Judge the Actually Existing Trump Economy, Not the Theory

Equity stakes, loophole closures, and protecting domestic industries might make sense in someone else’s hands. Not from a president with no strategy or plan.

by David Dayen August 28, 2025

One of the biggest biases in American life is the idea that Republicans are “good for business.” But if you’re a business with any need to receive commercial parcels from other countries, Republicans are pretty bad for you right now.

Numerous industrialized countries throughout Europe and Asia have suspended business parcel shipments to the U.S. in advance of a Friday change to the so-called de minimis rules. In most countries, only letters and gift parcels under $100 are being let through, though postal services in Italy, Lithuania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Thailand, the Czech Republic, and others have suspended sending all packages to the U.S. regardless of value. E-commerce firms like Etsy and eBay have also suspended shipping of U.S.-bound parcels from some countries. Private shippers like FedEx could be used, though that will be much costlier.

Before this year, any shipment valued under $800 was allowed to enter the country without duties or inspection. This created a surge of packages, primarily from China, getting around normal shipping processes, thus enabling Chinese e-commerce retailers like Shein and Temu to charge shockingly low prices for goods suspected of being made with slave labor and violating copyright. As Shein and Temu grew, textile factories across the U.S. shut down and lawmakers searched for a solution.

SNIP
But the Trump administration isn’t giving Intel a generous grant; that money was already out the door before Trump took office. Trump claimed that Intel’s CEO was a Chinese operative and demanded that he resign, following which, or in mitigation for which, he grabbed the 10 percent stake. The implication is clear: Trump wanted a payoff—protection money, really—or he would hurt the company. That is far different than seeking equity in exchange for federal support.
https://prospect.org/economy/2025-08-28-judge-actually-existing-trump-economy/

Looter in Chief.