I told you so! Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran a story headlined, “Why Trump Lashed Out at Europe Over Trade.” Like a petite gang of angry kindergartners, Europe has been clamoring for Trump to endorse its stupid package of sanctions against every single country doing business with Russia. Instead, Trump threatened to sanction Europe.
Yesterday, President Trump, leaning over his tariff dashboard, threatened to impose 50% tariffs on all European imports. It was a very short clock. If he follows through, the new tariff sanctions will start in six days, on June 1st.
Fifty-percent tariffs would be higher than current tariff levels on China. Trump cheerfully ended his EU-critical post, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
“EU proposals have not been of the same quality as we’ve seen from our other important trading partners,” mild-mannered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox. “I’ve said there are 18 important trade deals we have to do. I’m working mostly on Asia, and that group has moved forward with some very interesting proposals, and are moving forward in good faith. I would hope that this would light a fire under the EU.”
Trump wants the goofy Europeans to join his China tariffs, stop taxing and suing American tech and energy firms, and drop its insane climate regulations that impose “carbon offsets” on nearly all American products. EU diplomats complained that they were overworked. Since they speak for 27 member nations, they must adroitly move at the glacial speed of politics, not grubby orange businessmen.
In other words: “We have to check with Berlin… and Paris… and Warsaw… and maybe the Dutch, and then we’ll issue a joint nonbinding statement in late Q3.”
But Trump isn’t playing their game. What’s the point, after all, of a European “Union,” if it acts collectively but doesn’t negotiate collectively?
The President takes a dim view of our NATO allies, evaluating the EU as even worse than China. In February, he remarked that “the EU was formed in order to screw the United States.” At least China doesn’t pretend to be an ally. Trump and other Administration officials have complained that the EU’s $250 billion trade advantage over the U.S. means it is siphoning American incomes to subsidize generous European welfare programs, so that French people get a 30-hour workweek and free healthcare while Americans work that much harder to pay for it all.
It’s worth revisiting why Trump may think the EU is worse than China. Nobody ever talks about the EU’s involvement in RussiaGate and Trump Impeachment I and II. But it’s always there anyway, hanging in the background like a German steer on a meathook. Remember: it all started with a single phone call, when Trump asked the Ukrainians to investigate Hunter Biden and Burisma. The Europeans did everything they could to destroy him after that. Just for calling.
The President sent VP Vance to Europe to tell them we no longer share values.
Now, the EU is the main impediment to ending the Proxy War. It’s pro-war position exposes the Union as the world’s fire-marshal-turned-arsonist. Neither Russia nor China helped effect regime change in America. But the Europeans did— and all because Trump poked their deranged green cash cow in Kiev.
I doubt President Trump has forgotten a single second of what happened. Now … heeeeeee’s back! This is only going to hurt for a very long time.
… screw EU!