Where Are Free-Market Cons After Trump Intel Shakedown?

Sunday, August 24, 2025

Heather Cox Richardson: It is wild to see Republicans cheering on a president who publicly threatened a CEO and stated openly that he shook the man down for a major share in his company. It is even wilder to see Republicans, who since 1980 have held so fervently to the idea of free markets that they have denounced even the most basic regulations as socialism, celebrate the government takeover of a private company.

Posted by retort at 10:36 AM | 49 COMMENTS | permalink

Comments

Socialists should show some love now. But they won't.

#1 | Posted by visitor_ at 2025-08-24 12:09 PM

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, how a I not surprised that none here are lauding Canada caving in on Trump's tariff negotiation.

TRUMP, Master Of The Deal! : )

Socialists should show some love now. But they won't.

#1 | Posted by visitor_ at 2025-08-24 12:09 PM | Reply

and every Repub that voted against something because of Socialism needs to apoligize.

Where are they? Getting in line, to wet their beaks. Der Dotard is creating the model for institutional grifting and shakedowns. Nothing says 'friend' like a threat, and nothing says 'political support' like graft. Just don't ask the MAGA crowd what they heard in church last Sunday...

Socialists should show some love now. But they won't.
#1 | Posted by visitor_

See #2. It's dripping with love.

Same place all those liberals went when their leader showed very clear signs of dementia. They ignore the topic and try to deflect. Easy answer. Next.

HumTrig's leader is a demented------------ who is now obviously decomposing.

"...not surprised that none here are lauding Canada caving in on Trump's tariff negotiation."

It's a shame so many people have to spread hate instead of accepting reality. The reality is that Canada had a huge advantage in trade with the US. Their leaders' job is to ensure Canada continues to have huge advantages. But negotiations tend to even things out, especially when the other side is so much more powerful than you are. Canada didn't cave, they fought as hard as they could to keep whatever advantages they could and are now accepting of the terms because they know they can't get any better. Canada did a great job in the negotiating; they would have come out a lot worse had they either said no or accepted Trump's first terms.

This is how most of the tariff deals went with countries who had the ability to keep some of their trade advantages with the US. They don't just accept the first terms.

I guess since it's only DR lib kids on here you haven't hit an age where negotiations matter. But don't worry, you will. And hopefully you can take some of these lessons with you. Don't accept the first offer when you have ways to negotiate. And don't say no when the only thing you are trying to placate is your ego/pride.

Rwingers sure love their lawless King, don't they?

Even though he has the morals of a hog in heat, and almost as much brains.

The Fascist takeover is proceeding well.

Now Trump can leverage both Congress and the private sector to fund his agenda, however repugnant that is.

Hitler had the Same Arrangements.

The State becomes the center of gravity in the production process.

It's a form of "Socialism " in theory, but in practice it's the consolidation of the entire economic Base in one -------- tiny little hands.

If Trump can get the same Juice Adolf had.

He's not there just yet...

He's getting his Ducks in a row.

To be honest, I don't think Trump is Clever enough on his own to pull it off.

But with high priced help...

Who Knows?

Putin pulled it off in Russia. He's way smarter than Trump.

He's like Hitler lite in a way. He can fund anything with a Decree..

Trump needs lessons. That why he loves Putin.

He want pointers.

Socialists should show some love now. But they won't.

#1 | Posted by visitor_

Anti socialists should show some rage now. But they won't. They only get mad at socialism that helps the working class.

Socialists should show some love now. But they won't.
#1 | Posted by visitor_

What should Free Market Capitalists do?

It's a shame so many people have to spread hate instead of accepting reality. The reality is that Canada had a huge advantage in trade with the US.
#8 | Posted by humtake

Any corporation in a country with government healthcare has an advantage over american companies that have to pay for their employee's healthcare for some insane reason.

Why do republicans want corporations to continue to bear that burden?

