WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday added the 27 countries that make up the European Union to the list of trade partners he’s threatening with tariffs — unless the group takes steps to import more U.S. goods.

“I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas,” Trump posted shortly after 1 a.m. on social media. “Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!”

  • swampwitch@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    Probably influenced by the enormous amount of money oil barons spent on him, of which they almost certainly did with an expectation of return on investment.

    His desire to “Drill baby drill!” and relax restrictions on oil drilling—including drilling into a wilderness reserve previously uninterrupted by man—and his apparent distaste for EVs and green energy, makes it pretty obvious whose hand has firmly lodged itself right up his arsehole.

    The man needs oil to sell to please his owners, and belligerently trying to force the EU to increase their purchases is just another one of his hare-brained schemes.

    • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      He seems to think that a trade deficit means that the US is losing money. That’s obviously as incorrect as the idea that tariffs are paid by the country they are enacted on, rather than the country that is enacting them, but if he really does believe both of those things, his behavior makes some sense.

  • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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    16 hours ago

    he’s just going full Oprah with these things isn’t he?

    did someone tell him it’s a game like duck duck goose?

    tariff. tariff. tariff. tariff. tariff. tariff.

    Donald, you can’t give everyone tariffs!

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      9 hours ago

      I wish media would call the what they are. Taxes. Trump wants to tax the American people. He is pro taxes, he wants more and more and more of them. But he wants to make sure they hit the lower and middle class, so he gives tax breaks to the rich, and then passes the cost down.

    • LANIK2000@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      I hate how this race to the bottom makes China look better and better each year. Fucking China! Good job assholes! The US is getting dangerously close to becoming just as bad… Well, except for the about to be fucking poor like Russia part.

    • realitista@lemm.ee
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      16 hours ago

      Yes, it seems that if he has his way, the whole world will have to unite against the USA.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    Sir, yourope? That’s spelled EUROPE. OK all good? Let me know if you need anything else! Oh diaper change? Already? OK I’ll call Jason and Bobby and Fred they know how to do it. They are the bigliest experts.

    • Alex@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      That’s what he wants, he’s all about the bitcoin and his own versions of it.

    • Caveman@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      That’s unfortunately not gonna happen since the US has the world reserve currency but it looks like he’s doing his best to change that

      • TheBrideWoreCrimson@sopuli.xyz
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        9 hours ago

        The times when John Connally could tell European diplomats “The dollar is our currency, but your problem” are already nearly gone. The world’s currency reserves are currently at 59% US dollars, down from the year 2000’s 73%.

      • WIZARD POPE💫@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        Sadly cannot expect it to change bit it would really be funny if the reserve currency changed to something else like the € for example.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          2 hours ago

          We can expect it to change actually. We’ve known for decades that we’re entering another multi polar era. One of the biggest criticisms of GOP presidents since Reagan is their cavalier attitude to this fact. They keep trying to strong arm other countries like there’s no alternatives and every time they do that they generate political will to move away from the US in other countries.

        • Caveman@lemmy.world
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          8 hours ago

          Yeah, euro is a good candidate, inflation target is 2% and is pretty stable and widely accepted. The Mercosur deal might tip the scales pretty heavily towards the euro since Latin America uses mostly USD for international transactions.

          The BRICS currency would also be a strong candidate if that ever happens.

  • Naich@lemmings.world
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    1 day ago

    OK. The rest of the world can forget the US for the next 4 years. We’ll see you guys in 2029 if there’s anything left.

  • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    He has found an efficient way to damage every economy and the planet at the same time.

    • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 day ago

      Interestingly enough, his tariffs are slowly expanding to cover everyone that Putin/Russia considers an enemy, and his original plan for major tariffs on China are conveniently no longer mentioned. I’m sure there’s absolutely zero correlation of course.

      • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
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        7 hours ago

        Any tariffs contribute to inflation, but tariffs on China will do this to the greatest visible degree possible. It’s why he backed down on that.

      • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        If we had anymore evidence for Trump’s sphincter hugging Putin’s wrist it would be lost in the mountains of that which already exists.

    • Riddick3001@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 day ago

      He is an efficient expert… in demolition. We should make a top 10 list. Including Putin, Bashar-Al-Assad, Musk and others.

      Edi: sorry, just realised that Putin and Al-Assad fall in another special category.

  • 9point6@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Interesting he’s had the idea to force the world to become less dependent on trade with the US

    Kinda thought of all things he wouldn’t want to risk reducing the value of the dollar like that

    Edit: won’t this also make the prospect of moving more global businesses abroad more appealing?