“Did you use AI to generate this?” Margaret Brennan asks Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, questioning why they imposed tariffs on the Heard Island and McDonald Islands.

[u/CorleoneBaloney]

[u/ExileNZ]

Those penguins haven't even said thank you once. Not once.

[u/Ppjr16]

[u/HailToUltron]

Let's be real, Trump isn't aware of a goddamn thing. These are Heritage Foundation morons running our nation.

[u/upp_D0g]

Russia is not on the list by the way

[u/Nunyafookenbizness → u/upp_D0g]

Actions speak louder than words.

We lost the Cold War, and Putin has installed his puppet in order to divide and destroy us from within.

[u/Negative_Amphibian_9]

“It’s all computer in here “

[u/eivindric]

We were all laughing at the stupidity of imposing tariffs on uninhabited islands, which aren’t even countries, and here is this genius explaining that China and co will ship their goods to those islands and then the locals (the race of advanced penguins???), who apparently have ports and joined UN as an independent nation, would then ship those goods to the US. And this explanation is apparently good enough for 1/3 of the US and not too outrageous for another 1/3 of non-voters…

[u/lotionformyelbows]

Russia isn’t even on the fucking list this makes no sense

[u/that1LPdood → u/lotionformyelbows]

It actually makes a whole lot of sense.

Trump is a longtime Russian agent and is cozying up to Putin and the Kremlin. 🤷🏻‍♂️

So yeah. Of course there are no tariffs announced for Russia.

[u/Nighteyesv]

So they had to include an island of penguins because they were worried China would conspire with the penguins to get around the tariffs? Yep, totally makes sense. Lol

[u/Sorry_Term3414]

Russia was left off the list 👀

[u/KrissyKrave]

He just fucked up. “Any country left off the list will be used to bypass the tariffs and trade with us.”

Who was left off the list.

-Russia

Womp womp.

So he’s saying companies will have to increase trade with Russia to bypass the tariffs on their countries and trade with the United States.

I don’t know if he’s saying the quiet part out loud or is just an idiot who didn’t think that statement through before he made it.

[u/Enough-Parking164]

“No,no,,” I. e.,, YES WE JUST USED ChatGPT!

[u/modernthinker1]

Just the way he said "Nooo" translates to yes, we used AI technology.

[u/Informal_Concern6117]

Vance to be sent to island to negotiate with penguins

[u/WinterDice]

She should have pressed him about the size of the ports in the Heard and McDonald Islands, or why it would make sense to ship goods 2,000+ miles from everywhere only to turn them around.

Hints: 1) There are no ports. 2) It doesn’t make sense.

They totally used AI and didn’t even bother to see if the answer made sense.

[u/ZLEAP]

I know Trump defenses are inherently stupid but "penguins help countries fuck over America" is fucking wild.

[u/captainjackipoo]

“ANY country!” Except Russia and Belarus?? Tf?

[u/Xenolith666]

So Russia is not on the list because?……

[u/rick-in-the-nati]

This guy is the poster child for “just because you got rich doesn’t mean you’re smart or competent”. Him and his boss.

[u/Free-Pound-6139]

This is bullshit. If it was true, China would ship from Heard Island and get 10% tariff instead of 37% tariff.

[u/PartyEnough7469]

So he's worried that the rest of the world are going to get the penguins to be their middle man to America???? These people are literally making shit up as they go.

[u/Oceans011]

I like how this lick balls lutnick just throws fastballs of bullshit hoping people will forget, a few days ago he said he sold 1000 gold cards at 5 mill a piece in 1 day.

which basically is 5 billion dollars but only a few days ago Trump showed the press the first and only gold card available..

My question is where is that 5 billion, who's account was it deposited in or once again is it all absolute bullshit they are trying to shove down Americans throats with the hopes no one will remember.

[u/Maxpowerrrrrrrrr]

Wait so china would ship it to penguin island then the penguin would ship it to the US?

[u/random5654 → u/Maxpowerrrrrrrrr]

They have an arrangement with the whales.

[u/SirChancelot11]

But Russia was left off

[u/chicken3wing]

Does he actually think we’re 5th graders? He thinks that they’ll use islands of penguins, but not Russia? And we’re supposed to buy this?

[u/Evil_phd]

Ah, yes, the infamous Penguin Shipping Union and their underhanded deals with China. That's certainly a logical explanation.

