US to demand EU pulls away from China in return for cutting tariffs

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/04/15/briefings-suggest-eu-faces-choice-between-us-and-china/

27 Comments

  1. Remind me, who indirectly pushed EU to buy more stuff from China recently?

    Besides, EU was trying to be more independent from China for years now.

    EDIT: I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if Trump learned this, and so he would claim EU is pushing away from China thanks to him cutting of the tariffs, i’m placing my bet.

  2. percutaneousq2h on

    Who are the US to DEMAND things of other countries? Ugh, the arrogance is so off putting.

  3. Trump is scary because he wields so much power – with such a tiny brain and a big mouth

  4. Body_Languagee on

    Daddy Trump now trying to protect tesler from being totally wiped out of European market by Chinese EVs

  5. You can’t go changing your mind every week

    Time to leave the clown to his own craziness and walk away

  6. The EU shouldn’t even dignify this with a response.
    If Trump wants to tariff the EU and China then let him! What EU and China decide to do trade wise between themselves is none of US’s business.

    Trump is like a rabid, little chihuahua dog, yapping non-stop. We need to try and ignore it and leave it be until it wears itself out.

  7. JFC. Grow the fuck up already. America has NO say in who another country can trade with.

  8. USA: I don’t want to date you Europe anymore.

    Europe: Ok, I’m sad, but I’ll heal and move on.

    USA: No, not like that! Come back!

    And scene. That’s how the “Art of the Deal” is done in 3 seconds!

  9. it’s funny, because i remember USA screaming “we are unreliable partners in trade and morality” last week.

  10. So Trump strategy was to play hardball and it backfired ? I wonder if he still think USA is still in the 80-90s or he forgot the past 25 years?

  11. YupThatsMeBuddy on

    And get their goods from where? We aren’t making them in the US and if we do (which we never will) they won’t cost the same. Trump is an idiot. I’m embarrassed that my country is so dumb to put such an obviously unqualified person in office. He is scum.

  12. Why would europe do that? China is a far more reliable partner then the USA these days. The USA made it clear that they see Europe as an enemy and that they will not just lie to them but also bully and black mail them mercyless. And with the USA now openly assisting countries like russia with genociding european democracies you simply know that the USA left the free world completely.

  13. glorious_reptile on

    How can we even trust you on this issue? Any deal is just a toilet-shitting tweet away from being changed.

  14. The US sound like the abusive jealous ex-boyfriend who made you break up with him and now threatens to demolish your car and ruin your lawn because you start dating other guys.

  15. It has become so bad that china is considered a better and more reliable partner than the usa.

  16. breathable-cotton on

    So… Undermine the longstanding alliances by trashing the EU, threatening NATO, imposing tariffs, then realize you’ve screwed up and now you want them to choose you ahead of China?

  17. PM_ME_UR_VULVASAUR_ on

    Fuck that. Europe and Asia can work together until adults are back in the White House, and then the US should make confessions to it’s allies and trade partners.

  18. China already shut down export of rare earths that only come from China. Motors in electric vehicles and all kinds of defense & space systems rely on them.

    It won’t take much for China to crash the US economy since so much of the US supply chain only comes from China. Similarly, it doesn’t take much for several countries that hold 10 year treasuries to crash the US bond market and the US dollar. That probably happened last week. Not only does Trump hold the losing hand, China manufactured the deck of cards.

  19. Be the USA:

    Win WWII.

    Host Bretton Woods like it’s a post-war frat mixer: “You bring the gold, we’ll bring the rules.”

    Offer to protect everyone’s shipping routes like a global hall monitor with nukes.

    Invent the IMF, World Bank, WTO, and petro dollar because if you’re going to run the world, you might as well write the accounting software.

    Politely but firmly tell Europe to stop building tanks and start building wine cellars.

    Spend 70 years telling allies not to militarize, then get mad they listened.

    Elect a president whose foreign policy knowledge comes from Fox News, fortune cookies, and unfinished golf conversations.

    Discover tariffs like a toddler finds fire: fascinating, loud, and immediately destructive.

    Accuse allies of freeloading, China of cheating, and your own trade deals of betrayal….basically speedrun alienating the entire planet.

    Watch soft power built over three generations evaporate faster than your approval rating.

    Suddenly realize China slipped the leash while you were busy lighting your credibility on fire.

    Bond market starts to wobble. turns out Canada and a few NATO pals (thanks, Mark Carney) are quietly slow leaking U.S. Treasuries like it’s a coordinated financial fart in an elevator.

    Tariff plans screech to a halt.

    Do not, under any circumstances, acknowledge that Canada outmaneuvered you.

    Now demand the EU ghost China, because the only logical way to rebuild bridges you burnt is to threaten to burn the ashes again.