These are my thoughts:
If so, it’s kind of working but also exploding in his face. He’s going after Bezos, Apple, China, all of tech, etc. They have to bend the knee to him to get the tariffs to go away.
This is how putin built his empire and took from the wealthy. Again, this is the stupider version, but I think it’s true.
My reading is that everyday europeans and european politicians are stunned by the Trump tariff situation, threats of invading Canada and Greenland, and are particularly furious at American tech oligarchs. They’ve already begun transitioning away from anything tainted with American tech. And it isn’t new — they’ve been dragging it out in court with Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta for years.
Maybe they’ll find someone friendly like Orban’s Hungary or a tax haven micronation. That’s not someone I would count on to safeguard billions of dollars of assets, though.
remember, even the Nazis found safe havens for their wealth. So, if we don’t get a neo-nuremberg trial, I have little doubt their money will be safe somewhere. Even if they do, the places that stashed it will just enrich themselves with it.