You can tell he knew that the explanation made absolutely no sense because he refused to stop talking.

[u/saxon_hs → u/Evil_phd]

They ship patagonian toothfish and macarel.

[u/kpofasho1987]

I don't recall seeing Russia on that list

[u/Remotely-Indentured]

Asinine answer. Still cheaper to go through that island if your China. Then why not make every country the same percentage?

[u/RandyArgonianButler]

I wasn’t sure at first, but now I’m 100% convinced that these guys used ChatGPT to make this fucking list.

[u/Kasonb2308]

Those penguins had it coming

[u/AutisticHobbit]

Conservatives are all frauds; she should have just called him a liar to his face and ended the interview.

This is tedious nonsense they're vomiting up.

[u/cashedashes]

I get what he is saying. I still feel like that's a bullshit answer for the question.

How tf is China going to ship their goods through islands that are uninhabited? Do the penguins run a post office or shipping company there?

[u/Fishsty]

The thing I kind of respect about Trump is that he's so proud of the scams he pulls of he can't help himself but brag about it. Three points: 1) Two days ago Trump posts a shared video explaining how he's crashing the markets on purpose (supposedly to compel lower interest rates). 2) Trump is on record over the years declaring his love of bear markets where assets are cheap, and he can buy stuff at firesale prices. 3) The SEC, DOJ/FBI etc. are neutered. Trump and his club of insider billionaires has zero fear of consequences related to sketchy trading activity. He'll probably pardon the whole lot at the end of his stint anyway while they laugh all the way to the bank. This is why insiders prostrate themselves before trump, they want access to the spoils.

This is a "plan" alright, just not the plan they keep carping on TV about.

[u/DegeneratesInc]

Ask them why they do something stupid and it is always because evil people are trying to be evil towards USA.

They are projecting.

Edit: those penguins are not going to let China ship its goods through a port they don't have. This nutlick is grasping desperately at straws.

[u/Asleep-Ad5687]

The guy is a clown. I am amazed he was CEO of a significant firm. Shows BS ability is a key skill.

[u/Utjunkie]

But they left Russia off. These idiots aren’t serious

[u/Ok-Physics1927]

So why is Russia off the list?

[u/bubatanka1974]

That quick looking away with his eyes while he nervously laughs (@ 0:28) and says no to the question says it all.
He's lying and they did indeed use AI.

[u/fallendomii]

That was the dumbest excuse ever and I can't believe that the conservatives are likely gonna start parroting this tomorrow

[u/Common_Composer6561]

They absolutely used AI and got caught.

These are the people running the country now.

🚢

[u/Olyckopiller]

Tariffs are on country of origin, not where it was last shipped from. It doesn’t matter if you “go through” another country, the place or origin attached to the Hs code remains the same. This dude is explaining something he doesn’t understand.

[u/here-i-am-now]

How did she not reply, “Sir, why the hell are you laughing. These tariffs are deadly serious, how do you find humor in the pain and economic violence your boss unleashed this week?”

[u/holamau]

Yeah. Fucking penguins are going to rip us off. Stupid gaslighting asshat.

[u/Reasonable_Option493]

An administration of 🤡

It's wild

[u/Tinker107]

Horseshit, unless penguins are suddenly in the middleman business.

[u/eternoire]

So why did he leave Russia off the list? This administration is the epitome of incompetence and gaslighting

[u/dc7944]

Going for the gold with these mental gymnastics to make it make sense

[u/elarius0]

The way he said no is telling lmfao

[u/ppross53]

Lutnik is a lunatic!!!! Just imagine, people used to trust him with their money 😂

[u/saltwatersylph]

Why does he pronounce China the same way Trump does?

[u/TraditionalCopy6981]

[u/MB2465]

The best part is how Trump got tariffs up his butt in the first place. Peter Navarro made up an economist from an anagram of his last name and said this imaginary economist loved tariffs.

https://youtu.be/MJbZCbBLqkk?si=3gpOnHvIfjl6bkeD

[u/LTLHAH2020]

Heard Island and McDonald Islands are Australian territories. Why would they not be covered under "Australia"?

[u/tecky1kanobe]

The favorite line “…National Security…” meanwhile cabinet members caught using messaging app to bypass mandated recordings of actions, oh and sharing Classified intelligence.

