The Ultimate Gamer

"I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line."

"They were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid."

"I was watching the bond market. The bond market is very tricky. But if you look at it now, it's beautiful." 

"I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%."

"[I am] going to take a look at [tariff exemptions for some U.S. companies and will decide] on instinct."

"BE COOL! Everything is going to work out."

"I know what the  hell I'm doing. I know what I'm doing. And you know what I'm doing, too. That's why you vote for me."

U.S. President Donald J. Trump 

U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)

 

The game he plays is 'On-again-Off-again'. It's his very own game. And no one else has the privilege of playing it; he designed it for his own pleasure and it's his, and his alone. More eyes swivel to that game's output than have ever been drawn to any other game in a gaming and gamed world. It's his very special project. And it does wonders for his psyche. Anyone can play a game pretending they control anything they want ,to feel a fleeting sense of purpose, enhanced self-esteem and gratification at their manipulative skills.

 

But no one else has the steering wheel of a ship of state sailing in international waters whose wake has the potential to sink other ships. And the man at the helm of that ship really enjoys watching those rollers swamp the puny sailing vessels that stream about him. Just as casually as Donald Trump burdened the world's complex, integrated trade regimen with surprise Tariffs, basking in the shower of appeals he and his administration were besieged with by desperate world leaders hoping that reason might prevail in the prevention of an irreparable global trade collapse, he decided to put them on hold temporarily.

 

Fears of recession assailed not only the nations he targeted with those GDP-strangling tariffs but his very own 'advisers' as well. There were no fewer than 56 nations anticipating the collapse of their economies once higher reciprocal duties took effect. The subsequent market turmoil and recession fears resembled a different kind of pandemic, one nature had nothing to do with -- other than the nature of this man who is now the president of the most powerful nation on Earth.

 

With the temporary reversal, stocks surged, the S&P 500 index rising over eight percent and the Nasdaq 100 soaring. With the reciprocal duties now on hold, countries that were originally offended by the original 10 percent baseline  rate, breathe a sigh of relief, returning to that rate. Corporate interests and the wealth of nations temporarily pacified; the world's billionaires recouping what was lost -- for the time being. China, according to a White House official represented the sole outlier.

 

Boasting that over 75 countries had appealed to his administration for trade barrier negotiations and "have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape or form", represented a winning ploy in his game. The U.S. stock market appears unconvinced that the worst possible scenario might have been averted, however, given that the world's two largest economies have gone on to intensify their tariff war.

 

Tariffs on Chinese goods was increased to 104 percent by Trump, Beijing responding with additional duties on U.S. imports, making its total tariffs on U.S. goods 84 percent. China, Trump posted, has demonstrated a "lack of respect", announcing he planned to increase tariffs on Chinese imports to 125 percent, instantly effective. 

The turnabout in tariffs represents, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a victory for Trump. The president "created maximum negotiating leverage for himself" in talks with other nations. Officials from Vietnam, Japan, India and South Korea would be given the opportunity in coming days to make their case directly. "It took great courage for him to stay the course until this moment. This was his strategy all along", crowed Mr. Bessent triumphantly.

 

Members of the Trump administration, from left: U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)