Well, yes, he is. You can't get more stupid than punishing your own economy by imposing insane tarriffs on vital products you are unable to produce yourself.
Undermining the USA. All the signs are that he's working diligently against the USA's interests in everything he does. The question is, is he stupid and being run by people with a stupid agenda, or stupid and being run by people with a smart agenda that serves some other power?
This is crazy. It is going to massively increase the cost of most leading edge computing devices (in the US). Seems like Apple in particular will be hit hard; are Americans going to go shopping in Canada to try and get massive discounts on computing electronics?
I wouldn't be surprised is there is a downstream price effect in other countries as well (some measure of price increases to align with US dynamics).
You'd expect the opposite. More available stock not being bought in the US would mean lower prices elsewhere.
I, not being in the hellhole country in question, broadly embrace this choice. Please, fashy granpa, refuse to buy any chips not made in the USA. I could use an affordable new GPU soon.
“They already have billions of dollars. […] They did not need money. They needed an incentive. And the incentive is going to be they [do not want to] pay a 25%, 50% or even a 100% tax."
What does he think taxes are. An administrative burden to doge?
He still does not understand how tariffs work. By that statement he honestly thinks that he will take a 25% cut of what is paid to TSMC, rather than the fact that the price of TSMC chips will go up 25%, and that extra 25% has to be paid by an American company.
It’s might be even worse then that; if something costs $1000 currently, with a 25% tariff could it not end up costing 33.3% more ($1,333), so that after the 25% tariff, the value returns to $1000?
This so highlights the difference between good policy and bad policy. The previous administration worked towards improving America's access to chips by setting policies that encourage chip manufacturing. This new administration isnt taking steps to make more chips here, but trying to make it harder to get chips from other places.