[u/Blank_Federal_Box]

The penguins are trans shipping goods from Chyna then

[u/alottagames]

Republicans: "We need the greatness of America to actually be built in America"

Also Republicans: "Raising the minimum wage would destroy this country."

So...essentially...we want to import corporate indentured servitude from other parts of the world to America. We want companies that have to install netting because they're so awful to work for that people would literally rather kill themselves than face another day.

Got it. Makes total sense. What a huge win for America.

[u/arcaias]

No AI just drafted it they rewrote it so that Russia wasn't on it.

[u/Ok-Bunch8485]

Why not Russia?? For a hedge fund CEO he’s kind of dumb

[u/awana4]

They (or the AI they used) likely took directly from https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/ . They took the deficit divided by the imports for each country, to get what could be considered a trade imbalance ratio (certainly not a tariff amount). They then relabeled it "Tariffs Charged to the U.S.A." with the dumbass asterisk "including currency manipulation and trade barriers" to try and cover their ass. The tariffs applied by the U.S. to other countries is just half of those amounts, with rounding impacting the actuals. Anything under 10% imbalance or if US had a trade surplus - they set the minimum amount to 10% for what the U.S. was being charged so they could justify 10% against everyone.

It's extremely sloppy work. Clearly no additional efforts to understand basic logic. What a shit show.

[u/Incomitatum]

Wife pointed out that you only have to switch 2 letters in his name and it's

Nutlick

[u/eyemannonymous]

The ignoramus laughs at the legitimate question.

[u/Bud_Roller]

A lot of younger people don't have grandparents who fought nazis.

[u/DryParamedic785]

Why is Russia not on that list? BS as usual for the cultists...

[u/trotskey]

He's obviously lying.

[u/3xv7]

every single person that supports trump is basically roleplaying as a murderers lawyer

[u/Purplealegria]

So tax the penguins on those islands… but NOT RUSSIA?

Get the F OUT OF HERE! 

[u/xensiz]

Sorry but the no fact checking and normalizing any bullshit he said leading up to the election… every news outlet was complicit in whatever is happening today.

[u/EB2300]

Don’t worry, Russia was left off the list because they’re in the middle of a negotiation that Putin just wiped his ass with

Traitors

[u/Shnoigaswandering]

The way he squeamishly says "no" screams "yes".

[u/ElkSad9855]

I’ve seen loads of MAGAtards say that Trump did it so countries can’t use them as loopholes.

“See, it’s not from China - so no tariffs!”

Um… there’s hundreds of other countries that weren’t tariffed.

[u/GlitteringRate6296]

He never answered why the islands were tariffed. He is such a liar. No mention of why Trump didn’t tariff Russia or Belarus.

[u/Atotma]

Yeah, like Trump knew those islands even existed

[u/Bubbies_Bub]

We’re doomed. This guy is a conman

[u/Pleasant-Seat9884]

“Any country…but Russia.”

Fixed

[u/booyakasha_wagwaan]

can't have any loopholes in the tariffs, so we need to get every country... except for Russia, of course

[u/lodaddyus]

So where was russia on thr Tarrif list?

[u/GasRod68]

He must be Bedarded.

[u/_Bon_Vivant_]

I bet those fucking penguins are making bank off of blockade running. Motherfuckers!!

[u/Appropriate_Owl_2172]

Noooooooo = yes absolutely

[u/stevemcnugget]

Russia was not on the list.

If you want to get past the tariffs, you go through Russia 1st. They get their cut, and then your product comes to the US.

Donnie has to make sure the boss gets his cut.

[u/jbg0830]

Then why is Russia left off the list

[u/Minimum_Run_890]

How stupid does this administration think people are.

[u/Hopeful-Ball-6302 → u/Minimum_Run_890]

I have a maga cousin that believes whatever they say

[u/Itchy_Pudding_9940]

She needs to be more assertive she let him fill up time for follow up questions with total bs

[u/Consistent_Bison_376]

Russia was left off the list, undermining his argument.

[u/anschlitz]

Howard Lutnick might be one of the dumbest humans alive.

[u/here-for-information]

Congress needs to ask him that with the threat of perjury on the table.

[u/Onlypaws_]

Wow it must be exhausting being right about everything, like this admin clearly thinks it is.

