The real reason Donald Trump is going berserk about steel

Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

It’s been painfully obvious, even during his campaign, that Donald Trump thrives on the following: 1) Being popular. 2) His image. 3) Power. 4) Money. I’m sure that there are more that can be added to this list, but these are the most glaring. When you put all of these together, it is a recipe for disaster.

In January 2016, while at an Iowa rally, Trump bragged, “Now, I’ll tell you, I’m very greedy, I’m good at that – so, you know, I’ve always taken in money … I like money. I’m very greedy. I’m a greedy person. I shouldn’t tell you that, I’m a greedy – I’ve always been greedy. I love money, right? … But, you know what? I want to be greedy for our country. I want to be greedy. I want to be so greedy for our country. I want to take back money.”

In the introduction to his book “The Making of Donald Trump,” author David Cay Johnston says, “Trump’s love of money is one of the traits that I hope the readers will better understand … In doing whatever he wants, without regard to the rules that restrict the behavior of others, he has become a hero to some and a pariah to others.”

On February 22, 2018, billionaire investor and longtime Trump confident Carl Icahn dumped $31.3 million of stock in a company heavily dependent on steel, just days before Trump announced plans to impose steep tariffs on steel imports (link). Is this a coincidence? I doubt it. Just as the “tax reform” bill aids Trump’s billionaire buddies, the new tariffs will benefit Icahn and other business owners who heavily rely on steel and aluminum.

Another example is the punishment of Qatar, a country with a major American air base in the middle East, for not bailing out his son-in-law Jared Kushner with a loan. Kushner is deeply in debt and facing a payment deadline on his 666 Fifth Ave property. Even before Trump was falsely elected, his financial decisions only benefitted himself or his family. Everything from hiring Irish “illegals” to build Trump tower, and then not paying them, to having sweat shops in China to make his ties. Everything is always based around the almighty dollar (his dollar).