Note the language of the Trump administration. They are masters of using words to confuse and conflate.
Trump is already showing a desire to walk back tariffs while saving face. But make no mistake, he senses he is losing.
So Lutnick is out there using the terminology of "middle ground."
Trump is trapped in a real estate mindset. It's as if Trump is selling something and our offer is too low, so Trump is willing to come down a bit in price for our benefit.
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The use of the phrase "middle ground" attempts to position him as the reasonable person in the transaction.
In this negotiation, we don't want to buy what Trump is selling.
No level of tariffs is acceptable and that should be our position.
To accept or support this framing is to begin to give in.
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It also foreshadows a future negotiation over our sovereignty. Trump not only wants his 51st state but he wants us to thank him for it.
He wants to be the hero in every story. It's a pattern of behaviour that repeats.
It's what he's doing to Ukraine right now - on behalf of Russia, but also to achieve a side deal benefit for the US (at least for appearances sake).
JEmphatically