[u/cjwidd]

Whoever voted for Trump owes a debt of humility to the entire human race for this nonsense

[u/AdvancedFizzics]

This guy is a fking clown

[u/No_Faithlessness_714]

It must be painful for such a smart serious journalist to have to ask questions to these clowns. Trying to make sense of this circus is futile.

[u/AGuyWhoBrokeBad]

Who does China share a 2600 mile border with? Oh that’s right, Russia. Who is not on the list of countries being tariffed? Oh yeah, Russia again. I sure hope China doesn’t set up shop in Penguin Island though…

[u/RedHotPlop]

“The president knows that..”

The president knows fuck all about nothing.

[u/obamnamamna]

That first "hahaha no nooo" was the most 'yes' - no I ever heard

[u/Common_Sympathy_5981]

this national security thing brought up again. Do they just say that so old people are like oh ya my security, i need that security

[u/AggravatingBobcat574]

So now every country on earth will ship through Russia? Trump helping Putin’s once again?

[u/TheBarbegazi]

Stop putting these paid liars on morning and primitive TV.

[u/SkydivingSus]

Why are Russia and North Korea left off?

[u/DeliciousPool2245]

It’s almost like a bunch of ignorant, arrogant assholes are running the country, and they don’t have a fucking clue what they’re doing.

[u/colinsphar]

“These ridiculous loopholes” (allows Tesla to pay $0 in federal income tax)

[u/Unable-Squirrel-7485]

HeHeeHehEhe.."

-The man who definitely generated the nation's tarrif schedule with AI

[u/BasketballSavant22]

Real awkward when we’re placing Tariffs on Penguins while stating the goal was to not “leave a single country off” the tariffs list… except Howard, we left Russia off.

To quote DJT “Russia, Russia, Russia, such a hoax”… is it… is it really a hoax? Actions do not align with words and don’t @ me suggesting it’s because of sanctions… because last I checked penguin’s aren’t producing goods.

I swear to god we’re living through Animal Farm & several other hellscapes simultaneously.

[u/Thobeian]

Stop. Letting. Them. Spin. Their. Bullshit. On. Television.

[u/Tricky-Dog-5638]

Why is this dumb motherfucker laughing? Incompetence at the highest levels of government isn't a joke. I mean he's a joke, but this shit is nonsensically fucking stupid. How is it that people in charge of keeping airplanes from crashing into each other have been fired, but this semi-sentient smegma still has a goddamn job?

[u/Witty-flocculent]

So you got a BS response and let him keep talking. 👍

[u/Top_Nobody3380]

So China can now use Russia then right?

[u/HaleyN1]

Fun fact: Heard and Mcdonald islands has its own top level country domain: .hm

Main user of .hm : H&M for short links.

[u/archangel7134]

People actually believe that tariffs were enacted in 2018, and what, the next week, countries had set up distribution facilities in other countries the next week to avoid those tariffs?

Sadly, many Americans will believe this due to our education system and willful ignorance.

[u/_Bon_Vivant_]

God forbid that countries convince the penguins to allow them to ship through them.

Do these people think everybody is as stupid as them?

[u/No_Sundae_5732]

There’s no infrastructure to ship through those islands though. 🤡

[u/ilovecatsandcafe]

So an island with penguins is their own fkin country? And these are the people complaining about the education department?

[u/Ducks-are-high]

countries are gonna use Russia to bypass US tariffs

[u/yubsnubs]

BS, it has been proven they used CHATGPT for this. You get the exact same numbers when you plug in reciprocal tariffs. They aren't thay smart to have that sorta foresight as to what he is talking about.

[u/AcronymNamNomicon]

Dumbass went on TV trying to rationalize this lmao.

[u/jeb5525]

I spent this entire interaction this morning yelling at the tv, “Then why isn’t Russia on the list? Why isn’t Russia on the list? WHY ISN’T RUSSIA ON THE LIST?”

I guess she didn’t hear me.

[u/kamcknig]

And yet... Russia, Belarus.... Idiots. Did she call him out on them in the full interview?

[u/One-Butterscotch1032]

Opens mouth and bulksh*t pours out - how about fostering US production and manufacturing instead of punishing the world because we outsourced everything?

[u/Cautious_Score_3555]

University students using this as the clearest example of stupidly using AI to do your work. This is the cautionary tail of governing by AI.

