Let Trump and Musk ‘fight for a while'
President Trump recently compared the Russo-Ukrainian war to a quarrel between children in a playground. 'Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy,' he said. 'They hate each other, and they're fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They don't want to be pulled, sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while.'
The comparison is obscenely inappropriate, of course — reducing Russia's genocidal aggression to 'fighting like crazy' and Ukrainian resistance to complicity in the fisticuffs. To get a sense of how profoundly disturbing the comparison is, apply it to Hitler's 'fight' with Europe's Jews.
That said, it's obviously pointless to accuse Trump of historical ignorance or moral obtuseness. Both features define his core of advisors — a cynical analyst might even suggest this is part of their job description.
What is less obvious is the fact that the comparison is spot-on with respect to Trump's relations with his newfound frenemy Elon Musk.
The Trump-Musk breakup was predictable. The White House isn't big enough for two self-styled geniuses. The form the breakup assumed was equally predictable, at least in retrospect.
Mudslinging, slurs and insults are part of each man's rhetorical arsenal. Musk, however, made the most damaging accusation, claiming that Trump was 'in the Epstein files,' a reference to the prominent men named in legal documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, the high-society millionaire accused of sex-trafficking underage girls for the rich and famous.
Like Trump and Vice President JD Vance's coordinated Oval Office ambush of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump's spat with Musk made for 'great television.' It also made for dreadful reality. It is deeply worrisome for two of the most powerful men in the world, on whom the fate of billions of people arguably depends, to behave like playground brats.
Children shouldn't be running countries, corporations or departments of government efficiency. But again, this observation is nothing new, having been made thousands of times with no appreciable effect.
Unfortunately, the world cannot follow Trump's advice with respect to Russia and Ukraine: 'Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while.'
Russia's genocidal war is no children's quarrel. It can be stopped only if Trump's and Steve Witkoff's good friend Vladimir Putin is made to stop it. Walking away and 'letting them fight for a while' isn't just morally obscene. It's also politically suicidal for the world, the U.S. and Russia included.
Allowing nations to gain territory through force would open a Pandora's box of instability and war, which, given America's presence in much of the world, will inevitably drag it in. Encouraging Russia to pursue imperialism in its backyard is to involve Putin's realm in fighting for a very long while.
But the world can follow Trump's advice with respect to Trump and Musk. The longer and nastier their relations, the worse for both — and the better for America and the world.
The spat has revealed the many cracks in Trump's seemingly monolithic administration. After Musk demonstrates that opposition is possible, these cracks will only multiply and grow larger, thereby hamstringing the White House and preventing it from pursuing its revolutionary agenda at home and its counterproductive foreign policy abroad.
One could almost sympathize with Trump's movement supporters, were it not for their complicity in Trump's policies. They thought that their omniscient and omnipotent hero was anointed by none other than God. And instead of behaving like an adult missionary, he's behaving like a frustrated toddler.
Alexander J. Motyl is a professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark. A specialist on Ukraine, Russia and the USSR, and on nationalism, revolutions, empires and theory, he is the author of 10 books of nonfiction, as well as 'Imperial Ends: The Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires' and 'Why Empires Reemerge: Imperial Collapse and Imperial Revival in Comparative Perspective.'
