Trump says "European Union Is A Foe"

Thought I would post this since everyone is losing their minds on the headline. In context, Trump said that the EU was a foe economically due to bad trade deals but most do not read anything other than the headline.


www.cbsnews.com...

"Well, I think we have a lot of foes. I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now, you wouldn't think of the European Union, but they're a foe. Russia is foe in certain respects. China is a foe economically, certainly they are a foe. But that doesn't mean they are bad. It doesn't mean anything. It means that they are competitive," Mr. Trump said at his golf club in Turnberry, Scotland.

"I respect the leaders of those countries. But, in a trade sense, they've really taken advantage of us and many of those countries are in NATO and they weren't paying their bills," he added.

They have taken advantage of us (or rather the repulsively weak leadership we've had in the past) and it's time to re-balance the scales.

The gravy train is over, global parasites.

More incoherent ravings !
Another day another raving.

sheesh Donald.

I agree completely. I don't despise them for putting their government ahead of another county's interest (the U.S.A.). But every trade deal since world war II has only been proffered because it gave a foreign power favorable trade with the States. I would do it too, if I were them.

Just like they shouldn't blame us for not wanting to be screwed any more.

And yes screwed is the right word. Canada can sell steel inside the US without paying taxes the way US steel has to. And it isn't steel from iron mined in Canada either. Canada is just the middleman for Chinese iron. Canada companies refine it then ship it back and forth over their southern border to help the US automakers avoid paying their own tax bills.

Germany dumps steel in the US in the form of car parts. The "German" automakers' US subsidiaries never show a profit, because they import the parts at retail, and build a car out of them, earning profit only on the US workers' effort. The profit on the steel is "shipped home to the fatherland" in the form of payments for raw materials.

India plays similar games in the rebar market.

Yes, trump is sowing chaos. And the free market will leap in to fill the void of US-originated metal. Either that or these foreign companies will buy some senators and have the tariffs removed over trump's veto. They COULD just set up US subsidiaries, and import profits the German way. Oh, but then they'd have to pay capital gains tax...

a reply to: rigel4

What part was incoherent?

Perhaps there is an issue with your reading comprehension abilities?

originally posted by: rigel4
More incoherent ravings !
Another day another raving.

sheesh Donald.

Isnt Trump saying about the same thing as proponents of the British Exit ?
Everyone , not just exits, are saying the EU has em by the nards in trade.
Sheesh

a reply to: abe froman

The US literally built this empire of world police, and in return they asked for trade and economic growth. All of a sudden you want it all un done and want nations to repay you?

This isn't a business, this is planet earth, other nations don't owe you anything, your past leaders made this happen.

I can't even fathom what Trump has in his end game goal. Hypocrites. And you wonder why the rest of the world laughs at you and doesn't respect the US. You made this world we all live in, and you want to abandon it, so how about just go. leave, don't take the rest of us with you.

a reply to: infolurker

Trump is right.


I'd go even farther and say that they (EU) are a dangerous foe.

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: abe froman

The US literally built this empire of world police, and in return they asked for trade and economic growth. All of a sudden you want it all un done and want nations to repay you?

This isn't a business, this is planet earth, other nations don't owe you anything, your past leaders made this happen.

I can't even fathom what Trump has in his end game goal. Hypocrites. And you wonder why the rest of the world laughs at you and doesn't respect the US. You made this world we all live in, and you want to abandon it, so how about just go. leave, don't take the rest of us with you.

I was not aware that the US made the world.

As far as abandoning other countries, how about nonintervention?

Let y'all fight your own wars, keep us out of it, let us take care of our own country before everyone else.

I think it's a splendid idea.

Have fun with that.

We will.

a reply to: infolurker

Time to close ALL our European military bases!!! WWII is over!!!

Actually, it appears the EU had been it's own worst enemy for quite sometime.

Many Europeans think so as well.

a reply to: watchitburn

I said my piece. And I know anything I say will be derailed and deflected into a random shouting match and radical, non rhetoric and biased opinions around here. History is history, it's done, you cannot change it. And after WW1 they became the world police in return for global wealth. Simple as that, and now they are losing grip of it and being backed into a corner, and lashing out blaming EVERYONE else for their OWN issues, you made your bed. NOT the rest of the world.

a reply to: dfnj2015

I agree with that. Our military can be used much more efficiently instead of being spread all over the world.

a reply to: infolurker

Fake News. Not what Trump said. You correctly stated what Trump said in your post.

a reply to: rigel4

If by incoherent you mean completely true.

a reply to: strongfp

No, you're failing to comprehend the issue here.

Everyone agrees the US should not be the world's police. The actual topic here is the bad trade deals the US has gotten ourselves into because of ineptitude in our previous President's.

Trump isn't saying other countries owe us. He's telling them the free ride is over and they need to pull their own weight.

How you managed to conflate that very simple situation into what you're rambling on about?.. I don't know.

a reply to: strongfp

False. Trump is saying we are being taken advantage of, both in trade deals that favor Europe and in NATO where we pay way too much to protect Europe.

He wants things to be more fair,

Speaking as a European (I live in the Netherlands) the EU has been nothing less than an expensive disaster. Our national rights have been usurped, our money manipulated but whee for the single currency.

The EU needs to be disbanded. Go Brexit! One domino at a time....

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

Get a grip of reality. Life isn't fair. So stop being the victim and work with the rest of the world instead of asking for retribution.