Tariffs, Sanctions, Potato, Potatoe

Conservatives are going Covidian. Their refusal to second-guess Trump’s draconian and blatantly militaristic agenda strikes me as directly parallel to Leftists “trusting the science” during the lockdowns. I don’t even have a political agenda anymore, beyond the truth; I just want neighbors I can communicate with, and that’s harder when everybody chooses what their truth is, than when they’re illegal immigrants no se habla Ingles.

Mr. Charlton does a better job of describing my thoughts:

Attitude to politicians (and other leaders) is All about assumed intentions and motivations - unaffected by actions and facts

h ttps://charltonteaching.blogspot.com/2025/01/attitude-to-politicians-and-other.html

27 January 2025

People have assumptions concerning the intentions and motivations of politicians; and it is in the light of these assumptions that people evaluate what the politicians do, what actions they take, the facts of their policies.

The shaping effect of assumptions is so great - so absolute - that it matters very little what actually happens. There is always a way of interpreting events so as to conform-with, and confirm, what has previously been decided about the politician.

Well said, and exactly what I had in mind when I read the following article… which if one knows anything about the drama queens that the democratic process selects for, is simply un-credible as presented.

Colombian leader quickly caves after Trump threats, offers presidential plane for deportation flights

h ttps://www.yahoo.com/news/colombian-leader-quickly-caves-trump-203810899.html

By Andrea Margolis, Bill Melugin, Lorraine Taylor, Landon Mion, 26 January 2025

This weekend, American officials sent two flights of Colombian illegal aliens as part of Trump's ongoing deportation program. Petro rejected the flights, writing that the U.S. cannot "treat Colombian migrants as criminals."

"I deny the entry of American planes carrying Colombian migrants into our territory," Petro said. "The United States must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them."

In response, Trump threatened to unleash a slew of punishments, including ordering a 25% tariff on all goods coming into the U.S. from Colombia.

Trump threatened that the tariffs would rise to 50% after one week, Trump said. The president also ordered a travel ban and visa revocations for all Colombian government officials, plus "allies and supporters."

A mostly hollow threat. Tariffs cannot be imposed instantaneously and day-by-day, not when USA hasn’t been assessing tariffs since, I dunno, the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act of 1930? Not counting sanctions? Also, it’s Congress that sets policy, not the President. (Usual caveats regarding Congress’ lust to absolve itself of its responsibilities.) It might become a real threat, but not overnight.

I love the idea of tariffs and Smoot-Hawley. Protectionism is anti-globalism. However, I don’t love the idea of Trump doing Biden-style sanctions but calling them “tariffs” so his fans don’t notice him wielding the Same Old Stick.

Or worse, so his fans can choose to not notice.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio partially fulfilled Trump's order on Sunday, publishing a statement about the agency imposing visa restrictions in order "to enforce and prioritize an America First agenda."

"Following President Petro’s refusal to accept two repatriation flights he previously authorized, Secretary Rubio immediately ordered a suspension of visa issuance at the U.S. Embassy Bogota consular section," the State Department said. "Secretary Rubio is now authorizing travel sanctions on individuals and their families, who were responsible for the interference of U.S. repatriation flight operations."

Rubio was in the office on a Sunday, yet with time to implement a major and unexpected policy decision?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection acted with similar swiftness to implement Trump's orders.

The agency said it was taking "decisive measures" including enhanced inspections of flights, private aircraft, and cargo to and from Colombia, denying boarding to flagged visa holders and enforcing the travel ban on Colombian officials with DOS coordination.

The Fedgov bureaucracy is massive and unresponsive at the best of times. How is it suddenly pivoting on a dime?

“Because God-Emperor Trumpus Maximus the First has taken his throne”, no.

This must have been a preplanned operation, timed for Sunday because Trump’s enemies in D.C. weren’t working that day. Which is fine, so far as it goes. Team Trump knew that there would be pushback against his planned deportations of undocumented migrants. A phrase that I use literally, seeing as Trump remains perfectly happy with floods of documented migrants. Particularly from India.

