Trump 2.0

[PZ99]

And crooked Trump promised to jail her for it. Instead he let his aides out of jail after they smashed up the Capitol. It's still hypocrisy.

At least some of them will never look at an avocado the same way again.

 

[qldfrog]

It all depends on which metric you are choosing.

Interesting Luxembourg doesn't get a mention.

This year, 2025, Luxembourg has reaffirmed its status as the wealthiest country in the world, boasting a remarkable GDP per capita of $154.91 thousand, as reported by the IMF, largely attributed to its strategic location in central Europe, robust financial services sector, and thriving as top tourist destinations.27 Feb 2025
The top 10 richest countries on a per capita basis:
Here are the 10 countries with the highest GDP per capita in 2025, based on GDP (PPP) estimates: Luxembourg, Singapore, Ireland, Qatar, Macao SAR, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Norway, San Marino, and the United States.

GDP/Capita :

Rank	Country	GDP/Capita (PPP)
1	Luxembourg	$154,914.9
2	Singapore	$153,608.8
3	Ireland	$131,548.4
4	Qatar	$118,761.7
5	Macao SAR	$134,141
6	United Arab Emirates	—
7	Switzerland	—
8	Norway	—
9	San Marino	—
10

For a more expanded list:

GDP per Capita - Worldometer

GDP per capita by country. List by GDP at PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) and by Nominal GDP. Ratio to World's average GDP per capita at PPP

www.worldometers.info

Then you have to consider Countries by debt ranking:

Countries with the Highest National Debt 2025

worldpopulationreview.com

View attachment 196240	United States	$32.9T	118.73%	$98,204	2023
View attachment 196241	China	$15T	84.38%	$10,630	2023
View attachment 196242	Japan	$10.9T	256.3%	$87,547	2022
View attachment 196243	United Kingdom	$3.4T	99.97%	$50,402	2023
View attachment 196244	France	$3.4T	109.9%	$49,037	2023
View attachment 196245	Italy	$3.1T	134.8%	$52,501	2023
View attachment 196246	India	$3T	83.02%	$2,060	2023
View attachment 196247	Germany	$2.8T	62.9%	$33,994	2023
View attachment 196248	Canada	$2.3T	107.5%	$57,436	2023
View attachment 196249	Brazil	$1.8T	84.68%	$8,694	2023
View attachment 196250	Spain

Then to be fair you have to look at per capita debt:

View attachment 196239

Nice records of losers

 

[moXJO]

And crooked Trump promised to jail her for it. Instead he let his aides out of jail after they smashed up the Capitol. It's still hypocrisy.

At least some of them will never look at an avocado the same way again.

Patching together different topics there. That's a whole different conversation.

 

[Knobby22]

Sorry can't resist.

 

[IFocus]

Patching together different topics there. That's a whole different conversation.

True avocados shouldn’t be in the conversation

 

[IFocus]

At least Trump has stopped the Israel bombardment of Gaza, so that's at least a small mercy.

Some hostages are going home and Palestinians are being given a break, after the horrific hammering they have copped with aid from the previous administration.
How long was that for 1year and 3 months wasn't it? Also it wasn't speculation on deportation, it was actual people being blown up.

I am on the road how is the bombing going?

 

[IFocus]

See the Republican got booted from Pennsylvania previously held at 15 point margin the current congress has to be the weakest in modern American history surely

 

[sptrawler]

I am on the road how is the bombing going?

Well they got a bit of a break, the locals probably enjoyed that, after the last couple of years.
They also probably thought that at least someone tried, which was a nice change after the last lot.

 

[Knobby22]

Fashionable headgear in Greenland right now. Vance decided to cancel the visit in the capital and instead went to the Pituffik Space Base, a missile facility located on the north of the island.

Vance said they won't use military force on the people there but wish them to sever ties with Denmark and gain self determination and then cut a deal to partner with the USA who only has their interests and the world's safety at heart. (Didn't mention the oil and minerals).