Any corporation in a country with government healthcare has an advantage over american companies that have to pay for their employee's healthcare for some insane reason.
Why do republicans want corporations to continue to bear that burden?
#14 | Posted by SpeakSoftly

You know why.
Because then n------ would always have it.

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#2 | Posted by MSgt at 2025-08-24 01:03 PM
...I not surprised that none here are lauding Canada caving in on Trump's tariff negotiation. ...
TRUMP, Master Of The Deal! : )

So your answer to "Where Are Free-Market Cons After Trump Intel Shakedown?" is an obvious deflection and change of subject?

First, these were "retaliatory/reciprocal tariffs" on goods that already comply with NAFTA/CMUSA trade agreements, and the big tariffs on cars stay for now.

Second, and more important, Canada (and any other country) doesn't need to punish their citizens and businesses for wanting or needing/having to buy some things from the US. They made the point already. Boycotts of US goods and services have started, and the US small businesses felt it first and politicos heard it "loud and clear":

www.cnbc.com - Republican senators join Dems on bill to exempt small businesses from Trump's Canada tariffs - 2025-07-23

Vacay travel to the US from Canada is already down substantially, sales of US booze and many other US products are already down 67% because of boycotts and some provinces bans... you don't need tariffs (to make stuff more expensive to buy) when people are already pissed off enough at you not to buy your stuff at all...

"Manufacture" this!

www.jalopnik.com - The F-35 Is Losing The (Trade) War - 2025-08-22
|------- ... Not since World War II have so many American planes been taken out of the air. -------|

For example, India AF just ordered 97 of their own Tejas, with GE engines and Israeli AESA MMR radars. Of course, LCAs are not in the leagues of F-35 or French Rafale planes they also fly, but at 4x cheaper in cost and maintenance, "quantity has a quality of its own." Countries don't like to be coerced or held hostage to unpredictable whims and caprices of potential "kill switches" or threats of non-support... which until recently (BT / Before Trump) they didn't have to worry about:

www.cbsnews.com - Gabbard barred sharing intelligence on Russia-Ukraine negotiations with "Five Eyes" partners - CBS, 2025-08-22

But Trump "likes to win" especially if he has to cheat:

www.thedailybeast.com - Roger Clemens Outs Winner-in-Chief Trump as Golf Loser - 2025-08-25
|------- Trump told reporters that day "It's good to win. You heard I won, right? Did you hear I won? Just to back it up from there, I won. I like to win." ...
Trump... finished dead last... -------|

When will MAGA drones start understanding that Trump's "ego wins" are losses for everyone else, including them?

Just like his "wins" destroyed capital and bankrupted businesses he started (which is why so many of his former "partners" want nothing to do with him and his "businesses") he is now doing the same to the entire country - .

The more Trump keeps "winning" the more people and the economy of the US will be "The Biggest Losers" and, unlike unwinding Trump's "deals," rebuilding trust and relationships takes a long time.

"Art of the Con" is strong with this MAGA cult, eh?
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Mahmdami wanting NYC to operate grocery stores for the benefit of residents of NYC is evil socialism.

Dotard extorting 10% ownership of Intel by the US Government somehow is not evil socialism.

Got it.

The GQP stands for nothing buy hypocrisy.

What it is in actuality is low-key communism where the collective owns the means of production.

Again, nothing but hypocrisy on the right side of the aisle every single day.

I'm old enough to remember the collective freak out on Faux Nooz when the Army had drills in Texas because in their words it was an illegal invasion of Texas by Obama, but now they are doing all sorts of pretzel logic to love on him actually invading US cities with the National Guard and active military.

When will MAGA drones start understanding that Trump's "ego wins" are losses for everyone else, including them?

They're in a cult.

They will never admit it.

"Not since World War II have so many American planes been taken out of the air."

LMFAO

Congratulations, Republicans.
You Built That!

Socialists should show some love now. But they won't.

#1 | Posted by visitor_

Except this isn't socialism you ignorant pile of s(*&.

Gee JPW it seems you are in the minority on whether the Government taking over a portion of Intel is a form of socialism. That makes you an ignoramus among the ignorami. Keep on tr(s)ucking.

