Trump targets Europe as he eyes a new war

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You’d think Donald Trump had enough on his plate, trying to find an exit path from his war on Iran that isn’t humiliating. Somehow, however, he’s found the time and energy to revive an old favourite, his trade war with the European Union.

Last week Trump, in a social media post naturally, announced that he would increase tariffs on European cars from 15 per cent to 25 per cent this week, claiming that the EU wasn’t complying with the terms of the trade deal the US and EU agreed last year.

That deal hasn’t yet been ratified by the EU, although it is on track to be finalised in June. Indeed, there was a meeting of European lawmakers this week with the European Commission and European Council to dot the Is and cross the Ts on the legislation that would implement the agreement.

Trump’s threat came out of the blue and has been labelled by the head of the European Parliament’s trade committee, Bernd Lange, as “unacceptable” and a development that demonstrates how unreliable the US is.

The Europeans appear to suspect that Trump’s threat has more to do with the deterioration in the wider relationship with the administration than the slow progress they have made in ratifying the trade deal.

Germany and Japan once threatened democracy. Now they’re saving it

Peter HartcherPolitical and international editor

Political and international editor

Trump has been angered by the failure of NATO and Europe to play a role in the war in the Middle East – a war the US and Israel launched without any consultation or any forewarning of its allies.

More recently, he was incensed – and has threatened to withdraw 5000 US troops from Germany – after its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said (accurately, but ill-advisedly) that America was being “humiliated” in the war with Iran.  Trump would know that Germany’s auto industry would be hit hardest by any increase in US........

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