Buy European

Even if we lose more, we can't back down from a bully. We need to stand strong and roll with the punches

No, blind retaliatory tariffs would be stupid. When someone is punching themselves in the face, the correct thing to do is not to also punch yourself in the face.

Tariffs have 3 effects:

• The buyer pays more.
• Because the buyer pays more, the seller makes fewer sales.
• The government collects tariff tax revenue.

Whichever way the tariff goes, export or import, it will negatively affect that nation's people. An import tariff, like this, would negatively affect local consumers. An export tariff (eg Canada tariffing electricity exports to the US) would negatively affect local businesses through lost sales (the genius with Canada is the US can't stop buying electricity, so sales local sales would stay the same).

The only way a tariff makes sense for a country is if the tariff tax revenue is reinvested into the local economy. For example, if you tariff imports, you should use that revenue to incentivise local businesses to grow to replace that import.

Trump is not doing that. He's just collecting tax money from American people. He's almost certainly going to spaff that away on some scam, probably crypto, and basically bankrupt the American taxpayer and fuck up everyone's livelihoods.

EU countries should not copy Trump and blanket tax their citizens for American imports. If the EU were to implement tariffs (and I argue this isn't necessary or worthwhile), they should only be done with a plan to reinvest, such that there is a net benefit. Blunt tariffs with no plan will almost certainly have a net negative effect.

China is like Trump, in that neither of them care much about the negative effects on their people. That's why China went hard with retaliatory tariffs. The EU does not need to emulate that behaviour.

Don’t worry, he’ll back down either way. He’ll just claim that he’s made a great deal with EU even if no such deal has been made, and then lower the tariffs again.

They're also throwing out the Windows Garbage out of government and critical systems and switching to Linux, and want to audit the sources for the remaining systems

Forget physical goods, hit us where it really hurts. Use the intellectual property clause, and start cracking down on Big Tech.

The US makes all its money with power projection through its services, so fuck them up. Please.

And for heavens sake, Europe would be healthier with a little less Twitter and fewer fees payed to the US.

I think this is a good idea. Trumps just fishing for a reason to backdown on Ukraine weapons deal. If this does nothing he will find another way.

I believe the economics agree, but the diplomats don't. I am hoping the economics are the reason the eu is taking their time to respond.

It seems ignoring him hurts his pride the most. No real response is needed anyway. EU has the whole process ready. Just take the map marked "Trump tariff", look in the index for 50%-75% and start from there. Probably the first step is a wait period for when he charges his mind yet again.

We don't hurt our own people. Europeans shouldn't be buying US groceries anyway, there's no need to.

The only thing that is largely inescapable is software, and that mostly affects businesses anyway. The USians will hurt way more.

The responses are usually surgical. Last time EU also targeted Republican voting states with Sanctions

Thank you, this is something I've been screaming from the rooftops.

Trump doesn't care about the American people who will pay his tariffs. China doesn't care about Chinese people paying their tariffs on US goods (although there are probably fewer US imports to China anyway). The EU does care about its people, and shouldn't tax them with tariffs.

Tariffs only work if you can prevent the local harm (eg Canada were going to tax electricity exports, the US can't stop buying electricity so Canadian businesses wouldn't lose sales) or to at least have a plan beforehand to reinvest in local businesses that can replace the imported good.