EU Will Go Full Sledgehammer Because They Are 'So Fed Up with Trump'

Fed up with the Republican President, the EU will go full "sledgehammer" on Trump with 2-stage retaliatory tariffs that they note are bad for business and consumers.

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It’s not just Americans and Canadians who are fed up with Donald Trump’s tortuous 2-month second term. The EU announced today that they are going full “sledgehammer” against Trump’s tariffs. They are done playing.

“Speaking before the announcement, one European steel industry representative said that Brussels would “go full sledgehammer because they are so fed up with Trump,” Politico EU reported Wednesday morning.

The 27-nation bloc — a common market spanning 450 million people — wants to send an unmistakable message that the EU is serious about defending its economic interests should Trump launch a full-scale trade war.

The EU Commission announced a two-stage retaliation in response to Trump’s “imposition of new, unjustified US tariffs on EU steel and aluminum imports,” the European Commission said in a statement Wednesday.

“In total, the EU countermeasures could therefore apply to US goods exports worth up to €26 billion, matching the economic scope of the US tariffs.”

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen explained that these tariffs are bad for business and for consumers. She reiterated that tariffs are taxes and therefore prices will go up, for those in the U.S. who are still pretending otherwise in order to justify Donald Trump’s Art of the Fail.

“The trade relations between the European Union and the US are the biggest in the world. They have brought prosperity and security to millions of people, and trade has created millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. As of this morning the United States is applying a 25% tariff on imports of steel and aluminium. We deeply regret this measure. Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers. These tariffs are disrupting supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy. Jobs are at stake. Prices will go up. In Europe and in the United States. The European Union must act to protect consumers and business.

The countermeasures we take today are strong but proportionate. As the US are applying tariffs worth 28 billion dollars, we are responding with countermeasures worth €26 billion. This matches the economic scope of the US tariffs. Our countermeasures will be introduced in two steps. Starting with 1 April and fully in place as of 13 April. In the meantime, we will always remain open to negotiation. We firmly believe that in a world fraught with geopolitical and economic uncertainties, it is not in our common interest to burden our economies with tariffs. We are ready to engage in meaningful dialogue. I have entrusted Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič to resume his talks to explore better solutions with the US.”

The tariffs will hit beef, bourbon, jeans and American brands like Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Trump’s Bully Policy is a Fail

This mirrors what’s happening in Canada, where Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to Trump’s tariff hikes with a threatened 25% surcharge on energy for three states in America, also hinting he could turn off the electricity altogether.