So, Trump got the banhammer ready, sent a flight of Colombian illegals back home in order to provoke the reaction, provoked the reaction and dropped said banhammer. Mission accomplished?

On Sunday afternoon, Petro issued a similar threat to Trump, saying that he ordered his foreign trade minister "to raise tariffs on imports from the U.S. by 25%."

"The ministry should help direct our exports to the whole world other than the US," the translated post read. "Our exports should be expanded."

Later, Petro published a lengthy rant where he raised the tariffs to 50%.

"I am informed that you impose a 50% tariff on the fruits of our human labor to enter the United States, and I do the same," the translated X post said.

Petro was working on Sunday afternoon, too? Maybe he was just watching his Twitter feed like all attention whores do, or maybe he was on alert for Greeks bearing military aircraft. He decided to fight back, probably also a premade decision, so we’re off to the bargaining table… wait, what’s this?

Earlier in the day Sunday, Gustavo appeared to fold almost immediately after Trump threatened to punish the country for refusing deportation flights. Gustavo offered his presidential plane to repatriate migrants coming back from the U.S.

In a statement translated from Spanish, the Colombian government said the plane will help facilitate a "dignified return."

"The Government of Colombia, under the direction of President Gustavo Petro, has arranged the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of the compatriots who were going to arrive in the country today in the morning, coming from deportation flights," the translated statement read.

That doesn’t happen. The depthless narcissism of career government officials guarantees it as effectively as any force of nature. Contrition? Penance? Peace offerings (that the guilty pay for)? That is not how modern politics work.

Furthermore, Gustavo had just thrown down. Nobody takes a public stand just to turn yellow-belly five minutes later. “I’ll fight you tit for tat, oops just kidding, here’s my unconditional surrender and the keys to my limo”? That suggests something unmentioned happened near that first comma.

In fact, the way that article was written, that surrender might not even have come from Petro. It wasn’t sourced from his Twit feed. I tried to confirm that with foreign media… maybe South Korea isn’t the only nation to be having a “suddenly” coup…

VIDEO: Colombian President Gustavo Petro takes U-Turn after Trump declares tariff war Know Why

h ttps://www.republicworld.com/videos/global/trump-declares-tariff-war-video

27 January 2025

Hours after denying the touchdown of two American deportation flights in the country, Colombia has now taken a U-turn. Colombian President Gustavo Petro offered his presidential plane to repatriate migrants from the United States which is on an aggressive mission to expulse illegal migrants soon after the regime change at the White House.

Yes but was it Petro, or Petro’s “office”?

Soon after, the American military aircraft with migrants were denied docking at the Colombian airport, the United States President Donald Trump wasted no time in responding. In retaliation, he announced a range of punitive measures, including a 25% tariff on all Colombian goods entering the US, set to increase to 50% in just one week. The response also included travel bans, visa revocations for Colombian officials, and emergency financial sanctions targeting Colombia’s treasury and banking systems.

My skepticism about Trump’s usage of “tariffs” finds validation.

It is noteworthy that Mexico also refused a request last week to let a US military aircraft land with migrants but no similar action was taken against the already terrorised nation that is the United States’ largest trading partner. The exemption of Mexico from such retaliatory is seen as the motivation behind Colombia acting in an un-contemplative way.

Mexico is now under solid Globalist control. Maybe what we are really seeing, is Latin America being coerced into taking sides in the Jewish Civil War. Maybe Petro offered his jet as a signal that he’d rather be on the Zionist side.

For what it’s worth, Venezuela’s President Maduro quickly offered support against GAE sanctions on Sunday.

However, the deprecation of the Mexican peso and the surge in the dollar amid threats, forced President Petro to cave to Donald Trump, eventually offering his presidential plane to facilitate the repatriation of migrants from the United State…

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a late Sunday statement that the “Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”

None of the news articles I scanned say it, but methinks the Presidential Plane was one of President Trump’s terms. Humiliation of defeated enemies is typical for Jews. It’s not enough that they win, no, they must be publicly seen and acknowledged as winners. Notice their desperation to not admit Russia beat Ukraine.

