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.

    • whoisearth@lemmy.ca
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      15 days ago

      Studies show the majority of Americans don’t have a passport let alone have left their own state. 3rd world country.

      • JLock17@lemmy.world
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        15 days ago

        That’s unfortunately what happens when people get gaslit into thinking being a debt slave is morally righteous.

  • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    The EU has an official mechanism to combat economic pressure like this that includes suspension of all intellectual property from the country imposing the tarrifs.

  • TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    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.

    • ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      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!”

        • ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world
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          16 days ago

          If you think Intel fucking with the USB naming scheme (just keep 3.0 and 3.1 for the lower speed devices instead of renaming everything 3.2 gen 892034856 for fuck’s sake!) was bad, or you had trouble with keeping track of charger standards, then you forgot the time when most manufacturers had their own crappy proprietary connection standard, that didn’t really done much more than could have been with pre-existing standards, except to force you to buy an expensive and crappy cable, and some (especially those by Apple) often broke by just looking at them in the wrong way and had those crappy and impossible to solder enamel-coated wires inside them.

          • HappyStarDiaz@real.lemmy.fan
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            15 days ago

            If you have to have an hour long 15 point plan to explain why usb doesn’t suck…it sucks.

            And yeah of course I would use that old moto phone 70 pin power connector over usb c. Very clear specs on what it did, and super robust.

          • samus12345@lemm.ee
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            10 days ago

            Russia’s just been killing it with their disinformation campaigns the past 10 years. The UK exited the EU and now they’ve captured the US government. Sucks!

  • ehpolitical@lemmy.ca
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    16 days ago

    Would love to be in the guy’s head for just 5 minutes, to see if he’s high or crazy or what.

  • turnip@lemm.ee
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    15 days ago

    Can someone explain to me why this is worse than Europes VAT tax?

    According to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) study, any nation that switches to VAT initially feels the negative impact of reduced tax revenues. In the long run, however, the study concluded that VAT adoption has in the majority of cases increased government revenue and proved effective.

    It seems to be proven quite effective, and Europe still has them, so why is Trumps worse/better than a VAT?

  • AidsKitty@lemmy.world
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    15 days ago

    Not an untrue statement. The EU was formed to make them more financially competitive and stop the endless internal warfare.

      • AidsKitty@lemmy.world
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        15 days ago

        Not really, that is what “being more competitive” actually means. Using leverage to secure the best deal possible.