Trump Is Making China Great Again
He's fucking up the US, but China is looking better by the minute
China, China, China. Trump’s manic focus on China as - one of his many - archnemesis might make you believe that all he dreams about is taking them down. Obliterating them and stomping on their economy.
And maybe he does. Who knows what is going on in that cavity between his ears? But, it looks like his current strategies for the US and the American economy will make it hard for him to achieve this.
Trump’s all-in-on-fossil-fuels and destruction of the environment strategy, all for the sake of supporting manly fuel-propelled monster trucks over sissy electric cars, may appeal to his MAGA fan base. They are always gung-ho for everything that will hurt them first and foremost. As long as it’s Trump’s idea.
Trump hates windpower? They will too. Doesn’t matter that the five states that profit the most from windpower are all red states. They generate 30% of their energy from wind power. These states are flat and have a lot of open, windy space. So they profit and whine at the same time.
They’ll support his “cars have to guzzle” gasoline strategy as long as they can—at least as long as they can afford to drive a car—any car at all. But, in the medium or even short term, this means that the US car industry will have no markets to export its outdated cars to.
Maybe he hasn’t noticed, but the world is well on its journey to pivoting to electric vehicles. Do you know who makes really amazing electric vehicles? Yes, China. And they’re building a highly efficient infrastructure around electric mobility.
I wonder what Muskolini thinks about Trump’s love of fossil fuels. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Tesla’s cars can’t compete with the Chinese EV market any longer. They’re mediocre quality and lacking in innovation. And after his Heil MAGA debacle, even Trump can’t help him sell his shitmobiles to sane people.
China’s electric cars are so good that even the German automotive industry is crumbling under the weight of Chinese competition. As I wrote in my last piece, Volkswagen is letting go 35.000 people. Volkswagen! The company every German politician in recent history would have given an arm and a leg to protect from such a fate.
Who does Trump think will buy American cars running on dead dinosaur leftovers in 15 years? Not even Americans. If he keeps up with all the shit he’s created in the course of merely a week, they will be driving Bones Buggies and trying to run over their neighbors to steal their chickens.
As the world staggers from draughts to deluges, from fires to landslides, from hailstorms to unprecedented tornados, all but the most deranged science deniers have accepted the reality of man-made climate change.
As a result, people are looking for alternatives to burning fossil fuels. The best alternative would be walkable cities and public transport. But who are we kidding? Such commie ideas have no place in a world that’s sliding ever further to the right.
So, electric vehicles are it for many people.
In 2023, 93% of new car sales in Norway were electric vehicles. Besides Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and Finland also had more than 50% of their new car sales as electric vehicles, with 71%, 60%, and 54%, respectively.
Of course, you can be like the US and try to suppress the competition with tariffs - protectionism is a beloved tradition in the so-called American free market; Trump didn’t invent it.
Even Biden put a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs to stop them from being imported to the US. And a 25% tariff on the superior Chinese Lithium batteries. Because, why let people see what could be technologically possible and likely better for the environment if you can sell mediocre locally made products instead?
The use of cold war tactics to cow your “enemies” is another upside of having geriatric politicians running the show. They saw their daddy do this, so they think it will also work for them.
It’s not like it’s the 21st century, and we could be working on creating a better world for everyone together.
Putting tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles makes them more expensive for the US consumer. It doesn’t stop the Chinese from driving them themselves, selling to new markets or innovating and building better and better cars.
The only thing you achieve when you try to hide the competition is that people are even more wowed when they finally see modern Chinese technology.
The Tech stock dip following the release of Deepseek, the new Chinese AI model, showed what happens when people are steamrolled by the fact that other countries have intelligent kids, too. And realize that modern technology doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. And can be developed with an eye on resource conservation.
The Chinese already know that the US, under Trump, is not a real competitor. The release of DeepSeek, their superior, resource-friendly AI, on the day of his inaugural - right after he boasted how great his AI strategy was going to be and how much money he’s goingt to spend on it - is just them rubbing his nose in it.
Even though people have a hard time explaining this to Trump and the orange posse, tariffs will make Americans poorer. We saw this happen the last time he was allowed to steer the country further into the abyss. But, like many older people, he seems to have issues with his middle-term memory.
When Trump implemented tariffs on steel and aluminum in 2018, American manufacturers and workers suffered. Jobs in steel-using companies were lost, especially in the automotive industry, and consumer prices rose.
So this is what you can look forward to again as Trump once more trots out his one-trick-pony in front of a global audience that cares less and less about his tantrums.
While the US (and the European Union as well) keep trying to strong-arm China and the rest of the world into keeping up the status quo - they on top, and everyone else beholden to them - the world moves on.
New alliances are built - the BRICS block becomes stronger, and new population-rich markets open up for them. The US and the US dollar are becoming less and less important.
As usual, Trump tries to fix things with a temper tantrum.
Instead of the open hostility that seems to be Trump's only modus operandi - maybe he forgets what he’s currently doing and thinks he’s still on “The Apprentice” - the Chinese choose to remain stonily diplomatic. All while showing Trump and his tech bro bubble where shit is really at - not Silicon Valley if you’re wondering:
Today, Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. announced that it outperformed Muskolini’s Starlink in satellite internet speeds, achieving a remarkable 100 Gbit/s transmission from space to ground. This test, conducted with one of its Jilin-1 satellites, has set a new benchmark for satellite communications.
So far, we’re 3:0 for the Chinese. Chinese EVs check, AI check, Satellite communication check. If Trump keeps this up, China might release a working teleportation pilot next.
Whatever he’s doing it sure makes China look great again.
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A sharp, bold critique of Trump's policies and their unintentional benefits to China. It’s both funny and thought-provoking! Thank you for sharing, Ronke! ❤
"cavity between those ears" - bwahaha - but uhm, i presume he has a staff of wildly knowledgeable people?...🤔