European News Thread

Seems Trump torqued Merkel but good when he stated that Germany was wrong to allow a new $11 billion Baltic Sea pipeline to import even more Russian gas, while being slow to meet targets for NATO spending.

"I think it is a horrific thing that's being done when you're feeding billions and billions of dollars from Germany primarily ... into the coffers of Russia," Trump had said during a trip to Europe.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, vowing to stay in office despite stresses at home and abroad, said she would work on Germany's "under pressure" relationship with the United States but that Washington could no longer be relied on to deliver world order.

Reality Check, "Not if you refuse to pony up your share to NATO Angela."
The gravy train has come to a halt.

Damn right Poland could make a pact with Russia to invade Germany and split the spoils, Nato could do nothing about it apart from going full nuke which they would never do.

I doubt that!

And another question pops up, what about the "Land of the free"? Do you really want to tell your fellow compatriots to go without the very cheap and the very expensive high quality stuff they so like?

How should that go? Can you really envision a president forcing his people to buy only self made stuff? Like in...say....North Korea or the former GDR? I can tell you that is not a vote winner! People hate that!


Yeah, it shouldn't become to big...

I remember a president Clinton presiding over a trade surplus. So, it's possible! :)

PS: The US has a goods trade deficit with the EU of $146.8 billion in 2016, but a surplus in services of $54.8 billion!

ustr.gov/countries-regions/europe-middle-east/europe/european-union


The new tariffs coming up are definitely a backlash to Trumps tariffs!

If Trump would had not binned the new free trade agreement we wouldn't talk about tariffs anylonger...


"vowing to stay in office"???

The next election is in three years....we just needed a full year to build a working government after the last one!


...so true.

I fear K. would rather cut off his hand than shake it with Putin over a pact! :)

your probably right there bud but how long has k got?

Anyway it wouldn't be right to invade Germany, Just the idea of that twist of history is interesting.

You probably could make it to Berlin in under a week, this time...but it's like beating a pussy cat, where is the honor in that!

No chance in my maluch, and in any case, as I said the uniform, don't fit, and anyway icht been ine berlinner and all that . as Kennedy once said.

That is politics. I am talking macro economics, which as much science as physics. When you (editorial) conflate the two, no intelligent discussion is possible. A US president cannot alter the fact that when the country spends itself into bankruptcy, the only means available - and only for a moment - is theft by printing money. Welcome to Venezuela.

In a free US, any factory can close and move, leaving the government - which means all of us - to take care of the unemployed. Tariffs are a fee imposed on the goods made in that new US factory in China to pay for the unemployment benefits here in the US because somebody has. It's really that simple.

hach ja...Kennedy! :)

Look no further than the military budget. If the politicians of a country are stupid enough to spend 610 billion dollars a year on the military, then it deserves to go bankrupt. Ask the Soviets. They know a thing or two about that.


Not if your president's name is Trump and your company is called Carrier or Harley-Davidson.

Those are words of wisdom. BTW, that number is actually higher.


And these are not until you cite a law Trump can invoke to stop them from going wherever they want. Imposing tariffs on their products is another matter, and if that would make them stay, then Trump is right for the reasons I already explained.

The student loan debt in California alone is 120 billion.
Student Loan Debt Statistics In 2018: A $1.5 Trillion Crisis
At least I am afforded my freedom with the money spent on our military.

Remember that Trump threatened Harley-Davidson with severe taxes should they dare to leave? Or how he tried to interfere with Amazon's business by claiming that they don't pay enough to the USPS? The guy is unhinged.


Ask yourself why colleges have to be so expensive and why federal student loans have ridiculously high interest rates.


10% of that money is more than enough to protect the whole country and then some. The rest is spent on America's ambition to be the world's only superpower. Meddling all across the globe has its price.

And a racist and a homophobe and orange and a white supremacist and a .......all hate words by the Left.
Unhinged is another one which I interpret as being Politically Incorrect.


Because they are high risk with most students having no intentions of ever paying the money they borrowed back I guess.


LOL - Sources to that please - you are clueless with your personal opinion

Doublespeak of the far right: truth is hate. You see nothing wrong with an American president threatening American companies? What kind of "patriot" are you?


