US Political News and Trump’s China visit
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RabzonKhan
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Once upon a time, Trump lambasted Obama for his use of executive orders, branding them as "power grabs" and a "basic disaster." He even took to Twitter to question why Obama relied so heavily on them, framing it as an overreach of authority. At a campaign rally, Trump doubled down, declaring that the United States wasn’t built on executive orders.
Fast forward to his presidency, and the irony is glaring. During his first term, Trump signed 220 executive orders, averaging 55 per year--outpacing Obama’s average of 35 per year across his two terms, during which he issued a total of 277. Now, in his second term, Trump has already issued 142 executive orders in just the first 100 days. At this breakneck pace, he’s on track to sign 568 executive orders in a single year and a staggering 2,272 over four years. This isn’t governance--it’s chaos. It’s just a one-man show, with Trump wielding executive power like a sledgehammer.
Meanwhile, his supporters, who once decried Obama’s use of executive orders, are now cheering Trump on as he embarks on this signing spree. The hypocrisy is palpable.
And the so-called $5 trillion investment Trump has been touting? So far, it’s nothing more than a pipe dream—not a single dollar has materialized. Who in their right mind would invest in such an unpredictable environment, where today’s promises could be tomorrow’s contradictions?
The claim of 65,000 deportation orders-a figure that raises more questions than answers. It’s worth digging into the details, but even at a glance, it seems dubious.
And let’s not forget the saga of Elon Musk’s supposed cost-saving measures. Initially, Musk claimed he would save $2 trillion, which then dropped to $1 trillion. Now, he’s boasting about saving $160 billion—a far cry from his original promises. Even that figure appears inflated, with the actual savings likely being much lower.
In short, what we’re witnessing is a whirlwind of contradictions, unfulfilled promises, and questionable claims.
RabzonKhan
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Wow, this Benny Johnson guy truly believes that a president holding a rally is the groundbreaking event ushering in the so-called 'Golden Age.' Incredible stuff, really. lol
j_hungary
Professional
Benny Johnson is a paid stooge, he was involved in a paid influence scandal before
These Right-Wing Pundits Were Allegedly Funded By Russia—What To Know About DOJ Indictment
A DOJ indictment accuses the Kremlin of funneling $10 million into a U.S. media company whose description matches one linked to several prominent right-wing online figures including Tim Pool and Benny Johnson.
www.forbes.com
RabzonKhan
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Trump's trade and tariff wars are a major factor behind the recent economic contraction. Predictably, he refuses to take responsibility, blaming Biden instead. Economists and investors widely attribute the downturn to his chaotic tariff policies, which have disrupted global trade, eroded consumer confidence, and created widespread uncertainty.
The impact is clear—not just in public opinion polls but in hard data. The economy has sharply declined in Trump's first quarter, putting the country in a precarious position. If these erratic decisions persist, a recession seems likely. Calling these "policies" is generous; they are more like impulsive, uncoordinated actions with little regard for long-term consequences.
The sledgehammer approach must end. The United States is an economic superpower, not a banana republic. Managing our economy demands respect, collaboration, and expertise—not unilateral decisions. Advisors like the Treasury Secretary, Federal Reserve Chair, and Council of Economic Advisers must guide policy to ensure stability and growth. Anything less undermines our economic strength and global influence.
The U.S. economy contracted in the first three months of 2025 on an import surge at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in office as he wages a potentially costly trade war.
Gross domestic product, a sum of all the goods and services produced from January through March, fell at a 0.3% annualized pace, according to a Commerce Department report Wednesday adjusted for seasonal factors and inflation. This was the first quarter of negative growth since Q1 of 2022.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a gain of 0.4% after GDP rose by 2.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, over the past day or so some Wall Street economists changed their outlook to negative growth, largely because of an unexpected rise in imports as companies and consumers sought to get ahead of the Trump tariffs implemented in early April.
Indeed, imports soared 41.3% for the quarter, driven by a 50.9% increase in goods. Imports subtract from GDP, so the contraction in growth may not be viewed as negatively given the potential for the trend to reverse in subsequent quarters. Imports took more than 5 percentage points off the headline reading. Exports rose 1.8%.
A slowdown in consumer spending and a sharp decline in federal outlays also contributed to the weak GDP number amid Elon Musk’s efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency.
“Maybe some of this negativity is due to a rush to bring in imports before the tariffs go up, but there is simply no way for policy advisors to sugar-coat this. Growth has simply vanished,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds.
Consumer spending slowed during the period but was still positive. Personal consumption expenditures increased 1.8% for the period, the slowest quarterly gain since Q2 of 2023 and down from a 4% gain in the prior quarter. However, a separate report showed that spending was up 0.7% in March, higher than the 0.5% estimate.
Moreover, private domestic investment soared during the period, rising 21.9%, primarily driven by a 22.5% surge in equipment spending that also could have been tariff driven.
