Art Of The Deal

55 Replies to “Art Of The Deal”

1. This guy doesn’t fully grasp it either. He’s trying to sound like it’s a simple concept that his BIG BUSINESS BRAIN grasps, but you peons do not. He’s missing a very, very, very important factor. Leverage. If Trump has leverage, he uses it. If he doesn’t have leverage, he builds it. If there is no leverage to be had he sells potential. Don’t believe me?
   __________________________________________________
   “Use Your Leverage The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it. That makes the other guy smell blood, and then you’re dead. The best thing you can do is deal from strength, and leverage is the biggest strength you can have. Leverage is having something the other guy wants. Or better yet, needs. Or best of all, simply can’t do without. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, which is why leverage often requires imagination, and salesmanship. In other words, you have to convince the other guy it’s in his interest to make the deal.”
   ― Donald J. Trump, Trump: The Art of the Deal

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   Tariffs are leverage. In fact, tariffs are instant leverage that can be created out of thin air. Diversifying trade agreements that overlap more than one country is leverage defense. If a country wishes to hold you hostage to improve a trade agreement by withholding (or overpricing a commodity)…you find another country with that commodity and lessen the first country’s leverage. Withholding questionable foreign aid is leverage (USAID & NGO’s). Refusing to finance another country’s defense when they have the means to do it themselves, but would require them to pull away for nationalized welfare programs is leverage. Even instilling a sense of valued sovereignty within your own country is not missed by the citizens of another country. And, that becomes a leverage as well.

   1. That was a great comment!!!

   2. My President engages in what used to be quaintly called “horse tradin’.
      Ever been around an old horse trader? This is exactly how they operate, and the very good ones aren’t the disreputable used car salesmen of today: you get a little something, I get a little something; we both get what we need but maybe not exactly what we wanted; you’ll come back to do business because while you didn’t get to cheat me out of everything, you didn’t really get cheated either.
      And yes, they’ll talk up their product to the moon, but there’s usually something there to it; how else are you going to get people back? Which they eventually will, even if they walk away (mad even) to begin…they’ll be back, and they’ll talk…a lot.

      It really is a smart business model and it’s amazing that all these trained, educated people can’t see it.

      1. Same goes for buying: know what the real market value is, what it’s worth to you, and how much you’re willing to pay. Be on the lookout for any good deal and be ready to walk away if you can’t get what you need; don’t worry, they’ll probably call you back willing to trade.

      2. This comment reminds me of something which happened about 40 years ago when I was a commercial interior designer. I was designing the staff cafeteria for CP Air in Toronto. The design had to be signed off by 20 (!) people sitting around the conference table. I was paid for the design but it never advanced to the working drawing phase. I KNEW that CP Air was on its last legs when 20 people (some of whom were low level managers) had to sign off on the project. I was right and CP Air was gone within a couple of years.
         I told this story to the husband of one of my friends. He was in the MBA program at York University and his thesis was on CP Air. He could not believe me when I predicted that the airline would cease operating within 2 years. When you get too much information from professors who have never worked in the real world, you make crap decisions.
         I think this is what is wrong with our governments as most of the upper management have not worked in the real world.

         1. Yeah…theory is great but real world experience is where the rubber meets the road. The best possible outcome is when both inform each other.

   3. Using leverage? That’s going full crum! Never go full crum!

2. But the Marxist enemies of Trump have created a slogan … TACO. Trump Always Chickens Out. How clever of them. How meaningless and stupid … like all the Marxist Democrats in America.

   While they’re still choking on their TACOs … I’ve been making BANK! on their whiney TACO about Trump’s tariffs. TACO-away Trump! Because I know your negotiating tactics … I’m profiting while the Marxists are whining.

3. Trump is playing chess on world scale.
   They can’t handle his bluffs and his actions. They are completely disorganized and don’t know if they are coming or going.
   The other thing is that the brainwashed will never, I say never admit to being wrong about anything, it would collapse their house of cards.
   Learned that from the communists themselves, they knew that if they admit even one point they collapse.
   Though, never fear there are millions of those that know nothing about the other side of the world. The mass media cartel will take care of that.

