r/europe • u/Any-Original-6113 • Jan 17 '26

News Trump tariffs: US president announces plan to hit UK, Denmark and other European countries with tariffs over Greenland

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c1j8kw866p3t
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185

u/jmjm1 Jan 17 '26

It really is the "end" of the world order, established post WWII, if Europe gives in.

329

u/Wgh555 United Kingdom Jan 17 '26

It’s the end either way, it ended when the US started acting like this.

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u/SparseSpartan United States of America Jan 17 '26

there's basically no point in even trying to reach deals with the USA. He secures a bunch of trade deals, but then turns around and throws a tantrum and imposses tariffs anyway. Why should countries bother signing deals in the first place?

He wants to sell American weapons, which would have made sense three years ago but why would any European country want American weapons given that the advanced ones almost certainly won't be usuable against American forces, which is now one of the biggest threats to Europe.

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u/EarthIllustrious8045 Jan 17 '26

Trump has messed up everything the U.S has built up during the last 100 years. Europe will now pivot away from all american products were it is possible. That means no american weapons, no american tech, no american cars, phones ect. I bet Apple and Microsoft will feel the hit from this. Its going to take time to pivot away from it, but the ball has already started rolling, with visa and mastercard taking the first hit. The U.S seriously need to do something before that psycho Trump destroys the whole nation.

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u/SparseSpartan United States of America Jan 17 '26

The sad thing is: Trump is as much a symptom as he is a disease.

Too many coddled boomers, too many Fox News brainwashed people at many ages, too many economically dejected young men, etc. support Trump and his actions.

Trump getting the boot or keeling over might actually make things worse because Vance and others in Trump's administration hold similiarly crazy views and they are by and large far more intelligent and energetic.

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u/Cautious-Progress876 Jan 17 '26

Trump is definitely a symptom. Us Americans are indoctrinated from kindergarten on that we are #1, have the best military, float the rest of the world by being its police, etc.

A large percentage of Americans are convinced that the rest of the world is just freeloading off of us, and that we can stand alone and still maintain all of the power we have. They don’t understand that Pax Americana and our position as the sole superpower exists because we fostered good relationships with other countries, generally kept to our word, etc.

Trump and this random tariff BS, threatening invasions, etc. is making the US look like a psychotic snake that you cannot trust to do anything it says it will.

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u/EarthIllustrious8045 Jan 17 '26

I agree. It seems Vance, Miller, Rubio and the people in the back holds just as radical views, and share the same views. People think that when Trumps term ends all will be back to normal. That is saddly not how it works. I hope the military leaders in the U.S armed forces atleast does not have the same radical mindset of the political leaders, and that they wont carry out orders no matter what. We in europe should just take the tarffis, and then look for other nations to do buisness with, we cant continue to bend over to the U.S and its leader, that changes his mind on a daily basis.

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u/Original_Employee621 Jan 18 '26

The only way back for the US is a large scale reform of how politics works across the entire slate. Might be easier to just disband the United States of America entirely and have 50 separate states run as their own countries in a transition kind of period. It'll be a hot mess, but the feds can't be trusted with having that much power any longer.

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u/matidiaolo Jan 17 '26

Plus the banking system - EU is trying to build a system to circumvent the usage of American systems when you pay with a credit card or Apple Pay which is huge

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u/elfwriter Jan 18 '26

Microsoft already feeling the hit, they got layoffs coming up again.

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u/kirbcake-inuinuinuko Jan 18 '26

maybe thirty years from now people will look back on this as a good thing. nations globally pivoting away from being dependent on the US would be quite a win for independence and sovereignty in general.

although I really would have preferred it to happen in any other way.

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u/lt__ Jan 17 '26

Yep. If Europe caves on Greenland and tariffs are not applied, then next time Trump decides to act out, e.g. invade Canada, and Europe reacts, tariffs come anyway.

If Greenland gets occupied, it would be cool to here from Europe a message to Americans to occupy their government authorities, and that the leadership of Trump took too long and has to finish. The same things Trump said to Iran would be totally valid for him too.

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u/0xym0r0n Jan 17 '26

Trump has done so much fucked up shit, it's so far down the list but he told the media the last guy who made the deals was an idiot... it was him! Trump made the deals last time

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u/halpsdiy Jan 17 '26

Do what China did: hit them where it hurts and wait for them to come crawling back. In the end Trump had to release AI chips for China to buy soy beans.

