It's the economy, stupid.

[O Really]

What rational person think that if the cost of production, materials, labor, logistics, whatever, goes up that somehow magically the company will "eat" the increase and not pass it along to their consumers? How stupid/crazy do you have to be to think companies could possibly absorb tariffs (or any other increase) that increased their production costs by 25-50-125% and not raise their customer prices? Hell, they raise gas prices in anticipation of "shortages" that haven't even happened yet. They raise prices just because of low inventory - which will be another effect of tariffs. They raise prices so as to advertise "sale" at a reduced price. They raise prices seasonally. They raise prices in affluent neighborhoods just because people can/will pay it. Even if you're a brain-dead trumper, Trump's favourite "poorly educated" and even if you couldn't spell "tariff" if they give you up to the first "f", how could you possibly think increased production costs won't result in increased prices? You'd have to believe money comes floating through the sky and that Mexico paid for the finished beautiful wall.

[GoCubsGo]

LOL

Who's gonna tell the trumpaloons?

[1 CAT FAN]

What rational person think that if the cost of production, materials, labor, logistics, whatever, goes up that somehow magically the company will "eat" the increase and not pass it along to their consumers? How stupid/crazy do you have to be to think companies could possibly absorb tariffs (or any other increase) that increased their production costs by 25-50-125% and not raise their customer prices? Hell, they raise gas prices in anticipation of "shortages" that haven't even happened yet. They raise prices just because of low inventory - which will be another effect of tariffs. They raise prices so as to advertise "sale" at a reduced price. They raise prices seasonally. They raise prices in affluent neighborhoods just because people can/will pay it. Even if you're a brain-dead trumper, Trump's favourite "poorly educated" and even if you couldn't spell "tariff" if they give you up to the first "f", how could you possibly think increased production costs won't result in increased prices? You'd have to believe money comes floating through the sky and that Mexico paid for the finished beautiful wall.

Didn't get enough "ka-ching" during your fraudulent leech career? Or is that social security check just icing on the cake while living hypocritically behind a gated community?

[Vrede too]

What rational person think that if the cost of production, materials, labor, logistics, whatever, goes up that somehow magically the company will "eat" the increase and not pass it along to their consumers? How stupid/crazy do you have to be to think companies could possibly absorb tariffs (or any other increase) that increased their production costs by 25-50-125% and not raise their customer prices? Hell, they raise gas prices in anticipation of "shortages" that haven't even happened yet. They raise prices just because of low inventory - which will be another effect of tariffs. They raise prices so as to advertise "sale" at a reduced price. They raise prices seasonally. They raise prices in affluent neighborhoods just because people can/will pay it. Even if you're a brain-dead trumper, Trump's favourite "poorly educated" and even if you couldn't spell "tariff" if they give you up to the first "f", how could you possibly think increased production costs won't result in increased prices? You'd have to believe money comes floating through the sky and that Mexico paid for the finished beautiful wall.

If costs go up, including tariffs, the retailer does have the option to reduce profit-taking, which is what PINO suggests. I'm not going to lament the position Walmart is in. No matter, PINO doesn't care about price increases, he just doesn't want Walmart blaming his tariffs for them. This continues his lifelong cowardly pattern of refusing to take responsibility for ANYTHING negative that occurs.

[O Really]

Sure, if production costs go up 2%, retailers might make adjustments of some sort and not change their prices on the items. But an across-the-board increase of 30-50-120% just isn't sustainable. Even Walmart. So they made 4.5 bill on revenue of 165.5 bill, with a 2.7% net profit margin. They're supposed to find a way to explain to their stockholders that they're just voluntarily spending potential profit on some stupid whim of a guy who managed to bankrupt a casino and not get sued for gross fiduciary negligence? That would be the same as if they calculated their income taxes and then said "oh, we're going to give the government another $4bill just because we're nice guys."

[GoCubsGo]

Fantasy scenario.

Walmart is the biggest kid on the retail block and is uniquely capable of standing up to the bully. They actually may hold more cards than trump especially amongst his voters (his "power") which is probably the only thing he cares about besides his personal wealth.

If they were to bully him back he just may get a huge slice of humble pie and a large dose of reality and back off his suicidal economic "policy," which would make for a much healthier long term economic scenario.

I know, I know, ain'tgonnahappen but I can dream. The corporate overlords won't be brave enough to take any chance on their own bottom line without a better than average cance of success.