Vance scolds Denmark during Greenland trip

Denmark's prime minister said the visit by the US VP and other top officials showed a "lack of respect".

www.bbc.com

 

[DB008]

 

[The Triangle]

Fashionable headgear in Greenland right now. Vance decided to cancel the visit in the capital and instead went to the Pituffik Space Base, a missile facility located on the north of the island.

Vance said they won't use military force on the people there but wish them to sever ties with Denmark and gain self determination and then cut a deal to partner with the USA who only has their interests and the world's safety at heart. (Didn't mention the oil and minerals).

View attachment 196408

Vance scolds Denmark during Greenland trip

Denmark's prime minister said the visit by the US VP and other top officials showed a "lack of respect".

www.bbc.com

I bet Trump got stitched up on GGG and that drives his desire to take Greenland.

View attachment 196414​

Um... yeah... Intelligent people already stopped believing in polls a decade ago after Brexit.

 

[IFocus]

The irony of Greenland is the people who are talking about taking it don’t accept climate change but want Greenland when it melts… wonder who told Trump about it?

 

[IFocus]

Follow a few conservative Republican writers who steer clear of criticism of Trump are now saying that they and those around plus inside the Trump administration have no clear view of the point or end game of tariffs no one the public reasons all most change daily along with who how and how much beyond bizarre….. Cult keeps cheering

 

[moXJO]

The irony of Greenland is the people who are talking about taking it don’t accept climate change but want Greenland when it melts… wonder who told Trump about it?

Do you know why the US wants Greenland?

 

[IFocus]

Haven’t seen anything credible but resources and Trump’s ego sound reasonable plus Greenlands location what do you think?

 

[moXJO]

Haven’t seen anything credible but resources and Trump’s ego sound reasonable plus Greenlands location what do you think?

So currently Russia is pretty much unopposed in the Artic. They have been expanding into the Arctic and a lot closer to the US.

You also have China investing into Greenland and trying to get a foothold.

Once that ice melts there will be new trade routes going through. Greenland will have strategic positioning over shipping routes.

And yes there's a whole heap of minerals, Fishing stock.

It's all geared for conflict at the artic. We will find out as China powers on in the Antarctic. Or are we pretend they aren't mapping resources. It's a big reason Australia is in the danger zone as well.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ukraine wasn't an indirect weakening attempt by NATO.
Look at the facts:
Finland and Sweden joined NATO after the Ukraine war began. That means NATO bases up there.
NATO has greater control over Arctic routes.
Russia had to pull funding out of the artic.
They also took some heavy losses to their artic troops who were sent to Ukraine I'm sure.
The Arctic council now has a lot of westerners over Russia.
western sanctions also crippled Russia oil and gas.
I don't think the war in Ukraine was specifically about the artic. But to some extent the Ukrainians are being used to weaken Russia for strategic reasons in the Artic.

I didn't really think much about it before until Trump started going on about Greenland. I think there is a long-term plan in place to cripple Russia and get those minerals and other goodies.

Trump however knows that the Euro trash want it for themselves. They will stiff the yanks out of the deal and that's what we are seeing today. Negative press in Europe and a sudden will to build military stock. I definitely think something is going on

 

[Dona Ferentes]

New best mates. Watch out, Taiwan, Estonia, Greenland and Canada in particular.

Saw he bagged Ronald Reagan.
I am absolutely certain if he was alive, Ronald Reagan would bag Trump. He was a great man with great morals.

.

.
Reagan addresses specific trade protection issues with Japan before declaring that “the way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition”.

“Now, there are sound historical reasons for this. For those of us who lived through the Great Depression, the memory of the suffering it caused is deep and searing, and today, many economic analysts and historians argue that high tariff legislation passed back in that period, called the Smoot-Hawley tariff, greatly deepened the Depression and prevented economic recovery.

“You see, at first when someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports’, it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs, and sometimes for a short while, it works, but only for a short time.

“What eventually occurs is first, home-grown industries start relying on government protection in the form of high tariffs. They stop competing, and stop making the innovative management and technological changes they need to succeed in world markets.

“And then, while all this is going on, something even worse occurs. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.

