Trump's tariffs on the EU are bad policy on many levels. First the most obvious, to quote Milton Friedman: tariffs are always a bad idea.

But the US tariffs on the EU are also a political nightmare. The EU needs to be reformed from the ground up, to reject the old political establishment that has been leading it to ruin for at least 10 years - prioritizing the "green" economy and degrowth, which ultimately impoverishes citizens and leads straight to socialism where entrepreneurs will work according to the orders of bureaucrats (EU funds), not the market. Europe is on the right track to change this in a few years, but a trade war with the US could delay reforms.

The US is the richest market in the world. The EU is a solid market, but getting poorer every year. When EU companies' access to the US market is restricted, they will MOVE out of the EU. Yes, companies have a tendency to move their plants and headquarters to where it is more profitable. Countries that have good trade agreements with the US and the EU will become the new paradise for investors. The EU will lose a lot.

This would finish off the European economy, and politicians will blame Trump just as Putin blames Western statesmen for the economic problems in his country.

Ursula von der Leyen and her team, who are already leading the European economy towards the abyss, will now be able to say that they are not to blame for the collapse of Europe, it is the wicked Trump.

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