Donald Trump had a fast and furious couple of days after believing he was at an impasse with the EU on a trade deal.
Trump went from imposing a 50% tariff to delaying it all within a few days, but that was more than enough time for the media to come after him again.
By Friday, Trump was clearly frustrated with the lack of progress on a deal with the EU, and he threw up his hands.
Trump announced that the EU had been “very difficult” to deal with, adding, “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!”
Trump then announced that he was going to immediately impose a 50% tariff across the board on all goods from the EU.
When Trump was later asked about being hopeful for a deal, he stated that “I’m not looking for a deal. I mean, we’ve set the deal. It’s at 50%.”
I have always stated that these tariff threats by Trump are nothing more than a negotiating tactic. I honestly don’t believe Trump wants to impose these tariffs, but he has decided he wants better deals for this country, and if this is the tool he has to use, so be it.
It took about five seconds for the New York Times to hit Trump, saying he was going to slow our economy and destroy the EU economy.
For instance, writer Patricia Cohen stated, “Whatever the strategy — or lack of one — the economic fallout on the American, European and global economies will be severe if Mr. Trump follows through.”
Neil Shearing, chief economist at Capital Economics, added, “This all points to concerns about policy direction in the U.S. lacking credibility.”
The very next day, Trump announced that he had a great call with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, and that he would delay imposing the tariffs while they continued to work on a deal.
After Trump made his announcement, von der Leyen confirmed the call had taken place with a post of her own on X, writing, “The EU and US share the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship. Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively.
“To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9.”
So, like I said, it is a tool that Trump has used very effectively, so it would be great if just once, the mainstream media did not go directly to panic mode and allowed the situation to play out a bit. I get reporting on the changes, but at least give the readers an idea of what this is all about instead of filling all the white space with one-sided views of panic.
