this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2024
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Summary

Donald Trump has demanded the European Union reduce its $131.3 billion U.S. trade deficit by purchasing more American oil and gas or face tariffs.

Trump’s comments, posted on Truth Social, come as the EU works to phase out Russian energy imports and diversify suppliers.

EU officials, while open to U.S. energy imports, criticized Trump’s approach as transactional, warning of potential retaliation.

Analysts highlight risks of tariffs to inflation and global trade. The EU plans to engage pragmatically but has prepared for heightened U.S. protectionism under Trump’s leadership.

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[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA 8 points 3 hours ago

Sheesh. With allies like the US, who needs enemies

[–] Gammelfisch 16 points 10 hours ago

The EU should counter by tariffing the shit out of US made weapons. Fuck around with the US MIC and one will find out. The MAGAt morons fail to realize there are important EU based companies supplying machinery and components for the US oil and gas industry.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Really hope the EU ignores this and just slaps counter-tariffs. The US has military power, the EU has economic power. It does not unelastically depend on imports from the US, and has a huge internal market. Teach this fucker a lesson.

[–] Telodzrum 5 points 11 hours ago

It just turns into a really dumb pissing match where the poor suffer on both sides. Europe is almost entirely reliant on LNG from the US because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

[–] ThePowerOfGeek 20 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

EU: "Hey Canada, wanna do some trading?"

[–] mPony 14 points 12 hours ago

Absolutely. :) As long as we can be outrageously vocal about it and make it a super big deal. Also there should be dancing and chocolate treats and hopefully some cheese.

[–] Dead_or_Alive 46 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

It’s going to be fun explaining to MAGA why electricity and Natural gas prices in the US rise dramatically in the next three years.

We have extremely low prices compared to the rest of the world mostly because a lot of our gas is kept domestically. Believe me energy companies would export if they could but we don’t have enough infrastructure to service the global market and the Biden administration has dragged its feet approving that infrastructure to keep prices low and satisfy environmentalists.

By promoting our domestic gas for export and removing regulations keeping export infrastructure from being built we will be raising our own prices at home…

Dumb fucks.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

The problem with explaining anything to MAGAs is that anything that opposes their world view is going to be summarily rejected.

These people can't be reasoned with.

Trump and Republicans will blame immigrants.

And they will believe him.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 12 hours ago

They blamed Obama for 9/11

[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago

Trump and Republicans will blame immigrants.

And Democrats.

[–] HexadecimalSky 77 points 19 hours ago

This is toddler 101. If baby asks you for a treat, and you are going to give it to them, if they start throwing a tantrum over it, you can no lobger give it to them. You might have wanted to give them the treat, but once they start throwing a tantrum you need to not reinforce the tantrum.

100% on EU with this, don't let toddlers think or act like thier tantrums work.

[–] [email protected] 98 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (1 children)

Let him. He seems to think tariffs would make the EU/China/etc pay him money. They don't. Tariffs raise the price for the person buying the good. It makes prices artificially high within the US and the US consumer pays. The seller gets the same money they always did.

Unless there's an American alternative manufacturer who can't currently compete in the domestic market because of price, tariffs are a total foot-gun.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

At this point I’d like Trump to go nuts with tariffs. If amerika has decided that the world needs to be punished, then let amerikans burn first. They’ll keep us warm while our economies fall apart.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

I didn't decide shit, the rest of these asshats I'm surrounded by did it for me. Leave me out of it.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Why don't the Chinese people do something about Xi? Why don't the Russians do something about Putin? Why don't the Israel's do something about Netanyahu?

I didn't decide shit, the rest of these asshats I'm surrounded by did it for me. Leave me out of it.

[–] NeilBru 11 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

The world is largely full of masochists ruled by sadists.

Never underestimate people's desire for servility in the name of stability.

The vast majority of people have an exceedingly high tolerance for their own subjugation if it means they don't have to think or act to avoid pain or responsibility.

Okay, I admit that I basically said the same thing 3 times with different wording. Personally, I just hope that I'm not as docile as I fear that I am.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 14 hours ago

Yep. Submission is easy, revolting is hard. That's pretty much the reason why tyrants exist in the first place.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 19 hours ago

It's like little baby learned a new word

[–] yesman 8 points 14 hours ago

Browsing the comments, and there is another way this is dumb nobody has pointed out yet. Oil and gas are global commodities and Europe's energy expenditures buoy the oil price identically whether they buy from the US or Saudi Arabia.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I can't wait for this dude to become president. It's going to be amazing to see him bankrupt the US.

[–] Zron 7 points 14 hours ago

I’ve just accepted that no matter how much I try to save, or what kind of job I get, the economy will explode every ten years and I’ll get shafted.

Who needs to retire anyway.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

It's amazing that a party who ran off free market economics for like 5 decades can all come down with sudden onset amnesia about the subject.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Not surprising to anyone who's been paying attention and has half a brain.

[–] NatakuNox 9 points 16 hours ago

Lol China and Russia are going to be laughing about this all the way to the bank.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

He still thinks a trade deficit is bad.

Goddamn

[–] [email protected] 6 points 13 hours ago

Even dumber, he thinks a trade deficit means someone owes the US money.

And people actually believe him.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

They already are. They've been replacing Russian gas and oil with US gas and oil.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 18 hours ago

And that's all it takes for Trump to declare a win.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

Blow up the Nordstream pipeline.

Sell US oil and gas at a premium.

Cui bono?

[–] FelixCress 14 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

This is actually not his idea and it is already in motion in the EU to replace rest of Russian supplies.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

It's classic Trump. Take credit for other's ideas.

[–] FelixCress 3 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

Yup:

There is expected to be strong demand for US gas imports from EU economies. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said last month that gas from the US could be used to replace the bloc’s remaining imports of Russian LNG as the EU struggles to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

“We still get a whole lot of LNG via Russia, from Russia,” von der Leyen said. “And why not replace it with American LNG, which is cheaper, and brings down our energy prices.”

[–] [email protected] 0 points 15 hours ago

Oof, transporting LNG is terrible for the environment. It costs in packaging and it leaks in transit. Honestly it would probably be better for our environment of they just took it from Russia

[–] LittleBorat3 11 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Can that sprayed turkey just croak in one or two years, please God?

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA 2 points 3 hours ago

Let's say he goes comatose and is kept alive by machines the rest of his term. Can you imagine the face eating?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 18 hours ago

Or months. Or days. Any time, really; he won't be missed in any meaningful or emotional way.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 20 hours ago

Demand all you want, you orange twat.

[–] breadsmasher 13 points 20 hours ago

tRaDe DeFiCiT

[–] arin 2 points 18 hours ago

Retarded Republicans, oil gas will be phased out anyways