Authored by Mike Shedlock via mishtalk,
Trump floats new tariffs on China with a new twist.
Please consider the Bloomberg article Trump Floats New Tariffs on China, India to Squeeze Russia
President Donald Trump told European officials he’s willing to impose sweeping new tariffs on India and China to push President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table with Ukraine — but only if EU nations do so as well.
Trump made the ask when he called into a meeting with senior US and EU officials in Washington, according to people familiar with the discussion who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. The US is willing to mirror tariffs imposed by Europe on either country, one of the people said.
The proposal amounted to a challenge given that several nations, including Hungary, have blocked more stringent EU sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector in the past. Such measures would require the backing of all member states.
New TACO Form
Instead of chickening out later, Trump is chickening out up front, hoping to place the blame elsewhere.
Every EU nation would have to agree to tariffs on China and India and that is a nonstarter.
Trump knows they won’t. So, he will pin the blame of the EU.
Evolution of the Conversation
I will if you will.
You first.
No, you first.
I dare ya.
I double dare ya.
I double dog dare ya.
I triple dog dare ya.
You’re just a big chicken.
Xi is probably laughing his ass off.
Meanwhile, where are the tough measures on Russia that Trump has threatened for months on end?
Trump Is Impotent
Trump cannot act on China because China would cut off the supply of rare earth elements the US needs for weapons systems, microchips, phones, and aircraft.
So Trump dares the EU.
About Cooperation
The sorry aspect is cooperation among allies is needed. But Trump started out by punching Canada, Mexico, and Greenland in the nose.
Canada was on course to elect a conservative prime minister until Trump taunted them with the idea of becoming a 51st state.
Trump sent an uninvited delegation led by Vice President Vance to interfere in Greenland’s election with predictable results. Greenland voted to stay closer to Denmark for longer.
The US needs rare earths from Canada and Greenland and cheap labor in Mexico or cheap hydroelectric power in Canada to process them.
Now he seeks cooperation from the EU after bragging about an unsigned “deal” with them that has a snowball’s chance in hell of happening due to political and fiscal constraints.
On top of it all, no one can possibly believe a word Trump says because he unilaterally broke his own USMCA deal with Canada and Mexico.
Now he wants cooperation to confront China when it’s clear he is just looking for someone to blame.