Trump threatens Harley-Davidson: If it moves operations overseas, 'they will be taxed like never bef

[ABX]

Of course it is.

Have you ever read "The Administrator" by Philip Dru?

It was one of our former president's favorite books and one he modeled his presidency after. (or at least tried). 

There are a many correlations now.

[Applewood]

We don't have a president anymore.  We have the Godfather.

[INVAR]

Of course it is.

Ah yes, putting government guns to heads of business owners is now called "persuasion" and "Negotiating" by both Leftists and ForeverTrump®s.

Ism's of a kind march to the same mind.

[ABX]

Ah yes, putting government guns to heads of business owners is now called "persuasion" and "Negotiating" by both Leftists and ForeverTrump®s.

Ism's of a kind march to the same mind.

You will sell to only whom we tell you to and pay us protection or we'll break your windows.

[INVAR]

You will sell to only whom we tell you to and pay us protection or we'll break your windows.

And if you still won't do as we say, we will bankrupt you anyway right before we firebomb your company to ashes and possibly you find yourselves sleeping wit da fishes.

[DCPatriot]

I wouldn't take too seriously any statement people make here or any other internet forum. You never know a person's real personality from seeing internet posts. Often many will play the extreme of their role online while they be more tempered and balanced in real life. I'm sure in real life, @DCPatriot would only cut off half your head. 

...with a butter knife.😏

[ABX]

And if you still won't do as we say, we will bankrupt you anyway right before we firebomb your company to ashes and possibly you find yourselves sleeping wit da fishes.

Maybe there can be one day set aside to teach all these businesses a lesson. If they take their business elsewhere or buy foreign products, they get their windows broken. (better than putting them out of business through taxation).  It could be a whole event where all the MAGA crowd joins in. Everyone wear their red hats and break windows of known undesirable businesses who didn't comply. Call it a Day of Broken Glass or something catchy like that.

[INVAR]

Maybe there can be one day set aside to teach all these businesses a lesson. If they take their business elsewhere or buy foreign products, they get their windows broken. (better than putting them out of business through taxation).  It could be a whole event where all the MAGA crowd joins in. Everyone wear their red hats and break windows of known undesirable businesses who didn't comply. Call it a Day of Broken Glass or something catchy like that.

Stop it.

You're giving historical ignoramuses ideas.

[aligncare]

And if you still won't do as we say, we will bankrupt you anyway right before we firebomb your company to ashes and possibly you find yourselves sleeping wit da fishes.

Whoa, Paint. Yer working up a froth.

[DCPatriot]

Whoa, Paint. Yer working up a froth.

Meh...  "ridden hard and put away wet".   ^-^

[thackney]

A Harley-Davidson should never be built in another country-never!

I little late to reality:

The war of words between President Trump and Harley-Davidson over its decision to shift some production to Europe conceals a simple truth: The famed American company has been expanding overseas for years.

Harley-Davison HOG, -0.60%  made its first foray outside the U.S. near the end of the Clinton administration in 1999 when it opened a plant in Brazil. The company later acquired a parts maker in Australia during the Bush years. It opened a plant in India in 2011 when Barack Obama was president. And shortly after Trump took office in 2017, Harley-Davidson said it would build a plant in Thailand.

Europe is the next frontier.

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,322059.msg1683704/topicseen.html#new

[Victoria33]

Pure Fascism.Do what government demands, or get punished by Dear Leader using Alphabets and the IRS to destroy you. Obama/Trump - same difference, different targets.   Like the National Socialist Workers versus the Communists.

@INVAR

Pure Dictator Trump.  Do what he demands, or get punished by Dictator Trump using Alphabets and the IRS to destroy you.  There, INVAR, fixed it for you.

[Victoria33]

I sure do not understand cheering on policies now that would have been ripped apart if Obama had suggested them.

@RoosGirl

It's Trump mass hypnosis - Trump takes people to their worst base instinct and they are stuck there accepting anything he says/does.

[RoosGirl]

@RoosGirl

It's Trump mass hypnosis - Trump takes people to their worst base instinct and they are stuck there accepting anything he says/does.

Meh, I don't really believe that mass hypnosis stuff.  And I don't think Trump is threatening to sick the IRS on Harley; it seems clear to me he's talking about European taxes. Once again the title of the article attempts to lead people down a path.  The objection for me is here is Trump, once again, calling out specific private companies. I don't like it when he does it with Amazon or Red Hen or Harley.

[Victoria33]

He has been using the power of his office to attack businesses left and right. To the point, it has resulted in billion dollar swings in stock value. A single tweet by Trump cost Amazon $6 Billion dollars. https://mashable.com/2017/08/16/donald-trump-amazon-tweet/ This is a bullying tactic that almost equates to a protection racket. It is virtual window breaking- you'll meet our demands or we'll break your windows (or worse). It is the high tech, government sponsored shake-down of private business.
One that the Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces has zero Constitutional authority over. Conservatives should be screaming at any government official doing this, even if that official has a R behind their name. We screamed when Obama used the power of his office to attack private businesses.