4. Trump also has an advantage: the MSM and other commentators: He’s a just a big baby retard idiot moron that can’t tell the moon from Mars (right Dwana?). He’s just a failed real estate mogul pedo felon slumlord that used his dad’s money, etc, etc. TDS blinds people to underestimate him. He’s not exactly Churchillian in expression or demeanor, not refined and too populist to be upper crust and look at people down his nose so he must be a stupid piker. Remember that line from the movie Patton? “Rommel, you SOB, I read your book!” (Infanterie Greift n (“Infantry Attacks”), which included the use of armor support.). Trump wrote how many books?

   Or as the meme says, How Many Times Do We Have to Teach You This Lesson, Old Man?

5. Right. Except people eventually do learn this tactic, and stop taking the “mini-crises” seriously— unless there are occasionally consequences for not taking them seriously.

   That’s one reason President Trump had to make an example of Nicolas Maduro. Had he not done so, nobody would have taken him seriously about Greenland.

   And given how Mark Carney clearly still doesn’t take the possibility of US troops’ overthrowing him and throwing his ass in a US federal prison with near-zero chance of coming out again in less than 48 hours, the president still has a few examples to make before the know-it-alls finally realize that their choices are to stop biting the American hand that feeds them or be replaced by someone who will.

   Faster please. I want to see how many times CBC can loop a performance of Swan Lake before a few good men blow up the transmitter.

   1. I wonder if Trump will actually do something about/to Carney. In the sense that he painted a target on his back with the NWO comment in Davos and some media are painting him as the herald of a new middle power era (same old globalist boss). Maybe that’s just the Canadian media. There are bigger fish to fry and he may let him wither on the vine. But that “strategic partnership” with Chyna? That’s the thing to watch.

      In other news that genius went to the Citadel next door the the plains of Abraham to talk about Canadian unity with the 22e Regiment crest in the background. Not sure it was the best place or the best time to do this sort of political fluffing.

      1. Just because Carney went to Davos and flopped his flaccid power around to a smattering of applause, doesn’t really mean anything when it’s nigh impossible to build anything to the coast of BC, the tanker ban is still in place, and both capital and brainpower is fleeing?

         1. Very true. And yes the delivery was flaccid but to that crowd even flaccid looks like a raging hard-on. I mean Trudeau and Perry? Gimme a break. Anyways I’m sure Chyna would love to help with infrastructure projecst in a broke country. This is why I don’t like the sound or “strategic partnership” coming from both Carney and the CCP. Maybe Carney is full of it, but the Chinese are usually serious about that stuff.

      2. I’ll give one example of what Trump has already done to Carney. US is a major importer of Nickel from Canada. The US is a major exporter of soybeans to Canada.

         It is projected that this month or next, the US will finalize a new trade agreement with Indonesia. Part of that agreement is a new export market for the US to sell soybeans. Also, is a new agreeement for Indonesia to sell Nickel to the US.

         In short, the multitude of trade agreements being renegotiated with the US are including those items imported and exported to Canada, which compromises Carney’s negotiating position on the USMCA. Trump is purposely doing this in advance of the Mexico and Canada negotiations (US’s #1 and #2 trading partner respectively). It’s, also, one of the reasons Carney is to enthusiastic about getting in bed with China and the EU. The problem with that scenario is that the EU is financially strapped, and getting worse all the time, and China never gives anything away on an even field. They’ll talk about it a lot, but never act. Does that sound familiar relative to China getting their foot in the door with EV’s and not giving anything up, but promising to consider the tariffs around March 1st. They’ll surely consider a lot of things. They’re good at considering.

      3. Carney is too useful to us; we’re not going to do anything to Carney at this time if ever. We’ll let Carney do what he does to Canada, and then let Canada do what it’ll do to Carney.
         We’ll only do step in if you decide to do something truly stupid. We’ll see.

   2. I would wager the chances of anyone across the table from Trump who doesn’t take his over the top mini-crises seriously at … slim and none. His opponents can’t help themselves. They’ll ALWAYS take the bait.