[Vrede too]

Fantasy scenario.

Walmart is the biggest kid on the retail block and is uniquely capable of standing up to the bully. They actually may hold more cards than trump especially amongst his voters (his "power") which is probably the only thing he cares about besides his personal wealth.

If they were to bully him back he just may get a huge slice of humble pie and a large dose of reality and back off his suicidal economic "policy," which would make for a much healthier long term economic scenario.

I know, I know, ain'tgonnahappen but I can dream. The corporate overlords won't be brave enough to take any chance on their own bottom line without a better than average chance of success.

I'm not sure how aggressive Walmart is being, other than simply saying that the tariffs will cause price increases. As for King Tang's reaction, Idk but he has caved in so many times this term that I've lost count, most recently on the China tariffs.

[O Really]

So nevermind that a mass influx of American manufacturing plant just ain't gonna happen, let's say it did. Who's gonna fill those jobs? Current employment rate is 4.2%, well within what is considered "full employment" and the factories there are can't keep their jobs filled now. Yet every day some fool is saying bring back the factories, get rid of the immigrants and then ... Who will have jobs?

[1 CAT FAN]

Another foolish leftist happily dependent on other countries while hypocritically living in a gated community.

[1 CAT FAN]

I am sooooo tired of reporters/media saying "Trump "did" something" when it should be "Trump "said" or "Trump "wants" or better still just ignore his most ridiculous stable genius babblings. I'm not saying actually ignore the efforts he's making to destroy large parts of the country - I'm saying they should ignore the obvious smoke and mirrors he throws out every day.

I'm just as tired with DonOld or his merry band of trumpaloons saying "we've brought a gazillion dollars of investment and jobs into the United States with new factories and jobs" based upon vague future plans or promises from foreign governments or corporations when there hasn't a shovel of dirt moved or even land bought.

Yeah, that too. And really, what even remotely responsible CEO is going to totally disrupt their corporate integration and supply chain, as well as their entire business model, spending hundreds of millions, based on Trump's word (of today, which may be different from his word of tomorrow)

These companies say they're investing more in U.S. manufacturing as tariffs go into effect

Abbott Laboratories

Illinois-based medical device company Abbott Laboratories said in a statement Wednesday that a $500 million investment in manufacturing, research and development capabilities at plants in Illinois and Texas will "go live" by the end of the year.

Apple

Apple in February said that it's committed to spending more than $500 billion on expanding its U.S. manufacturing capabilities over four years.

The company says it will expand its current facilities, increasing the number of workers employed at plants in Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

Chobani

Chobani, known for its Greek-style yogurt, is expanding manufacturing in New York State. The yogurt company on Tuesday announced plans to spend at least $1.2 billion opening a million-square-foot factory in Rome, New York.

Company executives believe the plant will be the largest dairy factory in the U.S., with the capacity to produce up to one billion pounds of dairy products annually. Chobani said the domestic expansion, which will create 1,000 new jobs, is necessary to meet demand.

Cra-Z-Art

Randolph, New Jersey-based toy company Cra-Z-Art in March said it is growing its U.S. production capacity by 50%, "to combat the cost of tariffs for imported goods from China and other countries."

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is planning to invest more than $55 billion in new U.S. manufacturing facilities over four years. The investment represents a 25% increase compared with the previous four years, the health care company said in March. The brand new Wilson, North Carolina, facility will focus on manufacturing next-generation medication for people with cancer, and immune-mediated and neurological diseases, the company said.

The pharmaceutical company will also expand capacity at existing domestic plants in a move it says "will create high-paying, high-technology jobs."

Honda Motor

Honda Motor this week said it is moving production of its Civic Hybrid Hatchback from Japan to the U.S., in the face of a barrage of tariffs by the Trump administration, including a 25% tariff on vehicles and auto parts imported into the U.S.

Hyundai Motor Company

Hyundai in March announced a $21 billion commitment to investing in domestic manufacturing from 2025 to 2028. "Hyundai Motor Group is deepening its partnership with the United States, reinforcing our shared vision for American industrial leadership. The Group's investment and efforts will further expand our operations in the U.S. and grow our American workforce," Hyundai said in a March statement.

IBM

IBM on April 28 pledged to invest $150 billion in U.S. manufacturing over five years. At least $30 million will go toward research and development to further U.S.-based computer manufacturing, the computing giant said.

