Those who followed the first-term trade negotiations will likely remember the challenges of dealing with the European Union and their entrenched dependency on retaining the Marshall Plan system; a one-way tariff process that enabled Europe to rebuild after World War II.

Unfortunately, as with all long-term financial subsidies, the beneficiary becomes dependent and retaining benefit is their only objective.

Former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross spent the majority of his time focused on trying to negotiate with the EU to remove these ridiculous trade benefits that have long exhausted their usefulness.  Enough is enough.

Term-two Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has the same regional assignment formerly held by Wilbur Ross, with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in full support.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has ASEAN nations as his primary regional focus, Lutnick’s primary region is the EU and President Trump is personally attentive to China and the USMCA.  USTR Greer then goes to the primary with the closest deal under consideration and organizes the paper construct, the technical aspects.  It’s an overall similar arrangement to term-1 only with a much bigger scope.

As would be expected from historic reference points in trying to break this insufferable one-way Marshall Plan system, the EU is once again operating in bad faith and will not give up their status.  When President Trump says the entire reason for the EU to form was to ensure their retention of this Marshall Plan benefit, he’s not wrong.  That’s the brutally honest background.

President Trump has announced today that a 50% tariff rate will be applied toward all EU imports until such a time as they come to the negotiation process willing to let go of their economic model dependent on the one-way benefit.  There really is no other way to break the Gordian trade knot, other than to cut it – forcefully.

President Trump (via Truth Social) – “The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with. Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable. Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

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Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

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New CCTV video released by Wisconsin media shows Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan outside her courtroom speaking with federal ICE agents who were there to arrest a criminal illegal alien appearing in Judge Dugan’s courtroom.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was previously indicted by a grand jury on charges of obstruction and concealing an individual from arrest.  The charges outlined in the criminal complaint. (1) obstructing a criminal illegal alien capture; and (2) concealing the illegal alien to avoid apprehension and arrest.  WATCH:

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At issue was President Trump’s plenary authority to remove Gwynne Wilcox, a former member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and Cathy A. Harris, the removed chair of the federal Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The NLRB oversees laws protecting workers’ rights and union elections nationwide, while the MSPB defends federal government workers against political discrimination.

The court’s order [READ ORDER HERE] is unsigned; however, it provides dissent from the three DEI appointed justices (lesbian, latina, black), and did not decide the underlying merits of the case, which will continue to play out in the lower courts. Presumably the court alignment was 6-3.

The overall decision is an endorsement of presidential authority to appoint leadership within the executive branch without review. The power of the president is plenary to the Executive Branch. As noted in the opinion, “Because the Constitution vests the executive power in the President, he may remove without cause executive officers who exercise that power on his behalf, subject to narrow exceptions recognized by our precedents.”

(VIA ABC) – The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Thursday bolstered President Donald Trump’s bid to assume full control of executive branch agencies, giving a green light — for now — to his removal of the heads of the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board, whom he fired without cause.

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Earlier today, President Donald Trump, HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and various cabinet officials within the Make America Healthy Again administration, took part in a MAHA commission event at the White House.  WATCH:

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Dilbert creator and President Trump supporter Scott Adams revealed days ago that he has the same terminal cancer diagnosis of Joe Biden, metastatic prostate cancer.  According to Adams his lifecycle will likely expire sometime this summer.

Earlier today during his now shortened podcast, Scott Adams revealed that President Trump personally called him to check on him and offer words of support. {Direct Rumble Link} WATCH:

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This is the side of President Trump that many people are now becoming aware of.

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The Dept of Homeland Security has revoked the Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification for Harvard University, thereby essentially cancelling their ability to enroll foreign students into the school.  Harvard was notified of the status and the letter shared by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

The notification comes the day after Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Milgrim, an American woman (a young couple about to be engaged), were gunned down at the Capital Jewish Museum around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday. The suspect Elias Rodriguez, 31 of Chicago, repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine” when he was arrested.

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President Donald Trump’s appointed lead investigator on the DOJ Weaponization Working Group, Ed Martin, appears on a podcast with Mark Halperin to discuss ongoing events around the Trump administration.  Ed Martin is also in charge of the DOJ pardon review and assembly within Main Justice.

Ed Martin was asked by Halprin about the use of the autopen to give presidential pardons during the final months of the Biden administration, against the recent confirmations that Joe Biden was severely cognitively impaired.  Did Joe Biden even know who was getting pardons issued via the use of the autopen writing his signature?

Ed Martin answers by outlining his own questions that he sent via letters to former White House officials.  WATCH (prompted):

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Ed Martin notes that Ron Klain, Anita Dunn and Bob Bauer were the gatekeepers within the Biden White House, deciding who would ultimately be allowed to engage within the inner circle.

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

(more…)