Summary
Donald Trump has demanded the European Union reduce its $131.3 billion U.S. trade deficit by purchasing more American oil and gas or face tariffs.
Trump’s comments, posted on Truth Social, come as the EU works to phase out Russian energy imports and diversify suppliers.
EU officials, while open to U.S. energy imports, criticized Trump’s approach as transactional, warning of potential retaliation.
Analysts highlight risks of tariffs to inflation and global trade. The EU plans to engage pragmatically but has prepared for heightened U.S. protectionism under Trump’s leadership.
Let him. He seems to think tariffs would make the EU/China/etc pay him money. They don’t. Tariffs raise the price for the person buying the good. It makes prices artificially high within the US and the US consumer pays. The seller gets the same money they always did.
Unless there’s an American alternative manufacturer who can’t currently compete in the domestic market because of price, tariffs are a total foot-gun.
At this point I’d like Trump to go nuts with tariffs. If amerika has decided that the world needs to be punished, then let amerikans burn first. They’ll keep us warm while our economies fall apart.
I didn’t decide shit, the rest of these asshats I’m surrounded by did it for me. Leave me out of it.
Why don’t the Chinese people do something about Xi? Why don’t the Russians do something about Putin? Why don’t the Israel’s do something about Netanyahu?
The world is largely full of masochists ruled by sadists.
Never underestimate people’s desire for servility in the name of stability.
The vast majority of people have an exceedingly high tolerance for their own subjugation if it means they don’t have to think or act to avoid pain or responsibility.
Okay, I admit that I basically said the same thing 3 times with different wording. Personally, I just hope that I’m not as docile as I fear that I am.