Gee visitor, it doesn't matter whether I'm a minority or not you stupid f*&^.

Fascism is government capture of the economy under the guise of private ownership. That's precisely what we're seeing here.

But this is Government ownership of a portion of Intel. I've become very disappointed in the intellectual abilities demonstrated by many of the Drudge lefties lately. Sad. TDS hurts your brain. Please do better.

That's not socialism, dumbf(*&.

Just f(*& off and find some windows to lick, idiot.

#23 | Posted by visitor_

I think it's Socialism and a great idea.

The government should own a part of these vital industries that are key for national security and keeping America running.

It's GREAT to see Visitor come out as a Socialist! It's never too late!

I bet he gets a Karl Marx tattoo soon!

JPW, was it socialism or fascism when Obama took over GM?

What should Free Market Capitalists do?

#13 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-08-25 07:33 PM | Reply | Flag:

Vote Libertarian.

Socialism and Fascism is where the horseshoe of economic control of private industry meets. State control, central planning, party compliant unions, autarky & national self-sufficiency, subordination of the economy to ideology, and a market subordinated to state objectives.

With the irony being Libertarians warned of the dangers of Big Gov and the endangerment of personal rights that comes from it. Repeatedly, for years.

Now we're here. Hope nobody lied on their mortgage apps.

#28 | Posted by sitzkrieg

But like a horseshoe, they're close but not the same. It's not a circle.

The government should own a part of these vital industries that are key for national security and keeping America running
- psychopant

The problem is innovation will die. It will become a large money suck from the government, "too big to fail" program.

Sitz is onto something.

But like a horseshoe, they're close but not the same. It's not a circle.

#30 | Posted by jpw at 2025-08-26 03:39 PM | Reply | Flag:

Socialists traditionally have a far more massive starvation problem inflected by ideology.

People here in the US that call themselves socialists are just capitalists that want government run healthcare. Real socialists advocating communism, you have to go out of your way to find those.

"With the irony being Libertarians warned of the dangers of Big Gov"

Is the irony that Libertarians tend to vote Republican?

Trump is working towards all of those things.
Just pointing that out.

"Socialists traditionally have a far more massive starvation problem inflected by ideology."

Have they?

Capitalists are no stranger to starvation as a means of ethnic cleansing or increased ROI.

Exhibit A: Manifest Destiny
Exhibit B: Black 47
Exhibit C: Timeline of major famines in India during British rule en.m.wikipedia.org

... It is wild to see Republicans cheering on a president who publicly threatened a CEO and stated openly that he shook the man down for a major share in his company. ...

How much did the US pay for a 10% holding on Intel shares?

From the cited article ...

... "It is my Great Honor to report that the United States of America now fully owns and controls 10% of INTEL, a Great American Company that has an even more incredible future," President Donald Trump wrote yesterday afternoon on social media. He took the stake in the company after calling on August 7 for its chief executive officer, Lip-Bu Tan, to step down. When Tan met with Trump on August 11, the president says, he told Tan the U.S. "should be given 10% of Intel." Tan agreed. Announcing the deal, Trump referred to Tan as "the Highly Respected Chief Executive Officer of the Company." ...

So, it looks, basically, like Pres Trump extorted CEO Lip-Bu Tan, forcing the CEO to give the US 10% of Intel at no charge?

This is good... why?

And now, ...

Lutnick says administration considering taking stakes in defense companies
www.politico.com

Taking stakes, or extorting stakes?

A huge difference.

Have they?

#35 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-08-26 06:04 PM | Reply | Flag:

Yes.

@#37 ... Yes. ...

So, why then might Pres Trump be moving away from Capitalism and towards government control of companies?

Because his voters feel like they've been cheated by globalism.

If that sounds familiar, it is also part of Bernie's platform.

If that sounds familiar, it is also part of Bernie's platform.
#40 | POSTED BY SITZKRIEG

It was until the 2014 election then he threw his weight behind mass illegal immigration.

