Could I not just avoid this entirely by buying electronic products from literally anywhere else though?
this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2025
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If you are in the US how do you think that would work? If you are not then it really does not matter since the US is not a major chip producer afaik.
I'm going to tariff Trump a dollar every time his stupid face pops up in my feeds.
Looks like books are back on the menu, boys.
How do I download one of those?
Ebooks are awesome.
he really is the dumbest motherfucker on the planet
You mean extortionist
I was looking at the stock performance of Semiconductors today and they're pretty much all green except for Intel. Why? Because they've all announced plans to invest in the US (even though they probably won't ever make good on their commitments). That buys them an exception to the tariffs. So it's pretty much a 100% tariff on no major player. Intel was down because Tom Cotton and now Trump are attacking their new CEO Lip Bu Tan who has a long successful track record in the industry but has Chinese investments which they think somehow implicates him or creates a national security risk even though TSMC is ahead of Intel in fab capability. Anyway the point is this is just rhetorical grand standing with no serious impact.
I mean the whole point of tariffs is to bring manufacturing to your country, so if they actually did that that would be a major win, but I'm highly doubtful, they'll probably just wait it out since the US can't survive by blocking literally every high end chip from being imported.
It’s simultaneously a grift and a way to impose a flat sales tax all in one package.
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Republicans have been creaming their pants for years at the thought of imposing a regressive flat tax on all sales while doing away with income based taxation. This would forever shift the majority of the tax burden to the poor and middle class. Which is why we see Trump cutting taxes on the wealthy with his Big Ugly Bill and imposing a tariff as a way to tax the unwashed masses while simultaneously claiming he isn’t. Hopefully the courts strike down his power grab and force Congress to vote on Tariffs. The weasels will probably give it to them but at least we get to see Republicans go on record as voting for a tax increase.
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Trump has announced or will announce tariff exemptions that benefit large companies that have donated to him. Sometime later if he feels he needs more money he will announce a higher random tariff on the exempted goods and shake these corps down for more money/favors. All the while he can claim he is doing our industry a favor.
Never forget Trump is a grifting piece of shit who will always stick it to the little guy.
Conservatives are 100% onboard with a felon rapist pedo skyrocketing our cost of living while destroying our global reputation.
If anyone is still unsure if conservatives are traitors to our nation, now is the time to pinch yourself and wake up.
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A bit of chip history: Taiwan Semiconductor (the current pseudo-monoply in cutting edge processor making) rose as Taiwan the country transitioned from a dictatorship to democracy.
They got state funding, and support for thier business as trade opened up. To simplify, it was like a mix of hyper free-trade capitalism and technocratic command economy/socialism no one on either end of political spectrum would like. And it worked! It's still working.
The CHIPS act in the US was a baby step in that direction, which (even with Intel's incredible corporate dysfunction) got me excited.
...And that is basically the opposite of what Trump is proposing.
Basically, take away Intel/Micron/IBM subsidies and tax the shit out of their existing overseas business. And deregulate them instead of directing them.
In other words, drain their capital, and give them free reign to think short term as their manufacturing circles the drain.
To be fair to Trump, most business people do not grasp how indescribably capital/research intense processor manufacturing is. Investment is in the many billions, planning takes decades and is extremely technical, and dependent on economic and research forecasts. They have to be forced to think long term, given truckloads of cash to do it, and not get derailed by quarterly earnings targets and cutting long-term projects on the vine for quick cash.
But still... this is like the worst thing he could have done, IMO.
CHIPS Act. Yet another major Biden win that gets overlooked in favor of shitting on him.
Biden did a lot of great stuff but the USA would rather live in a reality TV show from hell while marching towards authoritarianism apparently. Oh wait, they don't understand any of that shit because half of them can't fucking read.
Yes, we all know the most successful economic endeavors are funded by taxpayers. Then leeches come in to steal the profits from the public and useful idiots are all-to-proud to support them.
Just look at how Iceland has the cheapest electricity on the planet; it's because they built their infrastructure using public money without an incentive to maximize profit.
That's not what I'm implying.
TSMC would not have thrived if it was purely nationalized, and could have easily collapsed into capitalist hell.
For the processor fab business, specifically, the ideal conditions seem to be some kind of bastardized hybrid. Samsung and China Semi are not far from 'hybrids' either, while the corpses of pure extremes (GloFo, Intel, the Soviet's and modern Russia's computing efforts, DARPA projects, other pure government efforts and some RISC ones) are littered everywhere.
Intel was heading towards a state-supported hybrid, but apparently not anymore (and is now barreling into capitalist collapse).
The other part of what I'm saying is this does not necessarily apply to, say, the hotel business like Trump is channeling, where short term maneuvering and branding pay off more. Nor engergy generation, which is different too (and probably should be nationalized in such a geothermal-heavy place like Iceland).
In which nation is energy generation not using vast natural resources at huge initial outlay where companies have a boner for monopolising or cartels and exploiting scarcity to drive up prices?
Side note: DARPA's TCP/IP networky thing seems to have had some future in it!
Dude is a great decision machine. Someone should make him preside- oh. 😕
Nah, I think he's much better suited to being a reality TV star. Oh wait, that's what he is.
Better suited for a prison cell.
The other 95% of us:
He'll back down from this like everything but what a fucking complete moron
Perhaps this could tax the huge data centers being built in the USA, which tend to get huge local tax incentives. But, if I had a data center I was trying to kit out, this would encourage me to setup shop any place other than the USA. (Latency matters, but not equally for everything.)
Oh no, don't worry. Big tech will get exemptions and write offs.
Only the big tech that donates large sums of money to Tramp (which seems like most of them)
What do you mean "likely pushing up cost of electronics". That is the literal point of a tariff, to push the prices up and make competing goods more appealing to consumers. The only way it doesnt raise prices is if importers just eat the cost, which they will almost certainly not do and, frankly, shouldn't do.
I’ll throw in the “well actually” here so no one gets wrapped around the axle — the true point of tariffs are to boost domestic business at the expense of weakening foreign sales. The scales tipped in favor of domestic businesses should be advantageous and arguably a good strategy in some circumstances …in a vacuum. That’s the “well actually” and it’s worth nothing in 2025 because all advantage is nullified if those domestic businesses lack the skill and resources to produce said goods. The industries currently targeted by tariffs are so huge and complex that domestic businesses stand zero chance (even with tariffs) in place to replicate the technology, supply chain, and workforce that would be able to stand competitively toe-to-toe with the global market.
So it’s entirely a tax on Americans by another name, and for zero gain.
In the US the point of tarrifs is to tax the poor to pay for tax breaks for the rich.
Bingo, this is just a way of raising taxes on the poor without "raising taxes".
CPUs are so expensive, I guess I'll buy a good old US made abacus instead!
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Fuck, I'm going to have to go back to doing math in my head again, aren't I?
Get an abacus before tariffs catch up with them too
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Release the Epstein files
I agree, but I think we should amend this phrase.
Release the UNREDACTED Epstein files
I want it in audiobook format. Read by Will Wheaton.
Excuse me? LeVar Burton is still alive.
Do it, idiot.
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