US economy shrank 0.5% in the first quarter, worse than earlier estimates

It’s not just tariffs that are the issue… quite a few people from other countries have stopped coming to the US and are avoiding buying US products where possible

I’ve never seen this level of anti-American sentiment in Canada in my whole life.

One thing I have my eye on is how hard consumer habits are to change. For example, American alcohol is simply gone from store shelves in Ontario. I can only imagine how much marketing work went up in the wind now that consumers have adapted. Returning the product to the market is probably not even the hard part.

Trust that I and lots of others in Europe — and especially Scandinavia — are boycotting US products — the most basic one I can think of is coca-cola, instead I buy "freeway", ie Lidl's inhouse brand, and I don't think I am going back.

A Canadian just died in ICE custody. I don't see any reason why Canadians should visit the US.

I don't blame them. My wife got her US citizenship very recently (like two months ago), and historically I have thought that was going to allow me to finally have a sigh of relief after years of fighting with and thousands of dollars spent for the immigration system in the US.

Now Republicans are actively trying to denaturalize people so they can be deported. I have no idea how successful that will actually be but the fact that there's an active attempt for it is enough to trigger anxiety for me.

If this is how they're treating naturalized citizens, I certainly cannot blame people for not visiting the US on a tourist visa; who the fuck knows what would happen to them? They're detaining tourists for bald JD Vance memes [1], I would stay the hell away from America and spend my vacation money elsewhere.

It really depresses me. I love the US. I was born here. I live here. Much as I love visiting Europe, I haven't really wanted to live anywhere else than the US, but I fear that this active hostility towards our foreign trading partners might cause permanent and irreparable damage. For the first time in my life, I have seriously started to consider moving me and my wife to a different country, which I hope I don't have to do but I am genuinely scared that they're going to detain my Mexican-immigrant wife.

[1] I know that CBP is denying that it was because of a meme, but instead because of drug use, but in this particular case, legitimacy doesn't matter. If it's believable that I could be detained in a country because I texted a meme to my friends, there's absolutely no way in hell I am visiting that country.

Freeway is honestly pretty competitive with Coke in taste. I haven't tried the sugary stuff but I have had a fair amount of their sugar-free drinks and I think they're actually quite good. Slightly differently than Diet Coke/Coke Zero, but not really "worse".

The border situation is quite harmful to tourism, to the point where advice is being issued to be careful traveling to the USA. Its not a new thing except in scale either. The same shit was happening as far back as 2015, it just keeps getting worse. And from what I can tell, news reports about how hostile the US is to tourists, doesnt get airtime in the US. People seem shocked or think I am joking when I share story after story of people wrongfully apprehended at the border.

On avoiding travel: One doesn't have to make a principled decision, it's entirely rational to avoid travel to the USA.

There's a growing body of holiday makers with neither a criminal record nor evidence of carrying a banned substance, who have been turned away from the USA for nothing more than the vibes of the CBP. In some cases these people were strip searched and thrown into federal prison without any kind of evidence and no wrongdoing whatsoever.

An informed person would be right in holidaying elsewhere, otherwise it's a gamble if they will lose the money paid for their holiday and flights.

On avoiding business with the USA: The tariffs and their mercurial changes create a type of instability where a USA-based vendor, at random, may no longer be able to fulfil their contract. It's incredibly damaging for our American partners.

Can you point me to a non-partisan source describing attempts to denaturalize citizens?

The rhetoric is there. See Randy Ogles (R-Tenn) call for Mamdani to be denaturalized.

No one is safe. It took quite a while to bring the one guy they sent to El Salvador on the obviously photoshopped faked evidence he was a gang member in MS13, and they claim they have the right to send US citizens there as well where it will be easy to deny a lot of legal rights like habeas corpus or sixth amendment.

On the bright side maybe the national parks will stop being so overcrowded. Better take my kids to Yellowstone soon while this is still the case.

Yeah that’s what I was referring to. I saw that tweet a few hours ago.

https://x.com/RepOgles/status/1938301392416084150

Yep. I didn’t think I would ever need it, but I have an immigration attorney saved, for myself, in case they actively try and denaturalize anyone who has ever said anything bad about Trump, which I have in many places.

Not sure how much it would help if shit hits the fan but it’s sort of surreal regardless.

No idea why you are getting downvoted. Embarrassment maybe, they cant stand to see the result of their inaction.

I'm glad to hear first hand that there was followthrough on the alcohol thing.

Better take your kids there before large chunks of it are sold to developers.

I have tried Coke Zero in many, many, countries across Europe, and honestly taste is all over the place. Freeway’s cola is just much more consistent and overall great flavour. My favourite though is their fizzy lemonade.

  >  For the first time in my life, I have seriously started to consider moving me and my wife to a different country, which I hope I don't have to do but I am genuinely scared that they're going to detain my Mexican-immigrant wife.

from the rhetoric i reckon thats the implicit goal of all these policies in the end; just make things so chaotic and stressful people stop emigrating/naturalizing...

Wow, Trump administration just won the birthright citizenship case in front of Supreme Court so they are going to take that away for political dissenters - federal judges cannot issue nationwide injunctions so each person in each case will have to file a separate appeal - those who live in the 22 states in the current lawsuit have an injunction while those who live in the 28 mostly red states not in the current cases can have babies born without birthright citizenship.

This is very probably trolling and fear mongering.

It's possible, though at this level I'm not 100% sure it matters if it's trolling or sincerely held belief, because it's a pretty clear and obvious statement that "even the citizens aren't safe".

Also, he's a fucking politician. The country shouldn't be run the same way as KiwiFarms.