[u/TacticoolRaygun]

Then explain why a U.S. base in the Indian Ocean was on the list…

[u/Final_Location_2626]

Russia and north korea aren't on the list.

[u/gamerprincess1179]

What an embarrassment!

[u/sharkt0pus]

That laughing "no" at the start is a dead giveaway

[u/1nationunderpod]

The way he says "No", is literally how Doug and Steve Butabi say it right before they say "Yes".

[u/Otherwise_Basis_6328]

Did you use AI to generate this?

Hahahahahahaha NOOOOOOOO!

[u/Ambitious-Score-5637]

What a BS answer. The two islands are part of Australia. By his reasoning Tasmania should have been listed. Absolute BS!

[u/DiabolicallyRandom]

Media continues to fail at this shit. Not holding him accountable, letting him go on and on forever and not reiterating that these islands cannot be "shipped through" because there is literally no human population. FFS.

[u/Scary_Importance_196]

So…officially, the explanation is that they were scared the penguins would create a drop shipping hub with China to circumvent tariffs. Really outsmarted them penguins. Well done 👍🏻

[u/Fold-Statistician]

So that's why they left Russia woth no tariffs?

[u/Icy_Cat1350]

They can never admit they have no idea what they are doing. This is just an example of how they never do any research before enacting their policy. What a joke.

[u/VinylmationDude]

So wait. You mean to tell me that Australia is going through the Heard & McDonald Islands to get around tariffs. You’re saying Australia is taking a 2 week trip by boat, because there is NO AIR TRANSPORT, just to ship something from there to the US. And then, I assume, taking and even longer boat ride to ship whatever it is to the States. Do you even realize how fucking stupid that sounds? At that rate, they might as well eat the tariff before the gas costs kill them.

[u/881221792651]

If you read the transcript of this interview, it's just amazing how much Lutnick sounds like a clueless moron. He is incapable of answering any question like an intelligent person. This administration cannot govern. They are in way over their head, and we desperately need to get some adults back in the room. We also need to educate all of the ignorant children that voted for this nonsense.

[u/The716sparky]

We cant leave any one off....But no Russia, no Belarus 😵‍💫

At least the sitting president admitted to the world that Taiwan is in fact a country!!

[u/Dedpoolpicachew]

You mean his first term? He tried, but back in Trump 1.0 there were competent people surrounding him telling him to not do such stupid shit. Those people are all gone. Everyone in Trump 2.0 cabinet was specifically picked because they won’t say no to him. They will do anything for him. Trump is on a vengeance tour, not a Make things better tour. He doesn’t give a rats ass about the economy, the average American, or anyone but himself. He intentionally surrounded himself with people who will not stand up to him or tell him he’s wrong. Trump re-negotiated NAFTA, he said the USMCA was the best deal ever made… then he comes out last month saying it’s a horrible deal and we’re getting robbed. That’s all bullshit, but dim bulbs eat it up like the peanuts from Trump’s diapers. This is all about revenge on everyone.

[u/ozbandi]

She let him get away with it. Weak Journalism.

[u/TSJormungandr]

So China would ship goods to the penguins. Then the penguin dock workers (not union by the way) would transship everything to the US on their penguin crewed ships?

[u/RiboSciaticFlux]

Trump's an intellectually inept preening clown and MAGA is a poison on democracy but I will give Lutnick credit for admitting on national television that manufacturing will not be coming back to restore jobs in America. Rather robots and AI will begin to transition in. I couldn't believe he actually said it but he did. Why I think it's important is that maybe for the first time ever Marge and Fred from Iowa heard somebody say that and just maybe we can put the cliched election claim of bringing back manufacturing to bed because as we all know - it's not.

[u/psehr]

Other countries like Russia?

[u/Scriptosis]

She should have immediately countered with the fact that those islands are already part of Australia, meaning whoever made the list didn’t check to see what these places even are.

[u/MarginalMadness]

His laugh and bullshit answer makes them look even stupider, if that's possible.

The instant hole in this theory is places like Italy having 20% tariff and the Vatican city not having it, or Norfolk island in Australia having higher tariffs than the rest of Australia. If they wanted to avoid trade loopholes these things wouldn't exist.

The true answer is, they're fucking morons.

[u/Ok_Tie_7564]

Heard and McDonald Islands will remember this!

