President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the European Union was formed to “screw” the United States, launching a fresh diatribe at the longtime US partner as he once again threatened new 25 percent tariffs.
“Look, let’s be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States,” Trump told reporters as he gathered his cabinet for the first time. “That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it. But now I’m president.”
Trump told his cabinet meeting that the European Union has “really taken advantage of us”, echoing the claims of being treated “unfairly” that he has levied not only at the EU but at China, the media, Democrats and Canada.
The latest invective brought swift reaction from the EU, with one official saying the bloc had in fact been a “boon” for the United States.
“The European Union is the world’s largest free market. And it has been a boon for the United States,” said a European Commission source, adding the EU would respond “firmly and immediately” to new tariffs.
“We should work together to preserve these opportunities for our people and businesses. Not against each other,” the source said.
Trump’s month back in the White House has been marked by soaring friction with the EU bloc, with Germany’s likely next leader and other European nations expressing new support for gaining military independence from Washington.
The United States for decades has cheered on European integration, seeing the formation of the European Union in 1993 as a historic achievement to end conflict on a continent ravaged by two world wars.
Trump applauded Britain when it left the European Union and has taken a strident, isolationist “America First” policy, vowing to pursue self-interest above any abstract concepts of partnership.
The United States had a trade deficit to the 27-nation bloc of $235.6 billion last year, according to official US figures.
Asked if he had made a decision on tariff levels for the European Union, Trump added: “We’ll be announcing it very soon and it’ll be 25 percent, generally speaking.”
He said that cars would be among the products to be hit – grim news for Germany whose export-driven economy has been in a slump.
Trump has also slapped tariffs on US neighbours Canada and Mexico as well as rival China, citing issues including illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling.
Read moreUnfair? Figures belie Trump’s claims on EU trade balance
EU meeting scrapped
Trump, who has made the deportation of mostly non-Western undocumented immigrants a top priority, acknowledged his origins in Europe, saying wryly: “I guess I’m from there at some point a long time ago, right?”
But whatever the common heritage, tensions have risen sharply with the European Union on a series of issues starting with Ukraine.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was visiting Washington on Wednesday and had earlier announced that she would meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The meeting was canceled, with a European Union spokesman citing “scheduling issues”. Trump, however, saw French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday and meets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday.
On Monday, the United States sided with Russia and against nearly all European allies at the United Nations in backing a resolution that called for a swift end to the war without insisting on Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Trump insisted Wednesday it was up to Europe, not the United States, to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, even as President Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to fly to Washington to sign an agreement giving US control of much of his country’s mineral wealth.
“We’re going to have Europe do that,” Trump said. “Europe is their next-door neighbour, but we’re going to make sure everything goes well.”
The winner of Germany’s election on Sunday, Friedrich Merz, is a longstanding supporter of the transatlantic alliance but has warned not to be under illusions about Trump.
Merz said that Europe must move quickly to “achieve independence” from the United States on defence matters.
Rubio, in an interview broadcast Wednesday with Fox News, said that the NATO alliance was “not in jeopardy” but that Europe needed to spend more on its own defence.
“We’re not saying do your own thing. We’re saying do more. It’s their continent, right?” he said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Leave a Comment