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The move could add more uncertainty for American manufacturers, particularly the auto industry, which has been pushing for easier access. The Journal notes that the move gives China leverage down the line if tensions ratchet back up. From the report: In celebrating the agreement early Wednesday, President Trump noted "any necessary rare earths will be supplied, up front, by China." He did not mention any time limit on loosening those restrictions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in testimony before Congress on Wednesday, painted Wednesday's agreement as an incremental step on the longer road to a more comprehensive trade deal. "A trade deal today or last night was for a specific goal, and it will be a much longer process," he told a House committee. When asked if current US tariff levels on Chinese imports would not change again, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC, "You can definitely say that." "We're in a great place with China," Lutnick said Wednesday. While the US-China truce framework is awaiting final word from US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lutnick added, "Both sides are really positive." The agreement is largely viewed as reestablishing the "handshake" that US and Chinese officials reached in Geneva last month, as details on a larger trade pact remain scant. Trump posted on social media this morning that the US has imposed 55% tariffs on China, a number that does not include any new tariffs but instead comprises some preexisting tariffs, Trump's fentanyl tariffs, and 10% "Liberation Day" tariffs. Lutnick touted that, as a result of the two-day talks, the US will gain access to rare earths and magnets, while the Chinese delegation sought to remove the US's export controls. He added that the trade deficit remains an ongoing issue, stating, "We're going to examine how China can do more business with us." May's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed inflation pressures eased on a monthly basis despite investor concerns that President Trump's tariffs would accelerate the pace of price increases. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.1% on a monthly basis in May and 2.4% on an annual basis, a slight uptick from April's 2.3% gain. Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal reports: Read more here. I would keep an eye on consumer names off the news of a trade deal with China floated by President Trump this morning (see our prior post below). Seeing upticks premarket in heavily China-exposed retailers such as Nike (NKE), Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), and Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF). The premarket gains here aren't mind-blowing in part because tariffs appear to still be in place. Trump posted on Truth Social: OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME. FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS, WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA. LIKEWISE, WE WILL PROVIDE TO CHINA WHAT WAS AGREED TO, INCLUDING CHINESE STUDENTS USING OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ME!). WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!" A variety of market observers quickly weighed in hours after Tuesday evening's unveiling to suggest that the deal may not have a lot of meat on the bones — but at least relations are no longer moving in the wrong direction. The talks perhaps underscored how unlikely a comprehensive trade deal is anytime soon, noted AGF Investments Greg Valliere, "but at least relations may not worsen as talks continue throughout the summer." Both sides promised additional talks in the weeks or months ahead, but none have yet been scheduled. Veronique de Rugy, a professor at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, suggested the talks continued to show China's leverage. "China is hurting, yes—but they still hold the upper hand on critical resources, and they know how to use them." Any lessening of tensions — and freer flow — of these mineral resources in China would be a significant boost to the global economy with China holding outsized leverage in both the reserves and processing capacity of these key building blocks for everything from computers to electric vehicle batteries to medical devices. Likewise, the US offering concessions on export controls would be a significant move after years where successive US administrations have wielded these controls — especially around the design and manufacture of semiconductors — by saying they need to be tight on China for national security reasons. Read more here. May's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report will be released on Wednesday and its expected to show that prices rose a bit faster than in April. Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal breaks down what to look out for and how President Trump's tariffs are impacting what consumers are now paying for goods and services. Read more here. Now that the US-China trade truce is back on track, both sides are keen to ensure it stays that way. China's Vice Premier He Lifeng said both sides need to now 'show the spirit of good faith in abiding by their commitments and jointly safeguard the hard-won results of the dialogue.' Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Despite the US-China trade truce resuming the pain from President Trump's tariffs remains in China, especially among small exporters. Reuters reports: Read more here. Japan warned Wednesday that tariffs threaten its economic growth, the government said in a monthly report. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. A federal appeals could said on Tuesday that President Trump's sweeping tariffs can continue for now. This is a significant win for Trump, who introduced tariffs back in March and declared "Liberation Day," as he saw them as a way to free the US from what he called unfair trade practices. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Early summer sales for Inditex, the owner of fashion retailer Zara, came in weaker, as the company missed expectations for first quarter sales on Wednesday. President Trump's tariffs have impacted consumer demand in the US and other major markets. Reuters reports: Read more here. After weeks of back and forth, the US and China have agreed on a framework to implement the Geneva consensus that helped ease tariffs. The breakthrough came after two days of talks in London, including a marathon session on Tuesday. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said both sides had to "get the negativity out" before making progress. 'Now we can go forward to try to do positive trade, growing trade,' he said. As part of the deal, Beijing has promised to speed up shipments of rare earth metals, a crucial component for global auto and defense industries. Washington will ease export controls. This marks the first sign of movement on key issues. The proposal will now be presented to President Trump and China's Xi. Still, the discussions also did little to resolve a long-standing issue: China's trade surplus with the US. 'Markets will likely welcome the shift from confrontation to coordination,' said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets. 'We're not out of the woods yet — it's up to Trump and Xi to approve and enforce the deal.' The meeting was set up after a phone call between the two leaders, following weeks of each side accusing the other of breaking the Geneva commitments. Both countries had used chips, rare earths, student visas and ethane as bargaining tools. Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor at East China Normal University, said trust, not money, has been the biggest casualty of the trade war. 'We've heard a lot about frameworks,' he said. 'But the fundamental issue remains: Chips versus rare earths. Everything else is a peacock dance.' Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Sign in to access your portfolio