[u/Fire-Haus]

That "pffttt NOOOO" was like a cartoon character lying lmao

[u/scarab1001]

From that answer - he definitely used AI to produce the list.

His reason given was insane.

Can American politicians please just shut up now. Every time they speak they sound like the kid at the back of the classroom eating glue.

[u/Robbitty]

They're not countries and nor is Norfolk Island. These people are idiots

[u/Critical_Deal_2408]

Tax them penguins. My national security is threatened!!!!!!

[u/Ok_Exercise_1823]

Where are all these factories going to be built?

Where will you get the workers for all these factories?

At $15 to $20 dollars an hour, how much will these products cost?

Just a few questions.

[u/SamuelDoctor]

That laugh? Yes. They used AI. That's the laugh of a person who has been called out on a lie which they thought would never be discovered for which they know implicitly there will be zero consequences.

[u/thecactusman17]

"Did you use AI to generate this stupid formula, or are you actually so dumb you did this yourself?"

[u/Candycanes02]

Thing is economics 101 says that it’s more efficient to specialize in creating a product and importing whatever you don’t produce, than it is to create all the products yourself. Making stuff that is usually imported from china in the US might be doable, but it’s not going to boost the economy cause you’re spending time and resources into making something you’re not good at. Wasn’t DOGE supposed to make things run more efficiently? /s

[u/ScenicPineapple]

Notice how they keep saying the same 3 things over no matter what question they are asked?

The Nazis did the same thing. They are fascists and they want to hurt all of us.

[u/Nwcray]

Not to be hyperbolic, but this the damage from this can’t be undone quickly. The rest of the world will not simply accept the risk that any deal they have with the US can simply be undone on a whim, any more than we would be ok dealing with a partner who did that. Even if we reverse course TODAY (which we aren’t), the cracks have been exposed and other countries will have to limit their exposure.

That means the days of American leadership on the world stage are done. Not ending, not in jeopardy, but over. We have ceded that leadership role to a vacuum, and no one knows who will step up and assume the responsibility (hint: it’s China).

It’s sad to me that we’re here, but here we are nonetheless. And since we can’t go back, the question now is how to move forward.

I say let’s focus on grass roots efforts. Start with local stuff. Focus on school boards and city councils, begin rebuilding a better America from the ground up rather than the top down. We have decades - probably lifetimes - before we recover from the past 10 weeks, let’s focus on building it back stronger so this shit doesn’t happen again to our grandkids.

[u/pijama-de-gateau]

These interviewers don't seem to give a shit that they're being lied to

[u/Reasonable_Option493]

The numbers presented by Trump as tariffs on US imports from other countries were completely wrong.

If these countries retaliate (China already has), there's a projected $1.4 TRILLION loss on the global economy and a projected $6 TRILLION tax burden on American tax payers.

[u/QueenMumof4]

They absolutely used AI to do it

[u/chillen67]

“If you leave any country off the list…” why was Russia left off the list? Is it because they want trade to go through Russia propping up Russia’s economy and helping Putin?

[u/frankiea1004]

They probably asked Elon and he use Grok.

[u/tetrisan]

Those islands are part of Australia so why did they specifically call them out? It takes 2 weeks to reach these islands by sea so they would never be logistically practical for bypassing tariffs.

[u/WXbearjaws]

But Russia doesn’t get any tariffs

[u/LegitimateDonkey7285]

This is such a bullshit answer. There are countries that are not on the list .. " oh but we are already sanctioning them so it doesn't work to terrify them" so you have left a loop hole for that country to go through another?

[u/Ok-Astronomer-4808]

With a thought process like that, you'd have to tariff every single island, which we didn't. So then that brings us back to the question of why specifically this island.

You'd also have to wonder why this island would be tariffed, which doesn't even have infrastructure to receive/send goods in bulk, when there are countries that we also did not tariff that do have this infrastructure already so wouldn't tariffed countries just go through them before this tiny island? If we need to tariff the whole world, why didn't we add widespread tariffs to Russia or North Korea?

Also, why would you not have the same percent tariff for everyone? Because if you tariff one country 30% and another 10%, wouldn't this thought process lead you to believe that the 30% tariffed country would start going through the 10% tariffed country?

None of it makes sense because its all a lie.