He used to be against it, but lost him Lumpers.
youtu.be

He had a Republican view of gun control... but when fighting Hillary he made a few flip-flops.
www.politico.com

IOW I liked his platform, but now its total destruction platform of the US.

Most Americans have been cheated by Globalism, especially those under 40, who were born into it.

But that's not why Trump is moving away from Capitalism, because Donald Trump isn't moving away from Capitalisn.

He's moving closer to Capitalism, by having the United States directly own stakes in major companies.

The United States will be a BlackRock or a Vanguard, is the idea. I'm assuming you know what those companies do.

Plus, United States companies, and if he make it happen the Treasury, will be the primary holder of Bitcoin and Ethereum.

So yeah that's not Socialism. Socialism would be owning the Bitcoin miners.

@#44 ... The United States will be a BlackRock or a Vanguard, is the idea. ...

Do Blackrock or Vanguard seem to extort the companies for free shares they want to own?

Or do Blackrock and Vanguard pay money for those shares?

Is this Intel (et al) "investment" just another way Pres Trump is trying to reduce the huge Trump deficit?

Trump is a thug. But that's unrelated to the nature of the business.
He thinks he's a genius businessman, he's not going to turn Socialist.
Though as his mind collapses anything could happen.

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#45 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-08-26 09:22 PM
Is this Intel (et al) "investment" just another way Pres Trump is trying to reduce the huge Trump deficit?

Besides other things...

He is trying to establish "US Sovereign Wealth Fund" which could be (with an accounting sleight of hand) counted as a credit against US deficits (and, with an accounting sleight of hand, against debt), in particular by initially transferring into it all the Bitcoins (and other digital/crypto "coins") that have been seized by fed agencies from various busted cyber-fraud activities.

Of course, it also "strangely" coincides and helps with "fast and furious" growth of his own crypto activities, in particular essentially converting most of his "brands" and "investments" into so-called "Bitcoin/crypto treasury companies" (see MSTR / "Strategy) which is a bet - often "leveraged" - on growing valuation of crypto "coins".
fortune.com - Michael Saylor's company rebrands to 'Strategy' and calls itself a 'Bitcoin treasury company' - 2025-02-05

www.wsj.com - The Trump Family Cashes In on 'the Infinite Money Glitch' - 2025-08-24

finance.yahoo.com - Trump's Media Company Launches New Business to Buy Billions in Niche Crypto Coin | Trump Media, Crypto.com announce partnership. spin out exchange token SPAC - 2025-08-25

www.nytimes.com - Trump Crypto Firm (WLFI) Announces $1.5 Billion Digital Coin Deal | Trump Media Files Amended Registration Statement for Bitcoin ETF - NYT, 2025-08-11

fortune.com - Trump family's Bitcoin-mining company raises $220 million - 2025-07-01

etc., etc.

Meanwhile: apnews.com - CFPB ends investigation into buy now, pay later company linked to Don Jr - AP, 2025-08-20

...

BTW, while Kamala Harris was entertaining crowds with celebrities, and keeping herself and her base engaged on the wrong 20% side of most other 80/20 issues (Pareto Principle **), and DR folks spent weeks of utterly ridiculous meltdown on raging debates whether to unsubscribe from WaPo and LAT for leaving them in the dark about who to vote for/against because (oh horrors!) their "billionaires owners" didn't allow editors to officially "endorse" someone, Trump was successfully courting significant voting groups, like union workers, POC and Libertarians, e.g., by promising to pardon Ross Ulbricht and deregulate crypto, if elected.

www.nytimes.com - How Trump Was Persuaded to Pardon an Online Drug Kingpin - NYT, 2025-01-22

www.newyorker.com - Why Trump Freed Ross Ulbricht, the Silk Road's Dread Pirate Roberts - 2025-01-27

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** podcasts.apple.com - "Trump's 80-20 Strategy... Trump's focus is on the 80-20 issues that are widely favored."
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