      I mean … just consider that 3 days ago … the Greenland War Trump started against Euro-weenies had CRASHED the US stock market and world economy … MAGA were turning against him … and the midterms are forever LOST to the Marxists … blah, blah, blah. The TDS leftists cannot help themselves. They are sooooooo DESPERATE to destroy Trump … they’ll seize on any and all perceived vulnerabilities. It’s actually quite amusing to watch this all go down in real time.

      For example … the SPEED with which the US Stock market rebounded from the MLK Jr./Greenland holiday TDS hysteric ONE-day CRASH was bloody hilarious. The TDS left simply cannot help themselves.

      1. I forgot who said it, something like:
         People who like Trump take him seriously but not literally.
         People who don’t like Trump take him literally but not seriously.

6. The part that is missed is Congress has the sole power of taxation while the president is granted only emergency powers to tariff by Congress. At some point the Supreme Court is going to vote 9/0 against Trump. I suspect it would not be unreasonable for Congress to have to confirm emergency declarations within a period of time to make them retroactively legal.

   1. 9-0 against Trump. Against America. Against the American economy.

      OK then … I’ll come back here to your prediction … soon.

   2. We’ll see.
      People like winners. Congress has a very low approval rating. The Supreme Court may at some time vote against my President, but how many times will they vote in favor?

      One should probably not hang all their hopes on things that may or may not happen, just saying.

7. Great, except that Trump is leaving a trail of bitterness and distrust in his wake. Remember 9/11? President Bush called on his NATO allies to invade Afghanistan to go after the terrorists, and every single ally contributed militarily. Many of them suffered casualties, including Canada with 166.

   Should Trump call for international assistance, there’s going to be a lot less willingness to cooperate. He has squandered any good will he might have had. That’s the problem when pure power is the only club in your bag.

   1. Right. Except President Trump has no reason to give a damn about Afghanistan. Neither would have W, had he not owed the House of Saud favours and needed an excuse to knock over Saddam Hussein.

      I’d be more persuaded of how helpful Canadian troops were to their American allies in keeping Afghanistan out of Red Chinese hands had Afghanistan, well, been kept out of Red Chinese hands, which didn’t happen, for all the supposed help we gave Uncle Sam on W’s and Obama’s watch.

      Only in President Trump’s first term did a serious discussion of whether Afghanistan was worth any more American blood or treasure become possible at all. For some reason, once the US finally cut their losses under Biden, Justin lost his taste for throwing good money and men after bad as well.

      When Uncle Sam wants something done, he knows full well that he needs to do it himself. President Trump doesn’t need Mark Carney’s help for anything important—least of all when Mark visibly jumps when the Red Emperor says hop.

      Canada isn’t part of the solution to the question of how to guarantee the sovereignty and security of the United States and keep Red China out of the Western Hemisphere. Being bounded on the northern and southern frontier by Chinese vassal states, Mark Carney’s Canada and the Mexico of Claudia Sheinbaum
      (a third-generation communist of Lithuanian extraction who claims to be a Jew) is a big part of the problem.

      I actually have higher hopes for Mexico. Claudia’s leftist predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, went looking for dirt on old soldiers who did nothing but their duty—rounding up and liquidating communists and other terrorists in the 1960’s and 1970’s, by order of a pro-US Mexican government. The army treated AMLO and his witch hunt with the contempt it deserved.

      The Mexican army would overthrow Claudia and throw the ugly carcass of that communist sow into the Pacific off Acapulco tomorrow morning, and polish off the Chinese agents and mob assets leading her party in time for supper. All they need is assurance from DC that President Trump would recognize the new administration, though every dog from Durango to Davos howled in Claudia’s favour.

      The joint efforts of Latin American armies to keep their countries out of communist hands with US assistance—*that* is an example of a successful coalition of the willing. Direct US intervention was only necessary as a very last resort. The global left still curse the US and their Latin allies for hav8ng the gall to fight the left in the “Dirty War” and win. Latin Americans who work for a living and believe in God mostly thank Him, their own patriots and their US allies for sparing them the fate of Cuba and Venezuela.

