Summary
Trump has rejected the EU’s “zero-for-zero” tariff offer on cars and industrial goods, demanding instead that the bloc commit to purchasing $350 billion of American energy to offset the trade deficit.
Following his implementation of 20% tariffs on EU goods last week, which triggered significant market downturns, Trump indicated openness to negotiations while emphasizing his “America First” stance.
He also criticized EU product standards as “non-monetary barriers” designed to block American exports.
This is just Mafia like extortion. It doesnt really matter now if/when these tariffs are undone - Trump has totally destroyed the US reputation as a reliable ally and trade partmer.
No deal with the US is worth the paper its written on, as everything is dependent on the whims of one person.
Presidential systems are sources of weakness and instabilty it seems. They’re no better than monarchs, and the whole system can easily be twisted into dictatorship. Look at Russia and now the US.
Turns out that allowing people to choose from a very limited pool of potential rulers every couple of years doesn’t actually give them any real power over their society, and maybe it’s just a way to delay revolution while the true ruling class gets all the benefits of the old monarchs with almost none of the blowback, because we’re all too divided over which potential ruler is less blatantly evil to address the real problems.
It’s a very effective method of social control, but it would be a really bad idea for one of the de facto ruling class to try to step into the de jure ruler’s office and try to run it for himself like a dictator. That would probably blow up in his face.
He also crippled the trust in us tech. It will be a slow change but the EU will eventually get rid of Microsoft 365.
And Azure (process is already running at work) and Google workplace like things (searching for a eu partner).
It’s a classical pol sci example for how to do or not do things. Emerging democracy’s that adapts presidential systems are far easier to go back to a dictatorship than a semi presidential or parliamentary system is. So all US advisors in south America pushed for presidential systems.
The EU are currently trying the carrot (offering zero for zero), Next comes the stick (targeted import and export tarrifs)… it would hurt the EU, but cripple the US.
Just tariff cloud stocks, watch everything crumble.
EU should target the services. US exports services like google, meta etc than goods. If that happens, US goes to depression.
That one could be trickier as many Europeans work for the US big service companies ( Microsoft, Google etc…)
I don’t live anywhere in the northern hemisphere and I can’t say I know much about economy and international affairs. Which targeted tariffs you think the EU will impose that will cripple US?
Either tariff all big tech companies or just outright ban them from being allowed in the public sector. If you ban amazon, microsoft, google, meta, etc then the US economy will be in shambles. Big techs revenue is like ~10% of the total US GDP.
The EU will never ban them.
And so will be almost every EU company/government/institution.
Nah. They have been preparing for this for years. There are ready to use replacement for most of the really important pieces of software. This would be the big push that was always needed to get technological independence from the US.
Horse shit to be frank. Aws and google cloud are huge and companies move slowly, if the top 100 euro companies decided to all get off these platforms now it would take months and months of unplanned intense effort and money
it would take months and months of unplanned intense effort and money
You know how much it costs EU taxpayers and customers to pay for the usage and licensing of US tech? Its absolutely absurd and most companies here are fed up with it. They will take any good alternative if its presented to them in a trustworthy manner.
The move to cloud based stuff was mostly vibes and marketing based. On prem has been shown to be cheaper, more reliable, more secure, more flexible.
If its so expensive, why doesn’t European companies make more competitive alternatives?
Yes,I work in retail in IT , absolutely no cloud in use here 😉
I’m not no sure. 90%+ of these services are commodities and nobody gives a damn who the provider is from a technical perspective. There’s no physical component, so it’s literally a matter of signing a contract, spinning up a server/service, move the data and point everything to the new service.
And yeah, there are technical issues that come up, and nothing is ever that easy. But think about how fast many, many companies were able to sort that kind stuff out when the had to when COVID hit.
And that’s the thing. Cloud service disruption can be an existential crisis, so why would you leave it in the hands of a hostile foreign power?
There are physical data centres that are not trivial to build and run. As I understand it, these tend to be run by the big US tech companies. So if you switch to EU service companies that are still using AWS, Google Cloud or Azure backends, you haven’t really switched away from US tech companies.
Some of the companies I have been working with were already beginning to leave. The realization that cloud pricing will only go up AND being locked into it made them very wary. Some of the planning was already underway, this may only accelerate those plans.
Great for them, there will be a lot that only just got through their first painful migrations
Lol not a chance. Maybe there’s been some work in the public sector, but remove Amazon and MS and you’ll remove the vast majority of companies.
The EU should push for their own cloud and “encourage” (ie “there’s a chance that in 5 years you won’t be able to use anything that’s not in the EU, better prepare”) companies and the public administration to migrate.
I personally am loving the non-tarrif retaliation by China on the US. Basically banning exports to the US of critical minerals that only they produce. Love to see it.
EU tariffs alone would not be that painful on their own, but add in Asian tarrifs and perhaps some South American numbers… maybe bring the penguins in too.
They should say “okay but only green energy, no oil or gas”
Please send solar panels Sincerely,
-Europe
I guarantee that all of a sudden the only energy the USA produces would be green. (According to the USA)
That’s why they want Greenland.
Sounds like there won’t be any good faith negotiations with the US.
This sounds like BS, does the US even have enough capxitt or export $350 billion worth of energy (oil, LNG?).
Even I can sell $350B worth of energy if I increase the price enough.
That is one expensive AAA battery.
oh my good lord he’s and actual toddler
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We don’t put children in charge of shit they don’t understand for a reason. You don’t understand that, either.
These are mob tactics. He is adopting the fucking Sopranos as international policy. This isn’t childish, it’s thuggish.
How about you fuck off and let people speak their mind on the Internet you creep
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Just say no EU. The more he hears the word the more it will drive home how wrong he is. Of course his type is incapable of admitting that they are wrong.
He also criticized EU product standards as “non-monetary barriers” designed to block American exports.
lol, lmfao even
product standards exist for a reason.
how about no, fuckface
They don’t need $350B of US energy. why not sell something they need instead for forcing your customer to eat “McDonald’s” when they don’t need or want to.
Might as well force penguins to buy ice cube and snow made in US.
Also they dont “owe” the US anything. Trump has a cretinous understanding of economics.
He is all about win-lose
If they needed it, they’d have bought it. The whole point with all this is, to have the rest of the world buy stuff from the US, that they don’t neen or already buy from other places because it makes more sense. There is no logic - it is straight up blackmail
I’m pretty sure he knows they don’t need it and that that’s the point. He’s probably trying to force to buy stuff they don’t need in addition to the stuff they need, which they’ll buy anyway.
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I really hope that EU will remain strong and not fall for any of this BS!
And the next winter wont be too cold.
Amerikkka can fuck off.
Ah, so now they are begging for money. Hard no, pass, skip, forget it, we’re good thanks.
" I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”
Fuck Trump. Buy nothing from us. Tell yur leaders fuck not and burn down the country if they do.
He says a lot of shit that doesn’t make any sense.
Seriously, he’s demented.
I don’t think he’s more demented than he used to be years ago 🤷
