Posted on 04/08/2025 9:04:08 AM PDT by ChicagoConservative27
8 Apr 2025 U.S. President Donald Trump shot down the European Union’s offer of a zero-tariff trade relationship on some goods, demanding that the bloc do more to rectify the significant trading imbalance, such as purchasing more American-produced energy.
With markets putting pressure on politicians worldwide, leading Eurocrats came out on Monday, attempting to appease Washington with concessions. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Brussels had relayed an offer of “zero-for-zero” tariffs on industrial goods, while trade envoy Maroš Šefčovič suggested a “boost in strategic areas” like semiconductors and minerals.
8 Apr 2025 U.S. President Donald Trump shot down the European Union’s offer of a zero-tariff trade relationship on some goods, demanding that the bloc do more to rectify the significant trading imbalance, such as purchasing more American-produced energy.
With markets putting pressure on politicians worldwide, leading Eurocrats came out on Monday, attempting to appease Washington with concessions. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Brussels had relayed an offer of “zero-for-zero” tariffs on industrial goods, while trade envoy Maroš Šefčovič suggested a “boost in strategic areas” like semiconductors and minerals.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Oil and natural gas are commodities and having Europe directly buy from America really doesn’t improve America’s overall trade balances. It just means some other country will buy the oil Europe did not when Europeans buy American energy. We need these parasitic Europeans to buy our finished goods, our manufactured cars, computers, industrial machines.
“European Union’s offer of a zero-tariff trade relationship on some goods”
Some goods, the EU still thinks they can run the okee dook on Trump. Wrong.
Sounds like Trump is channeling Reagan, cutting off Russian oil cash flow while padding ours with the balance of trade.
Hopefully they won’t be able to afford the war.
The Art of the Deal
What American produced energy? We need to triple our own production. I want to see so much electricity production that the utilities have to beg us to buy more. The EU needs to drop some but not all of their regulations on American farming goods, cars, and stop issuing “fines” to American companies that allow its users to speak freely.
If we sell more energy to the EU, we will need to buy more Canadian energy.
The Europeans might pay higher prices for US drugs and sell EU sourced drugs at lower prices. The EU and US governments might buy drugs jointly so we get fully equal pricing and larger volume discounts.
Another possibility is to buy more motor vehicle parts from the USA.
EU health systems might cover EU citizens vacationing in the USA.
Trump may be getting a little ahead of himself but why not? We can produce plenty of petroleum but we should also cut a quick deal with Canada on importing oil and gas. No tariffs between US and Canada. We would both benefit greatly.
A country can say...okay..."0" tariffs...but you can't import chickens, hogs, beef, can goods over 6 oz...etc etc. Chana has been playing that game for years.
“American farming goods, cars”
American cars will not likely sell in the volume required.
Even rich Brits typically drive modest-size cars.
In Turin, the cars were typically quite small. In Milan, the cars often were bigger but still on the low side of American vehicle sizing.
The EU can import more motor vehicle parts. I believe in financially balancing the motor vehicle business by nation as the Canadians required when I was young.
Reducing EU farm subsidies might be possible. Just bear in mind the US government throws big money at agriculture too.
We can build such cars if we had a marker for them
Market
“No tariffs between US and Canada.”
All trade deals should be limited in duration and volume.
The Chinese might relocate Chinese people and factories to Canada for a 1% sales share paid to the Canadian government.
Der EU Fuhrer Leyden declares trade war on the USA. Individual EU PMs sue for peace. Lol.
As said earlier, this is about FREE and FAIR, reciprocal or all 0 tariffs is fair, but now he needs the exports to be free meaning no banning or silly regs limiting our exports to them.
American cars are a bad example. Even Americans don’t buy them if they can afford Japanese. Unfortunately the USA builds crappy cars. There isn’t one that I would buy of current models. Poor quality is the norm in American car companies. Stellantis is worse. If Trump wants to revitalize the US Auto industry he needs to encourage better quality.
There are tradeoffs.
The more familiar opponents get with his transactional habits, the less effective they may be. Example: When he promises Hamas there will be hell-fire and doesn't deliver when they don't produce hostages, he habituates them to his bluster. That's dangerous. He would have to break it up with the occasional reality to keep them on guard.
Similarly, that he cannot fire at will enough people in the bureaucracy, they will institute their undermining co-operations against him. If they learn they can get away with ignoring him, it will be very costly to his agenda.
So this may be more of a "pick your battles and win ALL of them" situation than to which he is used.
The EU, like the USA, conjures up money.
EU companies, unlike EU politicians, would generally be more inclined to make deals with Trump.
Perhaps negotiation can be done by company.
“So this may be more of a “pick your battles and win ALL of them” situation than to which he is used.”
It’s my understanding that Trump is fond of the writings of a Chinese guy who said something similar.
Hope you’re right there.
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