The leftist-liberal press likes to portray Donald Trump’s tariff threats as reckless, hasty, and irrational actions. Some headlines have even described his decision to threaten Canada, Mexico, and the European Union with tariffs as a self-inflicted own goal. However, the American president’s goal is entirely clear: he wants to assert his country’s interests. And by all indications, he is succeeding.
Even before taking office, Donald Trump made it explicitly clear that his foreign policy would prioritize the national interest of the United States. To enforce this, he has shown a willingness to impose punitive tariffs.
I have been reading comments in the leftist-liberal press on the matter, and they consistently describe these measures as thoughtless, irrational, or outright insane. Large analytical firms have also weighed in, predicting runaway inflation and economic downturn in America as a result of Trump’s actions.
Yet, Trump’s measures appear to be working. In Mexico’s case, for example, his goal was for the country to take stronger action against illegal immigration and the criminal gangs smuggling drugs into the United States. In my view, this is a completely legitimate demand from an American president whose aim is to reduce crime and illegal immigration in his country. With Canada, Trump sought increased border controls as well.
At first, his request was not taken seriously. But after he announced a 25-percent punitive tariff on both countries, the response quickly changed.
Initially, the Mexican president called Trump’s statement - suggesting that her government was in league with the Mexican cartels - an insult. However, after speaking with him on the phone, she immediately announced a series of agreements. The Mexican National Guard promptly deployed ten thousand armed officers to curb drug trafficking into the United States. In return, the Americans pledged to stem the flow of particularly destructive weapons—such as rocket launchers—into Mexico. Trump was pleased with the agreement, stating that it was explicitly aimed at preventing the entry of fentanyl and illegal migrants. And a similar agreement was reached with Canada. There, outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau allocated $1.3 billion to strengthen the border through technology, helicopters, and coordination with American partners to curb fentanyl smuggling. Additionally, Canada also deployed nearly ten thousand personnel to the border. As a result, Trump suspended the protective tariffs on both countries for a month.
So initially, the leaders of Mexico and Canada dismissed Donald Trump’s demands. But once the U.S. President took a firm stand and forcefully defended his country’s interests - namely, stopping the smuggling of drugs and illegal migrants - their attitudes quickly changed, and both nations suddenly deployed thousands of troops to reinforce border security.
We saw an equally effective enforcement of U.S. interests in Colombia. Staying true to his campaign pledge, Donald Trump issued a presidential decree for the deportation of illegal immigrants. When the first such flight departed from San Diego, California, at the end of January, Colombian authorities protested the American decision by refusing to allow the planes to land, sending them back to the United States. Leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared that the United States could not treat Colombian migrants as criminals. He even issued a presidential decree prohibiting Colombian air traffic control from granting landing clearance to American military planes carrying deported Colombian migrants.
Upon hearing the news, the American president immediately announced a 25% import tariff on all Colombian products, with a provision that if the dispute persisted for a week, the rate would rise to 50%. Additionally, a visa and travel ban was imposed on all Colombian government officials and their family members. Donald Trump denounced Colombia’s actions as a violation of American national security, public safety, and international law, which mandates that a country must accept the return of its nationals who have committed crimes abroad. It did not take long
for the Colombian government to accept all of President Trump’s conditions, including the unrestricted acceptance of deported illegal migrants from the U.S. They even agreed to assist the deportation process using military aircraft. The White House indicated that the planned tariff hikes and sanctions would only be implemented, if Colombia violated the agreement.
Trump also imposed punitive tariffs on China, prompting retaliatory measures from Beijing. As for the European Union, he has so far only issued threats, and no concrete actions have been taken yet. However, one thing is clear: Donald Trump is unwavering in defending his nation’s interests and is proving highly effective in doing so.
So, what lessons can we Europeans take from all this?
As Europeans, I believe we should ask ourselves why EU leaders do not represent European interests with the same determination and effectiveness as Trump does for Americans. Prime Minister Viktor Orban also highlighted this question in his interview with a Swiss newspaper, stating that Europe is wealthy but weak, which he said was the most dangerous combination. He personally experienced this on Monday in Brussels, where he attended an informal summit of EU heads of state and government.
PM Orban reported that, even in Brussels, they now acknowledge that, as he put it,
the Trump tornado is coming. Most still believe that they'll escape unscathed, but they won't.
He also mentioned that President Trump will stand up for American interests, even against Europe. Therefore, he believes that difficult months lie ahead for the European Union and that Brussels bureaucrats are in for a tough time. He also announced that the Hungarian government is in ongoing talks with the U.S. administration to secure a favorable economic agreement.
But what does all this mean? It means that the European Union’s leadership still has no idea how to respond to Donald Trump. They have no strategy for negotiating with the new American leadership. This is surprising, considering that Trump has never concealed his intentions—he made his policies clear during his previous term, as well as throughout his current campaign.
Yet, it's as if the Brussels elite was living in a dream world, entirely unprepared for the changed geopolitical environment. They continue to talk about prolonging the war until Ukraine wins, while they keep pushing migration and the gender insanity.
By doing so, they risk Europe being excluded from negotiations when the Americans and Russians eventually reach a settlement over Ukraine. Furthermore, they are sacrificing Europe’s competitiveness on the altar of liberal ideology.
If, however,
the EU had competent leadership - one not controlled by American Democrats and globalists, but acting in a patriotic spirit for European interests - it could, by following Donald Trump’s example, successfully assert Europe’s interests. It could eliminate illegal immigration, put an end to the madness of gender ideology, expel the Soros network that has infiltrated Europe,
and create a more competitive continent that does not impose self-sabotaging sanctions. It is no coincidence that after Trump’s victory, Viktor Orban declared: European patriots, we must occupy Brussels!