      Canada herself would have been spared much if President Nixon had persuaded a few good men in Canadian uniform to finish off Pierre Trudeau. Mark Carney can no longer count on being spared the consequences of doing the dirty work of America’s enemies like Pierre (and Justin) were. The only question is whether Canadian troops will save their country or US troops will have to do it for them.

      1. 9/11 was unexepcted, and the next big crisis may be unexpected. It could come from any corner of the globe.

         Even the most powerful nation on earth sometimes needs friends. Trump is acting like America can go it alone economically, militarily, politically, every which way, and that is foolish. It ultimately diminishes America’s power.

         1. My point is that sometimes all Uncle Sam has to do is get out of the way and let nature take its course. All the victors in the “Dirty War” usually needed was assurance that Washington would not try to stop them from winning and would not interfere with the new régime as long as it did not threaten US interests in the Americas. It worked—at least until the end of the Cold War when DC globalists forced Latin governments to admit socialists back into mainstream politics but that’s another story.

            No country—least of all the United States—has permanent friends and allies. They merely have permanent interests. President Trump does not need to curry favour with the likes of Mark Carney and Claudia Sheinbaum. He *is* well advised to support patriots willing to remove the likes of Mark and Claudia and replace them with leaders less interested in doing the dirty work of foreign powers with designs on the Americas, amd who will not need persuading to make common cause with the United States in the pursuit of their common interests.

            If this bothers Mark and Claudia, they can file their complaints with their cellmates in the prisons where they’ll end their days, no longer a threat to their own peoples or to the United States, but with no hope of their crimes being forgiven or forgotten. “Ni perdón ni olvido,” as they say in Mexico.

            1. I never said anything about permanent. I’m looking at the next three years.

               And whether Trump needs to “curry favour” remains to be seen. He doesn’t know what will happen down the road. Reagan had the wit to strengthen ties with all but his most ardent enemies. Trump should learn from that.

               So far as the US government interfering with Canadian or Mexican politics, that’s a downright shitty idea. That would create bitter distrust that would never heal.

   2. Then the NATO weenies should be THRILLED that Trump uses REAL American power … strategically and surgically … unlike the dull weapon deployed by that dullard Bush. Psssst … hey NATO grifters! You can all stay home … America’s got this.

      PS … know what phrase you’ve NEVER heard uttered a single time during Trump’s presidency? …
      “Rules of engagement”

      You’re DEAD .. or jailed. There are no other rules of engagement

      1. This testosterone poisoning that you and the Trump regime are demonstrating is foolish. America is weaker without its allies. Putin and Xi are laughing their heads off.

         The only goods news is that America’s (former) allies are starting to imagine a world without American leadership.

         1. I’ll make a bet with you. In less than a decade, China won’t exist in the form you see today. Over the next five years the internal strife between the citizenry and the ruling party will escalate and they may even end up changing their form of government. Just recently China hired another 300,000 riot police. A relative of mine (who grew up on Mainland China) visited her family recently, and she got the distinct impression something huge is about to happen there. The “great unwashed” are not as compliant as they used to be. COVID was a turning point as are the recently installed draconian personal credit requirements. Infrastructure in the outer provinces is being neglected. And, Xi Jinping has been purging his military leaders every couple of months to surround himself with those most loyal (and even one of those guys disappeared…General He Weidong).

            Russia on the other hand is going not only going to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine, they are going to open up trade markets and comply with the requirements that would lessen sanctions. Leading to a mutual agreement with the US to allow Russia to uphold their recently negotiated energy agreement with Venezuela.

            1. Yes, China and (especially) Russia are weaker than they appear. But they are still powerful enough to cause all sorts of grief, and they’re smart enough to know when America is scoring an own goal.

            2. I hope you’re right, Orson. Unfortunately, the worse things get in Red China, the more dangerous the dragon is likely to become.

               I agree that:

               1. Xi Jinping is a non-entity who’s rapidly purging anyone smart enough to be a threat to his rule. Basically he’s what the know-it-alls (many of them CCP assets) want you to think Trump and Putin are.