"We have been focused on American jobs and manufacturing since our founding 114 years ago, and with this investment and manufacturing commitment we are ensuring that IBM remains the epicenter of the world's most advanced computing and AI capabilities," IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said in a statement.

Merck

Drugmaker Merck is investing $1 billion to build a U.S. plant in Delaware. The move comes amid plans by President Trump to impose tariffs on pharmaceuticals, which would include taxes on imported ingredients used drug manufacturing.

The company said it plans to build a new 470,000-square-foot facility in Wilmington, Delaware, where it will make Keytruda, the company's immunotherapy treatment for different cancers. The plant will be Merck's first U.S. facility dedicated to making Keytruda for U.S. patients, the company said.

"This is part of a significant investment to not only bring the world's best-selling medicine closer to the American patients who rely on it, but to also establish a home for our biologics portfolio of products serving U.S. patients," Merck said in a statement.

This one's for cubby, got to keep you in supply of AI photo shop images.

Nvidia

Last week, American chip maker Nvidia announced that for this first time in the company's history, it will be manufacturing chips and AI supercomputers in the U.S.

Nvidia said in a statement that it has commissioned more than a million square feet of manufacturing space to build its Blackwell chips in Arizona and AI supercomputers in Texas. The company said it expects to produce up to half a trillion dollars' worth of AI infrastructure in the U.S.
"The engines of the world's AI infrastructure are being built in the United States for the first time," Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said in the same statement. "Adding American manufacturing helps us better meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chain and boosts our resiliency."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-manufac ... c-tariffs/

[Vrede too]

So never mind that a mass influx of American manufacturing plant just ain't gonna happen, let's say it did. Who's gonna fill those jobs? Current employment rate is 4.2%, well within what is considered "full employment" and the factories there are can't keep their jobs filled now. Yet every day some fool is saying bring back the factories, get rid of the immigrants and then ... Who will have jobs?

Welfare moms and child labor.

[Vrede too]

... Even Walmart. So they made 4.5 bill on revenue of 165.5 bill, with a 2.7% net profit margin....

Not that I'm taking PINO's side on this issue, but your figures are way off according to this Newsweek article:

... As Trump noted in his Saturday post, Walmart reported billions of dollars in revenue and profit last year. The company said that its revenue last fiscal year totaled $681 billion, while its gross profit was approximately $170 billion....

I just keep in mind that any tariff impacts that Walmart whines about, legitimately or not, will certainly apply to smaller retailers. I'd rather not see Walmart as being a champion for our team.

[O Really]

I think I looked at a quarterly report, not annual. But gross profit still isn't what counts. Net profit margin is what they'd have to eat from. I agree with GCG that Walmart would make an excellent champion for the team of real people.

[Vrede too]

I think I looked at a quarterly report, not annual. But gross profit still isn't what counts. Net profit margin is what they'd have to eat from. I agree with GCG that Walmart would make an excellent champion for the team of real people.

I'm not positive that's what he said.

Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC: Telling a private company what prices it should charge is the "bad type" of socialism.

[Vrede too]

Surprise surprise:

Economic Analysis Shows ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Taking From Poor, Giving To Rich
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Republican bill would shrink resources for low-income households.

[GoCubsGo]

[1 CAT FAN]

I agree with GCG that Walmart would make an excellent champion for the team of real people.

[Whack9]

Trump's bill set to add trillions to deficit

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/21/trump- ... ficit-debt

Why it matters: Trump's "big, beautiful bill" is projected to add trillions to the deficit over the next decade — rattling conservatives who have long warned that the U.S. is barreling toward fiscal catastrophe.

Some Republicans now find themselves trapped between two of the party's most animating principles: Deficit reduction vs. absolute loyalty to Trump.

...

This tax bill's enormity is being underplayed ... [It] will cost more than the 2017 tax cuts, the pandemic CARES Act, Biden's stimulus, and the Inflation Reduction Act combined," Jessica Riedl, a budget specialist at the conservative Manhattan Institute, told Yahoo Finance.

...

The other side: Some Republicans argue that not passing the bill poses a more immediate threat. If Trump's 2017 tax cuts are allowed to expire, taxes would rise for 62% of filers, according to the Tax Foundation.

...

[Whack9]

USA off to the chop shop

[GoCubsGo]

I've noticed.

Will MAGA?

Beef prices reach record highs as cattle industry struggles with costs