- cross-posted to:
- europe@feddit.org
- cross-posted to:
- europe@feddit.org
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President Donald Trump on Friday said he is “recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union” after complaining that trade negotiations have stalled.
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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!
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Another decision that benefits no one except Russia. Their asset sure is paying off.
Ironically, tariffs also crashes the price of oil which also hurts Russia.
“recommending” to who? he is ruling alone and everyone know that.
Not entirely. Congress and the Supreme Court are filled with his sycophants.
They mean he alone makes the decisions so he doesn’t need to “recommend” anything to anyone.
If he does that, the prices that rise most in the US will be medical products, medicines and motor vehicles.
The EU does have a trade surplus in goods with the US. The US has a nearly comparable surplus in trade of services.
If the EU were to respond by taxing US services harshly, we’d experience more expensive licenses and advertising costs. Year of the Linux desktop? Year of the dark red Google?
IIRC Trade Enforcement Regulation allows, among other options, for ignoring other country’s patents and trademarks until someone else says it’s time to stop. Correct me if I’m wrong.Edit: Seems like I misremembered, because I can’t find it mentioned in the regulation 654/2014, my bad
Edit 2: Okay, I think I’ve found it - 654/2014 was amended by 2021/167, and as far as I understand legalese THAT one allows for suspension of intellectual property rights. I’ll wait with un-stroking the original paragraph until someone more knowledgeable confirms (or denies) my understanding
Why is EU speaking german. Weird
My guess is language other than English was used to further differentiate it from America, and German was chosen for being I think second most used language on Lemmy
It’s also the biggest language (in terms of native speakers) in the EU. Not that it’s anywhere close to a majority…
Broken English perfectly differentiates itself from non Broken English that is spoken in US for example
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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.
I legitimately don’t understand why what’s left of the free world hasn’t all gotten together and agreed to tarrif America all at the same time.
Just throw insane tareifs, and let trump sit in it for a couple months while everyone ignores all his phone calls and requests for meetings.
That would actually work.
Because, as we’re experiencing, tariffs are a regressive tax on your own populace and hurt the most vulnerable. Also, they don’t have to. We’re pissing off enough regular people that they’re voluntarily buying made-anywhere-but-USA. Lastly, why provoke an idiot with a huge military?
They can and will dismantle American power just by not buying our debt and then supporting a chamge in the world’s reserve currency. Trump is screwing us for generations
You drastically overestimate how much stuff is made in America…
I do? I’m saying that there’s no reason for the world to band together and implement tariffs on us. Low volume would be another reason not to, but we do export a non-negligible amount worldwide. Most to NA, but over 300B to EU last year
There’s no reason for the world to put reciprocal tariffs in place that are actually reciprocal? The US President started this.
To get a sense of scale on how important US imports are to the EU. Total imports to the EU were $6.5T in 2024. The US was (as you said) about $300B. It’s 18% of US Exports. It’s 4.5% of EU imports. Significant, but trimming it down is probably fine.
What we do import from the US is fossil fuels. Oil & gas, and processed variants of that make up around ⅓ of all US exports to the EU. The short term need for US O&G went up with Russia invading Ukraine, and the has made the US supply more important. Thing is, that’s looking temporary. We’re also regearing to need far less of it. EV sales continue to rise (except Tesla’s). Renewable electricity generation gets bigger every year. In 2024 the EU spent 16% less on energy imports than 2023.
The US’s leverage over the EU is not economic. Sadly, right now it’s military. The EU doesn’t want to piss Trump off because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We’d like the US to stand resolutely beside us in the defence against Russian aggression. Unfortunately Trump sees Putin as a role model, not an enemy and can’t bring himself to act against him.
Of goods made in other countries that go thru American corporations only as a middle man…
Tarrif America, companies from those other countries take over being the middle man.
The middle man can be replaced at a moments notice. It wouldn’t be damaging to any country’s economy, it would be a huge economic boost for them.
That’s what trump, and you, do t understand.
America needs the 3rd world to make stuff that we sell to other first world countries.
But no other economy on the planet needs America.
That depends on your definition of “stuff”.
Because we are transitioning away from the US and that takes time.
E.G. Canada’s government removed industrial tariffs temporarily but kept commercial good tariffs. This is so that Canadian industries can get the necessary tooling and other things from the US now and remove the US from Canadian logistics.
So that Canada can move to completely remove the US from the industry side.
This is an interesting long-view take, but is the government also providing loans and trying to spurr manufacturing, machine shops, etc. too? Without that, it’s just a dream to hope Canadian companies won’t just wait 4 years, really.
And was proven to work by China as that’s literally what they did. But I think the fear of looking like they side with China is making them not do it. The taboo of standing with China is that taboo amongst western nations that they would sacrifice their health and wealth to not do it.
The taboo of standing with China is that taboo amongst western nations that they would sacrifice their health and wealth to not do it.
That’s definitely not what’s happening…
Although I know there are certain instances where the only thing that matters is defending far right authoritarians because they lied about their economic system. So I understand why I got a reply like that.
I’m a bit confused. Are you saying lots of Europeans are saying they stand with China besides the far right?
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.
Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution vests the power to lay and collect tariffs with Congress.
Are we going to just ignore it? Technically tarrifs are supposed to be imposed by an act of congress, not the orange manchild in chief.
Congress has long ago decided to stop being a coequal branch of government. Same now with SCOTUS… They’ve ceded so much authority to the executive that they almost can’t fight back now. Impeachment is the only option left and Republicans won’t/can’t. Our remaining hope is that Democrats will/can in 2 years. AND that significant reforms follow that will limit the president again.
Otherwise, we’ve become Turkey. A representative republic in name only.
Otherwise, we’ve become Turkey. A representative republic in name only.
You are already there… even assuming the ridiculous notion that you’d have free and fair elections in 2 years, the damage is done. In 2 years time, the USA won’t be salvageable… I have huge doubts it can be salvageable today
If by “we” you mean the American people, yes it will be ignored as they seem to fall into 3 categories at the moment:
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completely clueless to the reality around them
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know this is bad but waiting for someone else to do the job or really entice them into action with a nice juicy carrot
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completely in agreement with the orange turd
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Who gives a shit? Fuck the US. DJT is a pussy. See what just happened with China.
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.
Right before a federal holiday weekend, too? Hmmmm…
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.
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
You could do that by slapping export tariffs on things. It still harms whatever industry you do that to though.
Oh look, more grifting from the grifter in chief. Turning our government into an outright kleptocracy.
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.
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
He doesn’t need to know. His supporters hear that corporations and other countries pay and they believe it, despite evidence to the contrary slapping them in their slack-jawed, dull-eyed faces.
Well, he doesn’t know what a trade deficit is either, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice.
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.
Just ignore him. He’s proven multiple times he will cave.