How many nukes do you need to protect the country? For 70+ billion a year, you can maintain plenty of warheads. The rest is wasted for America's military ambitions across the globe.

The EU is going to implode itself with their stiff regulation of the market that aims at protecting big corporate interest and to cut off competitiveness. I don't know why you're so blind and no see it? They killed your internet forum with their b-crating BS. Also they try to impose control over EU members without a proper authority to do so and without member's states consent.


Yes, Trump actually offered one to Poland. Unfortunately pro-EU gov in Poland - said no.

But that would make sense since the US is only 10th on the list of Poland's trading partners, just above Slovakia and of the first 9 then 8 are in the EU.

Poland can not set up its own trade agreements and that is not only the government decision but that of the Polish electorate who voted to join the EU by a huge margin and who continue to storngly support Polish membership.

I just got back from a nice morning swimming at the lake - in the car park there were cars of expat poles from all over Europe, Germany, Sweden, the UK, Denmark, France. So people understand and appreciate the opportunity that EU membership gives them - in contrast to the US which still requires a visit even if you just want to go to Disneyland. But no need to worry because Trump said that he would fix that ( or was that before the election?)

Our president has done just the opposite if you would open your hate for America eyes.
Why is the stock market BOOMING if America companies are doing so poorly ?
We all must sacrifice to correct the problem that past presidents haven't had the balls to do.
In the long run it will make American companies stronger but you "I Hate Trumpsters" are relentless to keep Trumps hands tide to make America Great Again because it would show you Clintonists how competent you are in pushing your Marxism on America to destroy it.

"Threatening" is your interpretation to make what he said sound bad. You are being 'threatened' every single moment without even realizing it: if you engage in act X, the consequences will be Y. That's according to the penal code where you live.

Trump did exactly the same thing. You want to move to country X? Then, the tariffs will be Y. Your call.

See how simple things are when not viewed through hate? BTW, if you can find 'threat' in the line above, please, let me know where it is buried.

Of course he would want to, but....did you miss somehow the "favourable" part of my sentence?

Do you really, really, really believe..and I mean REALLY...that someone like Donald Trump, who perceives a successful negotiation with him "winning" big only, would give a small developing country alone a better deal than as a part of a huge, powerful union?

REALLY????

What leverage do you think would Poland bring to the table all alone....

All true, but still better than without! That is what you don't want to see...Every european country alone for itself would be suicide for all of Europe.

And even of he were to offer a better deal ( highly unlikely), it would never accomodate for the lost perks of EU membership. Trump would essentially have to agree to fork over 10bn each year just for starters. And losing out on the EU market would be a devastating blow to Poland. There is simply no way that the US could ever hope to match its' importance to Poland, if only because much of Poland's industry depends on its' close proximity to the other European countries.

The future of the UK is a very good indication for this. The UK is the closest ally of the USA, and it has already good economic connections with the USA. And most importantly, Brexit has meet Trump's approval. So let us wait and see how much he is willing to "reward" London for it.

Why would he reward Londonstan when they protested in the streets with a balloon telling him that he was unwanted there ?

They are no longer capable of "telling". That mob can do only one thing: scream like morons who don't even understand what they are screaming against.

BTW, why is it that every time I see those idiots anywhere, it's mostly 20-something broads?

@johnny reb

This would be just another difference between Trump and more responsible politicians. The latter would never place their own ego above what they believe is the best for their country. And since Trump believes that breaking up the EU would be in t Americas' interest, he should encourage them.

Trump is a gift that keeps on giving. Like Christmas at least once a week. From LA Times:

Deeply alarmed at President Trump's attacks on NATO and the transatlantic relationship, European governments are rethinking their reliance on the United States as a strategic ally against Russia, but they are unlikely to make regional security arrangements independent of Washington.

I was so elated reading it until that comma and 'but'. What a letdown.

Have a little more trust in the orange one, would you?

A year or so more of him and them Eurps will rethink some more! :)

Just curious if you ever referred to our mulatto as the brown one?

Probably not - obama was born that way. Trump paints himself orange out of vanity - does not impress women however as he still needs to pay them

No, that would be racist and the Germans would never engage in comments like that.