I've been trying to analyze political speeches from a logical perspective for years, regardless of their bias.<\/p>\n
Santiago Abascal's remarks on US tariffs<\/big><\/p>\n Today I want to do just that with what I've read in the last few hours on Vox's official channels about the tariffs announced yesterday by Donald Trump in the United States<\/a>. This morning, at 9:00 a.m. CET, Vox president Santiago Abascal stated<\/a>:<\/p>\n Neither Von der Leyen, nor S\u00e1nchez, nor Feij\u00f3o have defended the interests of the Spanish people. The Popular Party and the Socialists are dragging us into a suicidal trade war.<\/strong> I have often criticized Ursula von der Leyen, Pedro S\u00e1nchez and Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o and I will continue to do so whenever I feel necessary, but these tariffs - and the trade war they threaten to unleash - are the responsibility of Donald Trump<\/strong>, who has set their amounts based on false data, as I pointed out here this morning<\/a>. I agree with the president of Vox that our economy competes on unequal terms due to bureaucracy, and in February I already criticized Von der Leyen for wanting to strengthen ties with China<\/a>, a communist dictatorship that is contrary to democratic principles.<\/p>\n Abascal's accusation of \u201ccontinue wars\u201d<\/big><\/p>\n What I don't understand is Abascal's allusion to wars. It follows that the Vox leader blames Von der Leyen, S\u00e1nchez, and Feij\u00f3o for \"continue wars.\"<\/strong> What wars is he referring to? It's not hard to find the answer: On March 1, Abascal said that Von der Leyen, S\u00e1nchez, and Feij\u00f3o \"celebrate the continuation of the war\"<\/a>, referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/strong> and the failure of Trump's pressure on Ukraine to yield to Russia. Today, Abascal goes a step further and accuses them of \"continuing wars,\" presumably in reference to that invasion.<\/p>\n The reality is that that invasion was initiated by Russia and continues because Russia wants it to<\/strong>. Obviously, for anyone with a minimum sense of logic and justice, the culprits of this war lie with Putin and the aggressor country: they are the ones who continue the war<\/strong>, in which the Ukrainian people are simply fulfilling their moral and patriotic duty, which is to defend themselves against the invader. Abascal is not the first to accuse others of this war.<\/strong> Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orb\u00e1n, a Vox ally in the Patriots for Europe group, already did so in mid-March<\/a>, stating that Brussels \"has thrown itself headlong into the Russian-Ukrainian war.\"<\/em> Let us remember that Hungary is one of Europe's largest gas importers Russian<\/a> and that the Orb\u00e1n government has not sent any military aid to Ukraine<\/strong>. That said, let everyone draw their own conclusions from these messages.<\/p>\n Vox leader predicted Trump would exempt Italy from tariffs<\/big><\/p>\n Returning to the tariffs, in February, Abascal already blamed S\u00e1nchez in advance for the possible tariffs imposed by Trump (see video)<\/a>: \"I hope those tariffs, announced and now added to yours from the United States, do not arrive, but if they arrive it will be your fault, it will be because of your belligerence, Mr. S\u00e1nchez<\/strong>\"<\/em>. The Vox leader justified his argument by stating the following: \"Mr. Trump has said that he is going to exempt Italy from the tariffs because he likes Meloni<\/strong>.\"<\/em><\/p>\n Abascal's predictions have not come true. Yesterday, Trump imposed 20% tariffs on the entire European Union<\/a>, including Italy. The same percentage is also imposed on Hungary.<\/strong> I do not know if in this case Vox will also blame S\u00e1nchez and Feij\u00f3o for the fact that Italians and Hungarians will have to pay that percentage to export their products to the US, since today Vox has stated<\/a>: \"The S\u00e1nchez Government has been unable to avoid tariffs for Spain<\/strong> through negotiations with the United States.\"<\/em><\/p>\n Trump imposes higher tariffs on Israel than on Iran<\/big><\/p>\n It's striking to note that Vox's messages blame everyone but Trump for the US tariffs<\/strong>. And this can lead to truly paradoxical situations. For example, Israel eliminated all of its tariffs with the US on April 1<\/a>, but despite this, Trump has imposed tariffs of 17% on the US<\/a>, while the Islamist dictatorship in Iran is being imposed a 10% tariff<\/a>. Remember that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an ally of Trump and Vox. Will they also blame him for that 17% tariff?<\/p>\n A few words from Abascal on tariffs in March<\/big><\/p>\n On the other hand, it should be remembered that after rejecting possible US tariffs, on March 7, Abascal supported European tariffs on the US<\/a>: \"I think these tariffs are good, because they try to protect our market<\/strong>, protect our farmers, our ranchers and also all types of products that are manufactured in Europe. Now, we have to understand the world we live in. If we impose tariffs, they can also impose them on us<\/strong>\"<\/em>. What logic is there in criticizing US tariffs after approving European tariffs?<\/p>\n Have Italy and Hungary insulted the United States?<\/big><\/p>\n Likewise, on March 15, Vox MP Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Figaredo blamed the Spanish Socialists for potential US tariffs on Spain<\/a> for \"insulting\" the US<\/strong>. And why does Trump impose the same tariffs on Italy or Hungary? Have their governments also insulted the United States? All of this is, in short, the consequence of wanting to justify or excuse Trump for everything he does, even when he does something so wrong<\/strong>, like these crazy tariffs that have not even been set on the tariffs of other countries, but have been calculated on the trade balance<\/a>, falsely presenting the result as foreign tariffs. Complete absurdity.<\/p>\n A mistaken following<\/big><\/p>\n
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\nOur economy competes on unequal terms due to the ideological bureaucracy of the two-party system. And the only solution they offer is to further submit to China, continue wars<\/strong>, and censor anyone who speaks out against it.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n