               2. Vladimir Putin has been ready to make a deal to end the war in the Ukraine that protects both US and Russian interests in Russia’s near-abroad for a while now. Had the know-it-alls not continually second-guessed President Trump, the war would be over by now.

               The US never had anything to gain from indulging German dreams of taking revenge for Russian victory in the Great Patriotic War or supporting the régime of Vladimir Zelensky, as I type this arguably the most dangerous self-hating Jewish globalist in the Eastern Hemisphere (with the possible exception of his supporter George Soros). The sooner President Trump cuts the Germans off, the sooner the European relationship with Russia will assume an adult level—and the sooner we’ll be rid of Zelensky for good.

            3. Well said and done. No disagreement with the bet. We’ll, not unless we translate KM as saying “but, but, but, Orange Man Bad! Bad is bad! Orange man must fail because bad.”

   3. the world was already bitter and distrustful of everything American.

      1. Some people were, some people weren’t. I was mostly a fan, but Trump is doing his damndest to change my mind.

   4. Politics isn’t about being buddies; it’s about what you need. You can stand and bitch all day but if you need something, well…so much for the bitching.

      1. “Buddies” is your word, not mine. Politics has a ton to do with developing allies militarily, socially, economically, and so on. Trump has put a cleavor through many of America’s hardwon allyships. I can only guess that he feels that the US is so powerful that they’re now expendable.

         1. Were they really allies?

            Nothing worse than a bad friend.

   5. Trump is not leaving a trail of bitterness and distrust in his wake. The trail of bitterness and distrust is being excreted by diseased glands like you.

      I note, by the way, your position that Canada had no interest of its own in dealing with the terrorists in Afghanistan, and acted only out of mindless loyalty to America, slavish or altruistic. I do hope you make that position clear whenever you deal with anyone who served in Afghanistan. “Thank you for your service, hapless tool of the Great Satan!”

   6. Trump would have surgically, and strategically bombed all the Taliban hideouts and training centers. He would not have committed to the LONGEST most futile war in American history. A war that made the military industrial complex … he would never have created “rules of engagement” that only served to get our soldiers (and Britain’s) murdered in cold blood.

      D’ya remember when Clinton was given the intelligence of Osama binLaden’s whereabouts … and Clinton could have vaporized him? Long before 9-11? But he didn’t. Trump would never hesitate to destroy Islamic terrorists.

8. Every politician blows smoke.
   Many, like that c*nt Starmer, blow goats.
   The difference between ALL of them today, is that the Donald is the Prez of the USA and that tightens sphincters – even Starmers gaping hole – because don’t fck with the US or you’ll be getting the bunk above Maduro.

9. This is the text of an email I sent to a few friends earlier today. I found it amusing to see someone else say virtually the same:

   Once again, the Trump pattern is there for all to see.

   1 – Announce a bombshell that sends all your so-called friends into confusion. (‘Canada 51st state’, ‘100% tariffs on everything’, ‘we’re taking Greenland’.
   2 – Sit back and watch the chattering classes work themselves into a frenzy as they develop ‘responses’ (‘Elbows up!’, ‘Retaliatory tariffs!’, silly AI videos of polar bears attacking Trump in Greenland)
   3 – Respond positively to any conciliatory moves (Canada hasn’t made any, reduced tariffs immediately offered to states that wanted to negotiate, agrees to small military bases)
   4 – Net result: Trump gets what he wanted all along, but everyone thinks he’s TACO.

   Lather, rinse, repeat. it’s a winning strategy because everyone thinks they got Trump to cave, so they feel vindicated and are happy with the outcome. Meanwhile, Trump is the only guy with an ego big enough to take the daily abuse and hatred thrown his way after step 1. Trudeau bailed at the first hint of unpopularity, Stammer is outfoxed by Amelia, and Micron has to hide behind shades because Big Momma gave him a shiner.

