President Donald Trump is once again proving that he’s the only leader willing to stand up for American workers and businesses by taking bold action against the European Union’s exploitative trade policies. On Feb. 26, Trump announced that his administration will soon impose a 25 percent tariff on imports from the EU, making it clear that the days of America being a doormat for globalist trade manipulation are over.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Trump called out the EU’s long-standing trade practices that have stacked the deck against American manufacturers, farmers, and automakers. While the United States has historically imposed a mere 2.5 percent tariff on passenger cars, the EU slaps a 10 percent tariff on American vehicles. And that’s not even counting the layers of European value-added taxes, which range from 17.5 percent and higher, making American goods even less competitive in European markets.
Trump isn’t having it. He bluntly stated that the EU was “formed to take advantage of the United States” and has been doing just that for decades. “They don’t accept our cars. They don’t accept, essentially, our farm products. They use all sorts of reasons why not, and we accept everything from them,” he said.
Predictably, the EU is already throwing a tantrum, vowing to “react firmly and immediately” to what they call “unjustified barriers to free and fair trade.” Free and fair? That’s rich coming from a bloc that has systematically protected its industries while expecting America to play by a different set of rules. The reality is that the EU fears a level playing field because they know they can’t compete when the rules are applied equally.
The move against Europe comes on the heels of Trump’s already aggressive stance on trade with Canada and Mexico. Earlier this year, he announced a 25 percent tariff on those two trading partners over their failure to curb illegal immigration and the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States. After last-minute negotiations, Trump agreed to delay those tariffs for 30 days to give Canada and Mexico a chance to get their act together. Now, he has confirmed those tariffs will officially take effect on April 2.
Of course, the media and the usual batch of globalist economists are clutching their pearls, warning that these tariffs could raise prices for Americans. Some even claim they could increase fuel costs by 10 percent. But Trump isn’t buying the hysteria. “I think you’re going to see something that’s going to be amazing,” he assured reporters.
The truth is, America has been getting ripped off on trade for far too long, and the elites in Washington—on both sides of the aisle—have done nothing about it. They’ve let foreign nations impose tariffs, taxes, and regulatory roadblocks on American goods while allowing the U.S. market to be flooded with cheap, subsidized imports that kill jobs and crush domestic industry. Trump’s tariffs are a long-overdue correction to an economic system that has been stacked against America.
The EU, Mexico, and Canada can whine all they want, but the bottom line is simple: If they want access to the American market, they’re going to have to play fair. And if they retaliate? Trump put it best: “They can try, but they can’t.”
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