@AbaraXas

EXCELLENT POST

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I sure do not understand cheering on policies now that would have been ripped apart if Obama had suggested them.

Where does the 'if' come from?

Do you recall this?  ! No longer available

[INVAR]

Where does the 'if' come from?

Do you recall this?  ! No longer available

Some of us do.  And what we find amazing is that the same people who went berserk over Obama's specific calling out and targeting of coal companies and electric companies for punitive government action are cheerleading when Trump does it to those companies HE dislikes and wants to make public examples of.

It's Not Fascism when WE DO IT!

[ABX]

Meh, I don't really believe that mass hypnosis stuff.  And I don't think Trump is threatening to sick the IRS on Harley; it seems clear to me he's talking about European taxes. Once again the title of the article attempts to lead people down a path.  The objection for me is here is Trump, once again, calling out specific private companies. I don't like it when he does it with Amazon or Red Hen or Harley.

Three problems with this.

1. Europe isn't raising taxes on Harley, they are providing incentives.
2. Trump has been using tariffs to punish other companies.

...and...

3. He said in a tweet shortly below that one that this specifically was going to be a tax he hits them with if they moved- not a reference to EU taxes.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1011574256117993472?s=19

[RoosGirl]

Where does the 'if' come from?

Do you recall this?  ! No longer available

The "if" comes from the specific instances of Trump using the office of POTUS to try to punish Amzon and Red Hen and now targetting  Harley.

[RoosGirl]

Three problems with this.

1. Europe isn't raising taxes on Harley, they are providing incentives.
2. Trump has been using tariffs to punish other companies.

...and...

3. He said in a tweet shortly below that one that this specifically was going to be a tax he hits them with if they moved- not a reference to EU taxes.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1011574256117993472?s=19

No, EU is not raising taxes, but don't they already have a rather robust tax system?

The Tweet from yesterday morning is more clear that he will attempt to increase taxes on imports. The way it is worded does indeed sound like he is targeting Harley more specifically than I initially thought.

[Jazzhead]

The Tweet from yesterday morning is more clear that he will attempt to increase taxes on imports. The way it is worded does indeed sound like he is targeting Harley more specifically than I initially thought.

I think that what Trump means is that the U.S. will impose tariffs on EU vehicle imports to this country.   If Harley Davidson builds bikes in Europe and ships them here, they will be "taxed as never before".

HD is acting rationally, in response to tariffs, to build in Europe what it sells in Europe.   Now there are a lot more German-built cars sold in America than there are U.S.-built Harleys sold in Europe.    What Trump is trying to do with these sorts of tariffs is to get European carmakers to build here more of what they sell here.  Why is that such a bad idea?   

[RoosGirl]

I think that what Trump means is that the U.S. will impose tariffs on EU vehicle imports to this country.   If Harley Davidson builds bikes in Europe and ships them here, they will be "taxed as never before".

HD is acting rationally, in response to tariffs, to build in Europe what it sells in Europe.   Now there are a lot more German-built cars sold in America than there are U.S.-built Harleys sold in Europe.    What Trump is trying to do with these sorts of tariffs is to get European carmakers to build here more of what they sell here.  Why is that such a bad idea?

I'm not going to try to guess what hidden meaning may or may not be in his words. Why would I assume anythi g other than what he wrote?

Harley must know that they won’t be able to sell back into U.S. without paying a big tax!

[Jazzhead]

American automakers, by and large,  build abroad what they sell abroad.   Japanese and Korean automakers have made, IMO, reasonable and substantial efforts to build here what they sell here.   But the E.U. automakers largely have not.   BMW builds a few SUV models here, and Volkswagen has a plant in Chattanooga.   But I don't think a single BMW automobile, or Audi of any kind, is built here, and Volkswagen builds in North America mostly in Mexico. 

If it takes tariffs for E.U. automakers to build here what they sell here, then so be it.  What's good for Harley Davidson is good for Mercedes and Volkswagen.   And there's a lot more jobs at stake building those vehicles here than in Harley building hawgs in Europe, which are largely novelties overseas.   

[IsailedawayfromFR]

The "if" comes from the specific instances of Trump using the office of POTUS to try to punish Amzon and Red Hen and now targetting  Harley.

You said 'If" Obama had suggested them.

I give you a factual conversation where Obama stated uncategorically he would bankrupt a company using coal and actually succeeded in more than one instance.

Yet you try to equate that to some statements made by Trump wherein you say he will 'try' to punish certain companies.

There is a huge difference, yet your Trump hatred hallucinates you from seeing the difference in what actually transpired under Obama to something that may or may not happen under Trump.

[RoosGirl]

You said 'If" Obama had suggested them.

I give you a factual conversation where Obama stated uncategorically he would bankrupt a company using coal and actually succeeded in more than one instance.

Yet you try to equate that to some statements made by Trump wherein you say he will 'try' to punish certain companies.

There is a huge difference, yet your Trump hatred hallucinates you from seeing the difference in what actually transpired under Obama to something that may or may not happen under Trump.

Oh, I guess I have to wait to see if Trump will actually follow through on punishing one of those businesses before I comment on what he says.