“The result is more and more tariffs, higher and higher trade barriers, and less and less competition so, soon, because of the prices made artificially high by tariffs that subsidise inefficiency and poor management.

“People stop buying then the worst happens – markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries shut down, and millions of people lose their jobs.”

 

[Knobby22]

So currently Russia is pretty much unopposed in the Artic. They have been expanding into the Arctic and a lot closer to the US.

You also have China investing into Greenland and trying to get a foothold.

Once that ice melts there will be new trade routes going through. Greenland will have strategic positioning over shipping routes.

And yes there's a whole heap of minerals, Fishing stock.

It's all geared for conflict at the artic. We will find out as China powers on in the Antarctic. Or are we pretend they aren't mapping resources. It's a big reason Australia is in the danger zone as well.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ukraine wasn't an indirect weakening attempt by NATO.
Look at the facts:
Finland and Sweden joined NATO after the Ukraine war began. That means NATO bases up there.
NATO has greater control over Arctic routes.
Russia had to pull funding out of the artic.
They also took some heavy losses to their artic troops who were sent to Ukraine I'm sure.
The Arctic council now has a lot of westerners over Russia.
western sanctions also crippled Russia oil and gas.
I don't think the war in Ukraine was specifically about the artic. But to some extent the Ukrainians are being used to weaken Russia for strategic reasons in the Artic.

I didn't really think much about it before until Trump started going on about Greenland. I think there is a long-term plan in place to cripple Russia and get those minerals and other goodies.

Trump however knows that the Euro trash want it for themselves. They will stiff the yanks out of the deal and that's what we are seeing today. Negative press in Europe and a sudden will to build military stock. I definitely think something is going on

My theory is as follows:

Putin goes on about the three great powers , USA , China and Russia.
Europe are a fly in the ointment. I reckon he has convinced Trump on this.

Why should the EU give up the arctic to the USA?

China have been planning their part in trade terms for over 15 years with a plan to have arctic trade routes and have built ports in Canada and elsewhere for that purpose as well as a fleet of special ships. I pointed this out to a global warming denier years ago. China have never doubted this future.

Europe aligning partially with China, with Canadian support would benefit all the economies involved. Cheaper trade.

The USA doesn't like this. They already effectively control the Panama route and have effective control of the Suez. They would hate trade to go the arctic route without their ability to strangle it.

 

[basilio]

Ah The Presidential Power to Give Pardons. Just wave you hand and you can give a Get out of Jail Free card to any deserving supplicant who throws at least $2m in your kick. Such a special treat alongside being able to throw anyone who criticises you out of a job, into Guantanamo or out of the country.

Who needs The Law and Courts and xhite like that when you're the One True God ?

And of course every spiv in town now realises that with Trump as President he/she has e literally nothing to worry agout. They just have to kiss the ring, fly the MAGA flag and and make a couple of mil extra to pay off The Don. Probably far cheaper than bribes or Lawyers

MSN

MSN

Trump Grants Clemency to Convicted Founder of Nikola Electric Truck Company

Munich news, health insurance, technology, jobs and other topics for expatriates. The Eye Newspapers covers daily news and offers services for foreigners.

themunicheye.com

 

[Smurf1976]

“What eventually occurs is first, home-grown industries start relying on government protection in the form of high tariffs. They stop competing, and stop making the innovative management and technological changes they need to succeed in world markets.

“And then, while all this is going on, something even worse occurs. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.

On one hand I agree.

On the other hand, how on earth can any company in the US, or any other Western democracy, compete against China where minimum wage rates are below AUD 5 per hour whilst the conditions of work, as well as environmental conditions and the like, would be unacceptable to the West.

The concept of free trade works fine if everyone has the same input costs but not when they're radically different.

Fist thing to go is industrial capacity.

Second is financial strength.

Third is technological leadership.

Fourth and final is military dominance.

At present the West overall is well and truly at stage 3 and we're starting to see hints that stage 4 is near.

As with cancer, once stage 4 occurs it's terminal.....