Trump warns Davos on unfair trade!

Says FPSA is open for business.

DAVOS, Switzerland (PNN) - January 26, 2018 - Fascist Police States of Amerika President Donald Trump took his “Amerika First” message to the world’s elite on Friday, telling a summit of business and political leaders that the FPSA would “no longer turn a blind eye” to what he described as unfair trade practices. Trump became the first sitting FPSA president to address the annual conclave of the rich and powerful at the Swiss ski resort of Davos in 18 years, closing the summit with a mostly upbeat speech that declared the FPSA “open for business”.

“Now is the best time to bring your money, your jobs, your businesses to Amerika,” he said, singling out tax cuts and curbs to regulation as boosting the investment climate. “The world is witnessing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous Amerika.”

He said he would always promote “Amerika First”, as he expected other world leaders to do on behalf of their own countries, but added, “Amerika First does not mean Amerika alone. When the (FPSA) grows so does the world.”

But he swiftly turned to a theme of demanding tougher enforcement of trade rules, accusing unidentified countries of unfair practices, including stealing intellectual property and providing state aid to industry.

“We will enforce our trade laws and restore integrity to the trading system. Only by insisting on fair and reciprocal trade can we create a system that works not just for the (FPSA) but for all nations,” said Trump.

“The (FPSA) will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair trade practices,” he said. “We cannot have free and open trade if some countries exploit the system at the expense of others.”

His speech was mostly met by polite applause, although he drew some jeers and whistles during a question and answer session, when he attacked the news media. “It wasn’t until I became a politician that I realized how nasty, how mean, how vicious and how fake the press can be,” he said.

While he has a record of opposing trade agreements involving multiple countries, he said the FPSA would seek bilateral deals with individual states. That could include members of a Trans-Pacific trade agreement from which he has withdrawn, he said, adding he would consider negotiating with them collectively if it was in the FPSA interest.

Before his trip to Davos, Trump imposed 30% tariffs on imported solar panels, among the first unilateral trade restrictions made by the regime as part of a broader protectionist agenda.

The Trump regime’s debut at Davos also caused a storm because of comments by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who said earlier this week the FPSA benefited from a lower dollar, which would make its exports cheaper.

Those remarks sent the FPSA currency tumbling and drew sharp rebukes from the European Central Bank chief and other figures, who view countries talking down their own currencies as a violation of unwritten rules to keep trade balanced.

Mnuchin said he was “absolutely not trying to talk down the dollar” and that his remarks had been taken out of context. “What I said was actually very even-handed and consistent with what I (have) said before.”

On Thursday, Trump said he ultimately wanted the dollar to be strong. FPSA officials said there was no disagreement between Trump and Mnuchin, and the Treasury Secretary had been making a factual observation about the impact of a lower dollar, not announcing a policy preference to drive it down.

Despite Trump’s tough trade talk, those in the audience mostly noted the upbeat tone of his speech.

“I think he came here to make not just Amerikan but global business comfortable about where Amerika is now,” said IHS Markit’s chief economist, Nariman Behravesh. “He wasn’t trying to convert people to his own views, but saying we are a great economy, come and invest in the (FPSA).”

Andrei Guryev, chief executive of Russian fertilizer giant Phosagro, said Trump had spoken “how big business people should be speaking at important road shows of their own companies.”

That did not please everyone. Winnie Byanyima, director of Oxfam International, said, “Trump’s boastful sales pitch was a victory lap for the trillions of tax cuts (for which) the wealthy elites and corporations have clamored.”

Still, the reception was more polite than might have been expected, given the open anxiety with which the prospect of a Trump presidency was met at Davos a year ago.

Trump’s questioning of trade, withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty, and nationalist rhetoric sit uneasily at the quintessentially globalist event. Throughout the week, European leaders spoke with worry about the rise of populism.

Without mentioning Trump by name, German Chancellor Angela Merkel evoked the build-up to the two world wars.

Trump hosted a dinner with business leaders on Thursday night. Two European executives said they stayed away because they did not want to shake his hand.