Bessent floats extending tariff pause for countries in 'good faith' trade talks

[Prairie Gates]

6. This is so fucking goofy - there was no need for the tariff threats at all

Countries are always in trade negotiations of various kinds all the time. That's why there's a World Trade Organization, and a US Trade Representative, which is a fucking cabinet-level position.

So, basically, they made these insane tariff threats, tanked the markets, and then pulled them back out of fear and because they were being absolutely hounded by the capitalists, and now they're saving face by saying that countries are negotiating with the US on various trade deals, which is and has been the fucking status quo anyway.

"Oh, we're going to hold off on these tariffs because countries are negotiating with us in good faith."

Yeah, no shit, idiot. Countries are constantly negotiating trade deals with each other in good faith. These clowns are acting like they invented trade negotiations with their tariff nonsense. The whole thing at this point relies on the utter ignorance of the American people about how global trade has actually worked, since at least the 1960s.