When Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took the podium at the American Bankers Association on Wednesday morning he was anything but ‘yippy’ – the president’s term to describe the handwringing of Republicans and financiers who were sounding the alarm on his tariffs.
Early on, Trump branded them as ‘Panicans,’ a ‘new party based on weak and stupid people,’ but Bessent struck a unique messaging balance that both reassured stock traders and his boss.
Bessent reassured the room of bankers that, thanks to the president’s tariff threats, 75 countries were willing to negotiate with him, and that 15 of those nations had already proposed a deal.
‘The president already had good calls with the Japanese prime minster, and the leaders of South Korea, and Vietnam,’ Bessent revealed, and he was working quickly to settle monumental trade deals.
‘I’m not planning on going anywhere for Easter,’ he grinned, revealing that he would have a ‘lead negotiating role’ in the effort.
Bessent’s tone was relaxed, but made it very clear that he was backing the president’s agenda.
To the world, he urged countries to come to the table with a deal, noting that America was listening.
‘If you don’t retaliate, that is a ceiling,’ he said, urging them not to start ‘cutting their own throat’ by aligning economically with China.
The tariffs are a KOBK game theory move par excellance—Kill-Or-Be-Killed. ‘Don’t cut your own throat by retaliating’, Bessent said, voicing an actual threat.
If you retaliate as China has done you will be ‘killed’, meaning neutered, your power taken from you, subordinated to USA. If you cooperate and are reasonable we will all prosper and all will be well.
USA has the military, and more importantly, economic power to make this very strong KOBK move against the entire world. China has been an ungrateful parasite against USA and most of the rest of the world. It’s a communist-Chinese cultural flaw; selfish zero-sum thinking from dawn to dusk.
If China continues its KOBK line of retaliation, they may start a war with Taiwan or raise threat levels high enough to greatly disturb Taiwan while distracting their own people. They could also make moves against South Korea or Japan, not to mention USA.
Bessent is the perfect person to lead this largest and strongest KOBK move in world history. It’s a beautiful move, extremely well executed. Rather than bitch and moan, understand that Trump is doing what is best for USA and for the world. Using Bessent to deliver the message is perfect, as his tone is gentle but certain and it is hard not to like or trust him. He speaks softly but is carrying an enormous club. ABN
American Buddhist Net 