President Trump’s plan to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Steel imports and 10 percent tariffs on Aluminum imports received a raging response from America’s ally, the European Union. The EU has threatened the U.S. administration that it would impose counter tariffs on American goods if President Trump moves ahead with his tariff plan.
However, the EU wants to counter Trump and his administration not just for the sake of trade tariffs, they want to punish the ideology that has put President Trump at the White House, which is anti-establishment and pro-forgotten men and women because they fear the ideology more than they despise Trump’s tariff plans. Because the similar (Not same) ideology threatens the existence of the European elites. The recent election outcome in Italy clearly shows that the establishment ideology is under threat in Europe as well, where anti-EU, populist parties have received majority of the votes.
If you don’t agree with the above, then you should read the following comments from European Commission Chief Jean Claude Juncker,
“the American president now wants to impose import tariffs on steel and aluminum, coming from Europe. I warned him against it here in Hamburg at the G20. That did not impress him, because he still did what he's up to now. But the European Union will have to oppose this project because we cannot stand by and watch how, for whatever reason, the industrial location of Europe becomes fragile and how tens of thousands of industrial jobs disappear in Europe. On the other hand, Europe has to defend itself and we will fight back against it.
So now we impose import duties. This is actually a stupid process that we need to do this, but we have to do it. We now impose tariffs on motorcycles - Harley Davidson - on jeans - Levi's - on bourbon. We can be so stupid, we must be so stupid. I would have preferred that we did not have to do this.
But I note with concern - with burning concern, actually - that in some parts of the world, populism becomes official politics. Not only there, but also here in part, where the advance of the xenophobes, the racists, the other not able to be braked barely. And at some point, the classic people's parties - in parts at least - aping these populists. And I say to you: The apes of populists become populists themselves. And he always sees voters from behind. You have to respect the voters, but you cannot run after them. Sometimes you have to stand in your way if you have a different message than the message of the street.”
You can despise the Trump Presidency, you can despise his policies, you can even call then stupid, but what you can’t ignore is that Trump gave voice to voters who were none but forgotten by the establishment. Their voices were so powerful that it defeated the entire American & European establishments, the media, and the illegal voters.
The EU doesn’t fear tariffs on Steel and Aluminum, they are afraid that more and more unconventional politicians/leaders would emerge who would do what they campaigned for unlike the established politicians who for decades deliberately didn’t act on promises to the voters. The establishment’s very existence is under threat by the populism and the people and that is exactly why they want to hurt Trump, who is perceived as the leader of this new wave.
You can now relate why they want to impose tariffs on products coming particularly from those states that overwhelmingly voted in favor of Trump in 2016.