   1. And what is the purpose of calling Canada the 51st state? What does Trump hope to get out of it?

      1. He is pulling the loose bit of yarn to unravel the whole Canadian knit.

         1. He is probably achieving the opposite.

            1. I’m in Alberta. No, he isn’t.

      2. It makes Mark Carney angry.

         Which makes him stupid.

         Which will make it easier for President Trump to rid himself of the Chinese puppet state on the northern border of the continental United States.

         It’s easy when you know how. You just have to understand that globalists, like their master in hell, haslve no sense of humour ot ability to grasp how petty and silly they and their delusions of grandeur appear to anyone with his head screwed on right.

         If you want to make a globalist angry, and more likely to do something suicidally stupid, ridicule him and his pretensions at every opportunity. It works like a charm.

         Ptesident Trump was right. The only reason Mark Carney hasn’t been overthrown and sent to share a prison cell with Nicolas Maduro is because the United States have not seen fit to do so, yet. On the day the president finally has had enough of Mark’s yapping, the armed forces of the United States will need 48 hours at most to relieve the Red Chinese puppet régime led by Carney of effective control of the Dominion of Canada. Whether that régime will need replacing at all, or whether Canada’s current territory is better incorporated into the United States, will be up to President Trump at that point, not Mark Carney.

         So Mark’s pipe-dream of leading a coalition of geopolitical has-beens, never-weres and never-had-a-hope-in-hell-to-bes against the United States deserves to be treated like the joke it is. And the consequences to Mark et al. of being daft enough to act on his crazy plan will just make it even funnier.

         I can’t wait. The downfall of the Libranos promises to be comedy gold.

         1. You’re living in such a bizarre alternate universe that it’s difficult to know where to begin.

            I suppose that it’s possible that Trump’s machinations are so brilliant that they are beyond my ability to understand them, but I doubt it. Far more likely is that he’s an arrogant old man that’s hit his best-before date.

            I suspect that Carney will outlast Trump by a considerable margin (and if you’re wondering, I’ve voted Conservative since the disco craze). Trump can not continue his obvious physical and mental deterioration and remain in power. At some point, his pronouncements will get so bizarre that even his most ardent supporters will be forced to face reality.

            1. You drank the kool-aid that will kill you. Trump didn’t. And you continue to look at him in the dimming view of the cult that will kill you. No wonder you can’t understand how he’s different.

            2. I will agree with you on one point: what he’s doing isn’t some 5D chess. That’s what makes it so funny.
               But he isn’t arrogant, nor senile. The fact that many believe it also makes this hilarious.

            3. KM, you leave the more relevant question alone. I don’t give a rat’s ass whether Carney outlasts Trump or vice versa, Canada on it’s current trajectory may not last as long as either. Slowly at first and then all at once is a thing, and we are almost done with the slowly part. We have 0 economic growth, with a combined federal and provincial deficit of absurd proportions. The US deficit is monstrous as well, but their economy is growing north of 4%, and the deficit to GDP ratio dropped a full percentage point in the last 12 months. Canada’s is heading in the other direction, and fast.

            4. Carney is not certain to leave office in less than three years’ time, so if you expect me to revere you as some kind of seer for predicting that he could outlast Trump, who is so certain, I’m going to have to disappoint you. And a man claiming to be a marmot should be careful with the “bizarre alternate universe” stuff. Dick Slater’s style is a bit abrasive for my tastes but there’s nothing bizarre about his position and it’s obviously realistic.

         2. Wait, are you implying that Carney isn’t stupid when he’s not angry?

            I’d like to see some evidence of that. Physical evidence of success, not theory.

      3. Simple. What has been the reaction in Canada? What have been the consequences of that reaction? And, what will be the likely outcomes of those consequences?
         Like I said: we likely aren’t going to do a thing to Canada; Canada is going to do all the heavy lifting.

      4. “And what is the purpose of calling Canada the 51st state? What does Trump hope to get out of it?”

         Still can’t let that one go, can you?

10. Rescinding Carnages invite was not the slap heard around the world, there will be a couple of heavy hitting trade negotiators waiting for Markie Marks return. A beat down is coming…