rump calls for 50% tariff on EU, says he's "not looking for a deal"

Published Fri, May 23 20257:47 AM EDTUpdated Fri, May 23 20253:30 PM EDT
Kevin Breuninger

... The steep new import duties would start June 1, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The EU “has been very difficult to deal with,” Trump wrote of the 27-nation bloc. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!” ...

“I’m not looking for a deal,” added Trump, who frequently praises tariffs as a clutch negotiating tool and a way to bring in federal revenue ...

U.S. stock futures sank immediately following the posts, which showed the Republican president once again wielding the threat of massive import taxes in response to economic activity he disfavors ...

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/23/trump-recommends-50percent-tariff-on-european-union-starting-june-1.html

It's that old story. The Emperor's New Policy, where pranksters visit the emperor with promises of a wonderful new economic policy that will be incomprehensible to stupid people. The emperor follows their advice, randomly imposing and removing pointless tariffs. None of his cabinet officials tell him that this is incomprehensible shit-wittery: instead they all compliment him on his policy brilliance. The spell is only broken when a small child says, "What the actual fuck is wrong with him and all the rest of of you nincompoops!"