Federal government expenditures declined 5.1% for the quarter, shaving about one-third of a percentage point off GDP.
The report comes ahead of the next uncertain steps for Trump’s trade policy.
In early April, the president announced 10% across-the-board tariffs on U.S. trade partners as well as a menu of select “reciprocal” duties against dozens of nations. On April 9, Trump suspended those duties for a 90-day negotiation period that has yet to yield results, though administration officials have indicated that some deals are near.
“No surprise that GDP took a hit in the first quarter, mainly because the balance of trade blew up as companies imported goods like crazy to front-run tariffs. The more telling number for the future of the expansion was consumer spending, and it grew, but at a relatively weak pace,” said Robert Frick, corporate economist with Navy Federal Credit Union. “That’s concerning, but not alarming as it could have been due to bad weather and a spending surge at the end of last year.”
Stock market futures slipped following the report while Treasury yields moved higher.
In a Truth Social post following the report, Trump did not address GDP specifically, instead referring to “Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s.”
“Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers,” Trump wrote. “Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang.’ This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!” Read more
The impact is clear—not just in public opinion polls but in hard data. The economy has sharply declined in Trump's first quarter, putting the country in a precarious position. If these erratic decisions persist, a recession seems likely. Calling these "policies" is generous; they are more like impulsive, uncoordinated actions with little regard for long-term consequences.
The sledgehammer approach must end. The United States is an economic superpower, not a banana republic. Managing our economy demands respect, collaboration, and expertise—not unilateral decisions. Advisors like the Treasury Secretary, Federal Reserve Chair, and Council of Economic Advisers must guide policy to ensure stability and growth. Anything less undermines our economic strength and global influence.
U.S. economy shrank 0.3% in the first quarter as Trump policy uncertainty weighed on businesses
Jeff Cox. Published Wed, Apr 30 20258:30 AM- Gross domestic product fell at a 0.3% annualized pace, largely pushed by a surge in imports ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
- Imports soared 41.3%, driven by a 50.9% increase in goods. Imports subtract from GDP, so the contraction in growth may not be viewed as negatively given the potential for the trend to reverse.
- The report provided cross signals for the Fed. While the negative growth number might push the central bank to consider lowering interest rates, inflation readings could give policymakers pause.
The U.S. economy contracted in the first three months of 2025 on an import surge at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in office as he wages a potentially costly trade war.
Gross domestic product, a sum of all the goods and services produced from January through March, fell at a 0.3% annualized pace, according to a Commerce Department report Wednesday adjusted for seasonal factors and inflation. This was the first quarter of negative growth since Q1 of 2022.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a gain of 0.4% after GDP rose by 2.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, over the past day or so some Wall Street economists changed their outlook to negative growth, largely because of an unexpected rise in imports as companies and consumers sought to get ahead of the Trump tariffs implemented in early April.
Indeed, imports soared 41.3% for the quarter, driven by a 50.9% increase in goods. Imports subtract from GDP, so the contraction in growth may not be viewed as negatively given the potential for the trend to reverse in subsequent quarters. Imports took more than 5 percentage points off the headline reading. Exports rose 1.8%.
A slowdown in consumer spending and a sharp decline in federal outlays also contributed to the weak GDP number amid Elon Musk’s efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency.
“Maybe some of this negativity is due to a rush to bring in imports before the tariffs go up, but there is simply no way for policy advisors to sugar-coat this. Growth has simply vanished,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds.
Consumer spending slowed during the period but was still positive. Personal consumption expenditures increased 1.8% for the period, the slowest quarterly gain since Q2 of 2023 and down from a 4% gain in the prior quarter. However, a separate report showed that spending was up 0.7% in March, higher than the 0.5% estimate.
Moreover, private domestic investment soared during the period, rising 21.9%, primarily driven by a 22.5% surge in equipment spending that also could have been tariff driven.
Federal government expenditures declined 5.1% for the quarter, shaving about one-third of a percentage point off GDP.
The report comes ahead of the next uncertain steps for Trump’s trade policy.
In early April, the president announced 10% across-the-board tariffs on U.S. trade partners as well as a menu of select “reciprocal” duties against dozens of nations. On April 9, Trump suspended those duties for a 90-day negotiation period that has yet to yield results, though administration officials have indicated that some deals are near.
“No surprise that GDP took a hit in the first quarter, mainly because the balance of trade blew up as companies imported goods like crazy to front-run tariffs. The more telling number for the future of the expansion was consumer spending, and it grew, but at a relatively weak pace,” said Robert Frick, corporate economist with Navy Federal Credit Union. “That’s concerning, but not alarming as it could have been due to bad weather and a spending surge at the end of last year.”
Stock market futures slipped following the report while Treasury yields moved higher.
In a Truth Social post following the report, Trump did not address GDP specifically, instead referring to “Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s.”
“Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers,” Trump wrote. “Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang.’ This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!” Read more
