfulness are his strength. He will strike, and you will not see it coming.
Trump is of course terrified of BRICS. For context, have a look at the following table showing the GDP of the top 10 nations (taken from the CIA factbook!).
Rank Country Date of Information China
1 China $33,598,000,000,000 2024 est.
2 United States $25,676,000,000,000 2024 est.
3 India $14,244,000,000,000 2024 est.
4 Russia $14,244,000,000,000 2024 est.
5 Japan $6,089,000,000,000 2024 est.
6 Germany $5,247,000,000,000 2024 est.
7 Brazil $4,165,000,000,000 2024 est.
8 Indonesia $4,102,000,000,000 2024 est.
9 France $3,732,000,000,000 2024 est.
10 United Kingdom $3,636,000,000,000 2024 est.
BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising five countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates have joined this group recently).
Based on the same data the total GDP of these five original BRICS nations is more than $58 Trillion. America under Trump has managed to make an enemy of all these nations to some degree. It’s clear that the penny has dropped and America now realises that it’s only a matter of time before it’s power and control is reduced markedly. The emergence of nations such as China and India alone is a major threat. China is already bigger and more powerful than America. If you consider the totality of the BRICS nations, is it any wonder the mighty USA and it’s mighty Dollar are shaking with fear. Trump and America have two choices; it either uses what remains of its global power and reach to undermine BRICS or it befriends the BRICS nations. The imperial war mongering gene inherent in white Americans and many western Europeans tends to surface as they exhibit their age-old tendency to divide and rule. Whilst this worked in the days when they took advantage of peace loving and benevolent nations, in the 21st Century these very same nations have learnt that the only way to treat these white supremacists is to kick them hard. They are empowering themselves sufficiently so that even America would think twice about any military intervention.
I was therefore not surprised when PM Modi put out the following post which must have annoyed Trump no end:
This was India telling Trump, you can do what you like with your tariff wars, but India will continue to protect its national interest. No sooner had PM Modi sent that message out and we learnt that he was also going to meet up with President Xi Jinping.
Over the past month or so Trump has followed his powerplay of shouting and screaming dictates. Most nations as we have seen have yielded. To his surprise, and uncontrollable frustrations, India with PM Modi have basically ignored his infantile rants. I wrote several months ago that the way to deal with Trump is to use his madness against him and against your enemies. His over inflated ego is so massive that he is unable to see beyond his nose. So treat him like a pet rottweiler. Let him go around the world causing as much havoc as he wants. When that rottweiler dares to raise its head against India, kick it hard. That’s how you control such lunatics. Trump is good for India as long as it plays its cards correctly and remains under his skin as an irritant. They will have Trump exactly where they want him.
We have seen the love-in Trump has recently embarked on with Pakistan. We all know a terrorist nation like Pakistan, with its track record of duplicity and flagrant undermining of international law, it’s only a matter of time before this snake bites its master.
PM Modi knows and understands Trump is only there for a few more years. In that time, some of his domestic madness will yield good results (illegal immigration, courts, universities, media etc), but on the global stage making enemies of friendly nations will exact karmic revenge.
He bragged about stopping the Russia and Ukraine war in one day. That’s not going too well for him now. President Putin has played him like a fiddle.
He declared he’ll bring peace between Palestinians and Israel. Well, it seems Israel, against the wishes of most western nations, has declared that this time it will finish Hamas off as much as it can. The whole of Gaza is rubble.
He even tried to take credit for the recent skirmish between India and Pakistan. Lying and bragging as an international strategy is not going to work for too long. In his anger he has started to empower Pakistan by lavishing the spoils of the Whitehouse to visiting Pakistani politicians. This week Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir declared from American soil a warning of a "nuclear war". Think about it, America is feeding a terrorist nuclear state which is now threatening nuclear war that could destroy most of the world. One thing is for sure; India will never allow any nation to threaten it with nuclear warfare. It’s ready to press the button if required.
If Armageddon visits this world, you can be sure the survivors will mostly be Indians and the Chinese.
