• President Donald Trump on Friday said he is “recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union” after complaining that trade negotiations have stalled.

  • The EU “has been very difficult to deal with,” Trump wrote. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!”

The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with. Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable. Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

  • @Rakonat@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    172 months ago

    Dude just wants to crater the US economy, specifically the stock market, and kill what credibility the US has thrived on since WW2. Can’t help but feel Putin has a finger in this cause a weak US makes Russia look stronger.

  • @martin4598@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    312 months ago

    The EU should use the Chinese method:

    The US puts 50% The EU puts 50. The US puts 100 The EU puts 100 Trump says “I´m waiting for them to call me” The EU doesn´t call. Trump says 10%

    Job done in 2 weeks.

    • @vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      52 months ago

      just up our prices. No need to shoot ourselves in the foot. You want a 50% tarriff? I will increase the prices I sell my stuff to you by 50% too. That effectively turns their 50% into 125%. If you do this for stuff they can only get from here then they’ll quickly walk it back. Use their tarriffs against them, not do the same thing to our own citizens

  • @supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    10
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    Has anybody tried gifting Donald Trump an unseaworthy carbon fiber sub to secure a deal?

    If something went wrong we would all understand, inherent vice and such being a well established legal concept. An insurer cannot be expected to guard against the inherent vice of the ocean, god, nor of an out of control fascist who will not follow rules.

  • @Akasazh@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    English
    122 months ago

    Just imagine what was agreed on in the 2 hr phone conversation between Trump and Putin?

  • @Naevermix@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    32 months ago

    This isn’t about forcing the EU to accept some unfavorable deal, it’s about devaluing the dollar.

  • Omega
    link
    fedilink
    English
    4
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    Do it. Do it. Do it. it’ll just push Europe away.

  • @Bwaz@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    332 months ago

    Gee, wouldn’t it be a surprise if a stock selloff by administration people had occurred just before this announcement? No one would expect that.

  • @Doomsider@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    26
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    Oh look, more grifting from the grifter in chief. Turning our government into an outright kleptocracy.

  • @InvertedParallax@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    472 months ago

    I need to explain to people why this is so amazingly stupid:

    You are literally giving Europe an excuse to put tariffs on American goods and services, which they want to anyway, to encourage domestic producers.

    Also, you’re making it easier for them to buy directly from south Korea, Japan and even China, especially since those countries can’t sell as easily to the US.

    For Europe this is an absolute win/win.

    But honestly, this sounds like a way for Trump to put pressure on Europe to back off on Ukraine, as he probably thinks the EU is reliant on US LNG, which is kind of isn’t really.

  • ssillyssadass
    link
    fedilink
    English
    212 months ago

    He still doesn’t know what a tariff is.

    Also, I appreciate that every picture I see of Trump, even on official news sources, is an unflattering one. They always make sure to catch him with his mouth looking like what it is, that being an asshole.

    • @ikidd@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      12 months ago

      Well, he doesn’t know what a trade deficit is either, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice.

    • @wewbull@feddit.uk
      link
      fedilink
      English
      42 months ago

      Also, I appreciate that every picture I see of Trump, even on official news sources, is an unflattering one.

      Err… that’s Ursula von der Leyen

  • @TheFrirish@jlai.lu
    link
    fedilink
    English
    252 months ago

    The fact that we the EU are still trying to negotiate with the US is pathetic. We should not be entertaining this clique.

    • @Gsus4@mander.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      92 months ago

      Allies on paper, EU can’t simply tell tramp to go fuck himself like China can, for now.

      • @TheFrirish@jlai.lu
        link
        fedilink
        English
        42 months ago

        Good point but why do they get to tell us to go fuck ourselves then? We are also their allies on paper.

        • TheRealKuni
          link
          fedilink
          English
          42 months ago

          Because someone needs to be the adult, and that person is never going to be Trump.

        • @Gsus4@mander.xyz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          4
          edit-2
          2 months ago

          Well, the alliance was not symmetric to start with, the US used to call the shots and the EU would follow if it wasn’t a stupid decision or sit on its hands otherwise. russia’s invasion and the US’s passivity is challenging that.

          • @3abas@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            12 months ago

            russia’s invasion and the US’s passivity is challenging that.

            Passivity? As in the US should do more than use Ukraine as a proxy, but should get involved in a war with Russia to defend Ukraine?

            • @barsoap@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              22 months ago

              As a lemm.ee user, you should be perfectly aware that if Ukraine is anyone’s proxy, then of Estonia: Ukraine is following Estonian doctrine on how to deal with Russia to a t.

            • @Gsus4@mander.xyz
              link
              fedilink
              English
              5
              edit-2
              2 months ago

              All I’m saying is that Ukraine finally made strikingly clear that in the current configuration Europe is the junior partner in NATO and that Europe needs to have its own means in the future to defend its own interests (during the cold war, those interests were always aligned, so it was never a problem). But once that happens, Europe won’t remain the junior partner anymore.

  • DominusOfMegadeus
    link
    fedilink
    English
    522 months ago

    Christ on a cracker. We are not at war with anyone. Therefore every single one of these tariffs are illegal. He does not have the authority to be doing this shit and I am so fucking sick of it. Yes I am aware that the lapdog congress will do nothing to stop him. Yes I am still going to complain anyway.