Notably, the EU proposed a zero-tariffs free-trade agreement to the US in February, and again a few days ago after the reciprocal-tariffs announcement. Trump rejected the proposal, presumably because it wouldn’t remove the US trade deficit.
He said he wants the EU to pay €350 billion a year and to "pay for the past"—and I assume he'll feel emboldened to make even more demands and weaken the EU economy further. And all of that for "security" that's now pivoting to Asia? That sounds like a terrible deal for the EU.
The EU spent €326 billion on its military in 2024. Add €350 billion to that, and you're looking at real-value spending higher than the U.S. military budget. On top of that, if that money is spent within the EU, you get economic growth plus full independence from the U.S.
Trump is overplaying his hand with both the EU and China—especially with China, where some minerals essential to modern manufacturing are mined and processed almost entirely there (90%+ in some cases). You can't do cost-effective manufacturing in many industries without China—at least not for many years to come.