I conclude that the plane-gifting really was Petro’s doing, but it was very unlikely to have been a voluntary offer because Petro’s political career surely died with his public signaling that Colombia’s executive officer is now a vassal of ZOG.

Then I look at dissident media, and they’re bragging about Trump’s power flex. “He handled the entire crisis faster than his golf game!” Yeah, victory comes fast when your threats to starve a million people at a time are credible because you’ve already done it to others. Everybody does what you want when you hold a gun to their head! until they don’t, of course… ask Biden about his “tariffs” against Russia… and there is a God in Heaven who can play that game, too. Enough people have dared God to, that I understand the truth of the proverb “it is better to control your temper, than conquer a city.”

How did America ever end up such a bloodthirsty country as to stand next to the Mongols in the history of warfare?

And why didn’t Trump publicly admit demanding the Presidential Plane? Do Normies think it was a spontaneous offer because Donaldus Rex is just that awesome?

Hat tip to h ttps://www.barnhardtmemes.com/2025/01/24/barnhardt-meme-barrage-24-january-arsh-2025/

Looking into Petro’s background, he’s Jesuit-aligned. Family is multi-generational Italian Catholic, he is known to preach Liberation Theology, and his rule as Colombia’s first openly Marxist president has not been a popular one… although I judge that only from the many violent protests against him, which is not a reliable barometer for Central/South American politics. Historically, the Jesuits were major rivals against the Freemasons, but today, who knows.

I wonder who Petro’s successor will be?

Ex-rebel wins runoff to be Colombia’s 1st leftist president

h ttps://apnews.com/article/politics-gustavo-petro-colombia-caribbean-presidential-elections-2d1828677b5ab1a2eb5d277c02f1b27c

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Former rebel Gustavo Petro narrowly won a runoff election over a political outsider millionaire Sunday, ushering in a new era of politics for Colombia by becoming the country’s first leftist president.

Petro, a senator in his third attempt to win the presidency, got 50.48% of the votes, while real estate magnate Rodolfo Hernández had 47.26%, with almost all ballots counted, according to results released by election authorities.

Petro’s victory underlined a drastic change in presidential politics for a country that has long marginalized the left for its perceived association with the armed conflict. Petro himself was once a rebel with the now-defunct M-19 movement and was granted amnesty after being jailed for his involvement with the group.

Reformed Marxist terrorist versus real estate magnate? That does sound like a Jesuit triumphing over a Freemason.

“From this government that is beginning there will never be political persecution or legal persecution, there will only be respect and dialogue,” he said, adding that he will listen to not only those who have raised arms but also to “that silent majority of peasants, Indigenous people, women, youth.”

The useful idiots of Marxism. We don’t need no stinkin’ fathers!

Colombia also elected its first Black woman to be vice president. Petro’s running mate, Francia Márquez, is a lawyer and environmental leader whose opposition to illegal mining has resulted in threats and a grenade attack in 2019.

Petro was clearly an ally of the Biden Regime, ideologically if not directly… and probably directly, too, because nobody gets elected honestly. How directly, one wonders? Directly enough that Colombia’s national economy became unstable when Creepy Dead Joe left office?

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2024 Appropriations

h ttps://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47721

Updated August 6, 2024

Colombia has been among the top recipients of U.S. assistance worldwide since the FY2000 launch of Plan Colombia, a counternarcotics and security initiative. The focus of U.S. assistance efforts has evolved over time, responding to changes in Colombia’s long-running internal conflict and Colombian government priorities.16 For FY2024, the Administration requested $444.0 million for Colombia to support ongoing counternarcotics efforts, peace accord implementation, Venezuelan migrant integration, and forest conservation. Compared with the FY2023 estimated allocation, the Administration requested a $9.1 million (2.0%) reduction in aid to Colombia.

