Summary
Donald Trump has announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on the European Union, claiming the bloc was “formed to screw the United States.”
While details are pending, he suggested the levies would target cars and other imports. The EU, a major U.S. trading partner, has vowed immediate retaliation, with potential tariffs impacting $29.3 billion in exports.
French President Emmanuel Macron had attempted to dissuade Trump, urging focus on China instead.
Critics, including economists and conservative media, warn the tariffs could harm the U.S. economy.
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Trump is kinda right. Charles De Gaulle wanted a united Europe to prevent Anglo-American influence. Aside from his Anglophobia, he vetoed UK joining then EEC because he thought UK is a Trojan horse for American influence into Europe. He also thought that the British are reluctant Europeans anyhow, so why let them in?
Fast forward 60 years later, and De Gaulle was found right. US companies tried to lobby the EU through UK. The Brits voted for Brexit, and the US finally became an unreliable ally.
For so much of the French being chauvinistic in a cringey way, they are right not to commit to Anglo influence or Atlanticism, presciently. The French still likes to assert their own global influence but in multilateral way with other countries. Macron and De Gaulle are correct for looking for strategic autonomy.
Edit: I also want to add, that the Brussels effect forces other countries to adopt higher standards and regulations if they want to trade with the EU. Obviously, many right wing Americans such as Trump don’t like this.
Brussels effects haters be like: “I really fucking hate USB type-C cables being on every device where it makes sense! I want to bo back to expensive and crappy proprietary cables only the original manufacturer is allowed to make!”
Isn’t it the other way around. The USA was formed to screw over the European world powers.
food undercooked? tarriff!
Food overcooked? Believe it or not, tarriff!
Mmm… Orangutan starts throwing shtuff at all the other apes and then complains when they don’t want to hang out with him any more
What a ferkin ashole
To be fair, the EU has some pretty insane tariffs on everyone outside the EU.
The EU was formed to screw the US… THE EU WAS FORMED TO SCREW THE US?! Bruh dude is possibly channeling Hitler and Stalin simultaneously. That’s the only thing that makes sense. Or he’s terminally dumb. One of the two.
Definitely channeling Putin.
I think it’s both
terminally dumb
This one
welp, orange donvict did promote his platform as “America First!”.
The EU was formed for America First!
Oh my gosh, this is so fucked up.
Trump’s tariffs: Swinging a 25% hammer while shouting, “They started it!”—peak trade war theatrics.
😺😺😺😺
Someone fucking ball gag this rapist to shut him up.
Kinky.
He’s not completely wrong. One of the benefits EU provides is better bargaining power for its members against countries like the US.
Sanctions or tariffs on any individual EU country would likely lead to collective response.
He is completely wrong. The EU was formed after WW2 to prevent another war on the continent and to increase economic cooperation. The fact that makes us a much stronger block for negotiating trade deals was a side benefit, not its purpose. And it only works to screw over countries that are trying to screw us first.
2 sides to that coin. You also only need presence/trade deal once and you’ve access to a very large market as a whole all at once. In the end, everyone loses with throttled trade for no other reason than “I don’t like them!!” Transatlantic trade has been very beneficial for both sides of the pond for many many decades…
Almost like a certain military alliance this asshole wants out of. Hmmm…
Maybe replace them with Ukraine. I here they have great drone technology.
Time for Ukraine to join the EU quickly. Tariff his precious minerals.
Orange fuckwit.
I still hope Zelenskyy is coming here Friday to announce that they decided to take the deal from Germany, and Zelenskyy ends the press conference with a double bird for Trump. It won’t happen but man I would love Zelenskyy even more if he did.
You never know, he just might
We’re trying!
Try harder. EU takes longer to make a decision than a sloth on ketamine
It’s not just a yes or no. Theorically, they have to do many things about corruption, economic stability. They are not supposed to be at war to apply and not to have unstable countries beside. Accepting Ukraine now, would be against all the neighbors countries that have been struggling to enter. EU have to help them getting out of this war (preferably by pushing Russia out entirely), then make peace, then help rebuilding so they are conform to enter. I really hope we manage to make them get there! But it’s long for a reason: stability. The quickest part would be to accept them as candidate, but it needs peace first.
sloth on ketamine
Elon?
Inb4 EU and Canada signs a great trade deal just to screw over Trump.
He already blinked on the Canada tariffs. Put it off another month. We didn’t even pretend to do anything to appease him this time.
canadians should continue to buy canadian or the EU, asian anD SA. remember when china no longer needed soybeans from usa the last tariff he did.
I don’t see that he’s put it off. He’s all over the place about it, as usual, but it’s still a possibility.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/tariffs-update-march-4-1.7468442
Bloomberg is reporting it’s pushed back to April 2:
But you’re right, he’s all over the place about it.
As an American, I agree. They should.
We already have a good deal. CETA just need to be taken advantage of
As EU citizen, I don’t think that’s a good deal for us, as we are importing food that do not match our environmental criterias. It’s anti-concurrential for inside food producers that have to conform these environmental laws. It would have been good if the deal was to import things that were produced respecting our laws (no offense).
Surely this will lower egg prices!
This is all done in the name of citizen consumers right? Trying to make life better for the good folks that voted for him?
Country that has been screwing every other country for 80 plus years accuses other countries of screwing it.
Trump pretends to be a victim in everything, so this is nothing new
It seems to be a cornerstone of conservatism.
It’s like how PP up in Canada stubs his toe and blames Trudeau for it.
*American conservatism
Trudeau put the coffee table there, and he would get rid of it if the people would just elect him.
And with a tarrif, shows who is screwing who.