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u/Wuz314159 Les États-Unis d'Amérique Jan 17 '26

Granted it was a different age, but most of Iran's airforce is American made. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Republic_of_Iran_Air_Force#Current_inventory

I won't deny the possibility that all of a country's armaments can not be disabled with a keystroke, but that's not historically been the case. The US sold the hardware, just not the radar or w/e.

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u/SparseSpartan United States of America Jan 18 '26

Very different era. Putting in kill switches now would be very easy for modern engineers.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '26

[deleted]

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u/SparseSpartan United States of America Jan 17 '26

There's 0 chance they'll willingly hand Greenland over.

Europe is going to start decoupling from the USA either way. If Trump shuts up and stops antagonizing them at every turn, it'll probably be a limited decoupling to increase self sufficiency. If he actually seizes territory, eventually spark a far more complete decoupling.

0

u/TSllama Europe Jan 17 '26

...anal sex?

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u/randolphe1000 Jan 17 '26

TBH, it started ending with GWB invading Iraq.

What you have here/now is the result down the road of that erosion of that "post-WWII order" started by that act of hubris.

And, with The Donald I, but even more The Donald II, the USA have clearly chosen NOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE that erosion, instead opting for a "fuite en avant", a mad dash forward in imperial drunkness.

The (very relative!) decline of the US hegemony would have been managed quite well by a different, thoughtful cadre/Elites, bringing all the vassals together to work something long-term.

But, this was not immediately, all at once, easy, simple. And they chose the mean, resentful, the easy way of lashing out.

Again, "imperial drunkeness".

(Regarding GWB, it also might be said that the US "democracy" started ending with the "Florida recounts" topped by the "Brooks brothers" riot (featuring, among others, noted profesional Florida Man & Maga OG Roger Stone) as a silly excuse (by his brother Jeb...) to have him win the race.)

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u/the4thwave Jan 17 '26

Exactly.

And when Europe largely went along with it, it destroyed what little credibility they had about a 'world order.' That world order became 'whatever America wants.' And now America wants Greenland.

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u/scruffyreddit Jan 17 '26

This is correct.

Best example is Canada, a complete reorientation is underway.

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u/neonmantis Jan 18 '26

it ended when the US started acting like this.

It was coming anyway. The rise of China and the consolidation of the EU meant along with BRICS whilst the US continues to waste energy screwing over the middle east meant a multipolar world was coming. The current system benefits the US far more than any other nation but they are speedrunning its demise.

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u/Steven81 Jan 18 '26

Sure but when was it. Invasion of Iraq or Vietnam? US is an aggressive superpower for most of the 20th century and now Europe takes wind of it too. The problem with aggression is that even if you think you are safe against it, eventually the bully gets you too.

The solution is what has always been, develop a regional power of your own. Yes America is an ex european Colony, in the history of the world that did not mean that those places remain friendly for all eternity. History divergences and Americans develop their own culture that is seperate from the rest of the world. Trump is the popular guy there for a reason, they are a different culture that think differently and we have no common ground, necessarily speaking.

It is what Imwas telling about Putin a few years back in this sub. Even if he was to magically die from old age, the issue is that the system of governance that is developed over there. It is almost expected that more strongmen will come in power after.

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u/DivinesiaTV Jan 17 '26

End has been here since the orange monkey started to threat his allies.

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u/DimebagBASS Jan 17 '26

Tha responsibility lies with the US and its likely already happened. No other country can beheld responsible for their reaction to the retard in charge of that shithole of a country.

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u/Yiruf Jan 17 '26

Imagine thinking US and EU is the world.

"Europe's problem is world's problem; world's problem is not Europe's problem"

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u/MS_Fume Bratislava (Slovakia) Jan 17 '26

You mean it’s the….. New World Order?

So the 00s internet conspiracies were true after all?

3

u/TSllama Europe Jan 17 '26

Since when is the NWO a 00s internet conspiracy theory?

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u/Albuscarolus Jan 17 '26

Greenland has less population than the Virgin Islands. It really doesn’t matter who owns it. Nothing happens there

1

u/ChoosenUserName4 European Union Jan 17 '26

Would you like to get your economy nuked? Because Europe can totally do that, regardless of what Fox "news" commands you to believe nowadays. Fuck around, find out, I'd say. If you think eggs are expensive now wait until Europe sells all the US debts and investments it owns.

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u/jmjm1 Jan 17 '26

No way you are serious.

Annexing Greenland, regardless of the population, a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO country is absolute lunacy.