One of the big national issues in Colombia was a “peace process” to unify the national government with the leftover Marxist/FARC rebel groups. Either the nation was successfully unified under the benign rule of former FARC rebel Petro, or half a billion dollars annually has been propping up their humiliating choice of a puppet. There’s that word again.

I don’t know enough about Colombia’s politics to say more, but GAE Regime media never mentioned that Trump was holding half a billion dollars of their annual foreign aid hostage when they mentioned Trump threatening them with “tariffs”. In fact, he’s delayed all foreign aid for ninety days… apparently, to conquer as many vassal states as possible before BRICS and Globalists get organized.

Trump’s followers probably think he delayed foreign aid to review whether it’s justifiable, or for Ukraine, or merely bribes. They aren’t saying why, they’re just glad he did, thus far at least. News flash: ALL foreign aid is bribes, and just like cocaine, free money is an easier habit to pick up than to drop.

I’m not saying Trump shouldn’t have stopped payment of foreign aid. I’m saying he should have stopped foreign aid forever, then negotiated with Petro with neither bribery nor threats of social collapse. Frankly, I don’t see what Petro could do to stop repatriations. Shoot down planes full of Colombian citizens? Hijack USAF aircraft & crews while they’re landed? Secure his nation’s border against foot traffic?

I wonder who the Zionists picked to be Petro’s successor.

Key Elections in Latin America in 2025, from Bolivia to Argentina

h ttps://colombiaone.com/2025/01/06/elections-latin-america-2025/

By Victor Cohen, 6 January 2025

Although Colombia’s presidential elections are not scheduled until May 2026, the country’s political landscape is already bracing for significant shifts and upheavals. While the right-wing opposition is testing the waters in search of a unity candidate, the ruling left is exploring potential successors to President Gustavo Petro.

Among the many names being considered, several ministers are amongst the potential contenders.

The first round of the 2026 presidential election in Colombia is set for May 31, with legislative elections scheduled for March 8. The Colombian Constitution establishes two key deadlines for individuals seeking to run for office. Candidates for Congress (the Chamber of Deputies and Senate) must resign by March 2025, while candidates for the presidency and vice presidency must step down by May 31, 2025.

As these deadlines approach, the executive branch and the political arena are preparing for a tumultuous start to the year.

Indeed.

Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo hinted a few weeks ago that a cabinet reshuffle might occur early in the year, suggesting that ministers and other senior officials could launch campaigns.

Among the names that for months have been as potential candidates are Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo; Environment Minister Susana Muhamad; Colombia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Roy Barreras; and the interior minister himself.

Murillo and Muhamad, in particular, have been prominent figures in 2024. Both were influential local politicians before joining the government. Murillo has championed the Palestinian cause under President Petro, while Muhamad has become a leading advocate for ecology and feminism, especially during COP16.

Neither. No Globalist-Jew puppets will be allowed to succeed Petro, I bet. The article doesn’t give any names on the Freemasonic side, besides Hernandez, so we’re left guessing, but the timing of Petro’s dramatic humiliation does appear to be significant for the purposes of Colombia’s national politics.

Oh, right, silly me. The Zionists now control the incumbent.

Trump has previously appeared in public with Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and Javier Milei of Argentina, so he’s already indicated that South American politics are going to be a major agenda priority for Team Trump Two. Not to mention threatening Mexico and Panama with open war.

Milei is another good example of programming Americans with useful assumptions. He’s either a brilliant Libertarian economist turned quirky, loveable statesman, if you ask the American media, or a Kabbalah-worshiping Tantric sex therapist if you ask his countrymen. The term “libertarian” is used to front-load one’s perception of him, just as “Make America Great Again” and “they’re after me, you’re just in their way” front-loads the conservative American’s perception of Donald.

We sure do love underdogs. It’s amazing no media mogul has ever taken advantage of that yet. /sarc

The Normie American having already decided that Trump is a nation-avenging Man Of God, Petro’s sudden implosion and self-debasement serve to confirm that presupposition rather than question what Team Trump might have done behind the scenes, to bring about such an out-of-character outcome.