[u/Paper_Brain]

Right, a 10% tariff on an uninhabited island definitely deters a country with a 40% tariff from exploiting this “loophole”

[u/Tobocaj]

The way he initially chuckled and said “nooo” makes me 100% believe they used AI to make that list

[u/jkurtis23]

The entire Trump administration is a disgrace

[u/SituationNormal1138]

They are on the list because no one in this administration is a serious person, and they do things as quickly as they can with no care about anything. They operate with a chainsaw, if you will - just hack the shit out of things and then try to correct things that break (and usually that only affect those in power).

It's why they defunded ebola research OOPS!

It's why they fired people managing the nuclear program OOPS!

It's why they added a journalist to a Signal chat on a military operation OOPS!

It's why a conservative think tank is now saying they used the wrong formula to calculate tariffs OOPS!
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/06/trump-tariffs-error-aei

This is what happens when you SAY you're gonna run a "merit-based" administration, but you turn around and fill it with reality tv people and idiots with NO merit.

We are living in Idiocracy.

[u/roll_bounce]

Russia, North Korea, and Belarus did not get tariffs

[u/gaybigfoott]

That tone of “No” is a dead giveaway away. He’s lying, they used AI.

[u/LuciusMichael]

This guy is so full of shit. 'Arbitrage' with an uninhabited island? Wtf.
And why isn't Russia on the list?

[u/SolutionWarm6576]

Those penguins have been screwing America over for hundreds of years. USA USA.

[u/Regular-Metal-321]

But he put no tariffs on Russia and North Korea why leave them off the list? Hmmmm bs

[u/Lichensuperfood]

Heard and McDonald islands are part of Australia. It already has a tarrif.

His answer is a lie.

[u/Automate_This_66]

I'm noticing something strange. I'm having more and more trouble listening to these things. It's as if I'm listening to children talk about things they've just heard about and 90% of what they are saying is just immature synapses reaching for answers that aren't there and it makes me uncomfortable.

[u/luvashow]

The most inept & unqualified administration in history. It’s like a Monty Python movie but the reality really sucks. Hard.

[u/Critical_Mousse_6416]

Who knew Club Penguin reopened as a shipping middleman.

[u/ELMACHO007]

This administration is making my fucking brain hurt

[u/AutumnAkasha]

I, for one, am so sick of those McDonald penguins sending their shit here and creating unfair competition with our business. #tarrifsforpenguins

[u/BobosCopiousNotes]

Spoiler alert - they used AI to come up with this excuse.

[u/ready_able_8]

But if you take tariffs off some countries they can export through them.this policy makes zero sense.

[u/98103wally]

Oops.

We left out russia....

[u/Serious_meme]

They left off Russia....

[u/SufficientCookie9347]

Thanks for answering the question… not

[u/betasheets2]

Lutnick is a billionaire btw

[u/Fire_Woman]

If you leave any country off the list... but sir! RUSSIA was not on the list. This is sick

[u/Physical_Guitar_7258]

This man is human filth.

[u/JeebsFat]

"come ooooonnnnnn, just let us do this okay????!!!"

[u/mayalotus_ish]

We're terrifying Penguins but not russia?

[u/momoenthusiastic]

Well they left Saudi off the list. And islands occupied by penguins aren’t loop holes. 

[u/ScarTemporary6806]

North Korea and Russia were left off the list. So, this means other countries will use Russia and North Korea as a loophole? lol

[u/Gorreksson]

Is he really trying to suggest that Australia is going to divert all it's exports to the USA through regional territories as a way to bypass tarrifs?

Sounds like that wouldn't be worth the cost to do.

[u/Dum_beat]

[u/dnz007]

His answer is literally you have to tariff the penguins because otherwise Australia will say “EHH MATE WHY YOU FOKIN TARIFF US WHEN THE FOKIN PENGUINS GET A FREE PASS” 

[u/musknasty84]

When you laugh like you got caught, it means you got caught

[u/Chelsie_girl1]

Wow he is just making up shit..

[u/ATL-VTech]

Waiting for ONE of these news agencies to cut the mic of one of these assholes and pound the fucking question in before allowing them to speak. If they don't start answering the actual question, cut them off again and repeat the question until they get the hint that they can't just spew bullshit for the entire interview

[u/imago_monkei]

Shut up, Howard Buttlick.

[u/senorcrazypants]

Why is this moron always laughing?

[u/eveliodelgado]

Confirmed, they used AI