So who can explain how this is likely not “a very big deal” and how Moon pwn’d Trump?
Define “major.”
I think Trump means that it bears his signature. That is enough to be major to him. It is probably not worth the paper it is written on, but that is a different matter, for people concerned about things like substance.
Likely just a “major” rearranging of the trade furniture.
It’s more likely Moon merely convinced McMario-Kart that he’s a handsome physical specimen and Toadglans happily signed a licensing agreement to market Trump Chi — barely salvageable, unsalable kimchi — as a dietary supplement on https://www.donaldjtrump.com/.
So the asshole spelled his name correctly and this is a “major deal”? Isn’t this the same moron from whose desk a trade agreement was swiped with the same South Korea?
Trump can’t rush. We can’t get this done. We have to live with an unending status quo.
We need real change. America needs people to vote to change the worst of old politics.
It’s looking likely that N Korea and S Korea will come to some sort of resolution. But this has almost nothing to do with Trump, other than the fact that he almost derailed the process by not keeping S Korea in the loop. The current S Korean President was pretty much elected on a platform of normalizing relations with N Korea (and the tremendous corruption of the previous regime). What he’s realized though, is if you give Trump enough empty platitudes, he will be satisfied enough that he wont come in the way of the real negotiations the 2 Koreas are conducting.
This is likely all it is. Extending existing agreements, with some tweaks, and Trump’s signature.
Dotard is everywhere. If anyone can get people to the polls, he can…
’Baby Trump’ balloon to float through Chicago for March to the Polls rally
Nice steno job, AP
There is a good explainer at vox.com.
Some highlights:
–It’s a tweak and extension of the 2011 KORUS agreement
–The bulk of the US trade deficit with Korea is automobiles, but this new agreement will have almost not effect on that
–A 25% tariff on pickup trucks that was set to expire in 2021 will be extended 20 years, but this tariff has been getting extended in trade agreements with numerous countries for decades and almost certainly would have been extended by any US president
–The cap on auto exports from the US to SK has been doubled, but current exports are well under half the current cap and don’dt appear likely to grow much
–US steelmakers will benefit from SK’s agreement to limit steel exports to 70% of the current level. The capped exports will be exempt from Trumpp’s tariff on steel products. This will hurt automakers and the people who buy their products.
So, the steel cap appears to be the only notable change to KORUS, and it may do as much harm as good. The fact that SK agreed to such a large reduction suggests to me that SK knows that the cap will not be as painful as it appears it would be. I wonder if SK might meet part of the cut by shipping more cars to the US reducing production (and the amount of steel consumed) in the Hyundai and Kia factories in Alabama and GA.