Europe and Trump

After months of US threats, NATO partners accepted a staggering increase in military spending, while the European Union subsequently swallowed a unilateral imposition of tariffs. Faced with such capitulations, Europe resorted to the sad consolation of having avoided worse scenarios, while breathing a sigh of relief, as the bitter pill had finally been put to rest and a stable relationship in defense and trade had been achieved. However, the clashes with the Trump administration have only just begun.

Thus, after the summer, a new clash looms over European regulation and the large US technology companies, which, protected by their president, intend to act as they please and, under the devious argument of defending freedom of expression, oppose any regulation that could harm their immense and growing profits. A complex issue that will be followed by many others, not to mention that, at the least expected moment, Washington could surprise with a new threat of increased tariffs for any reason that might offend Trump and his followers.

After what we experienced with the imposition of tariffs, our leaders must demand respect.

This isn't just another traditional dispute between countries with conflicting interests, because, moreover, nothing justifies US aggression when the overall relationship between Europeans and Americans is so positive for both. The fact is that the most powerful country in the world is governed by superlative narcissists, devoid of any empathy and who seem to enjoy wielding power with cruelty. More than half a year of Republican administration confirms what we feared since the beginning of his term: Trump preys on the weak. Thus, he imposes tariffs as immoral as they are unnecessary on countries that depend on the United States; he cuts aid to the most vulnerable groups; he hunts down undocumented immigrants, intimidating them with a jail surrounded by alligators in Florida; or he resorts to the military to expel the homeless from Washington. However, on the contrary, he has already shown his respect for figures like Putin, Netanyahu, Xi Jinping, or anyone capable of responding to his bravado.

Faced with this, the European Union cannot act like one of those defenseless states that have no alternative but to bow to the tycoon. Europe, among other strengths, represents the world's second-largest economy with a market of more than 500 million people. Therefore, after what happened with the unilateral imposition of tariffs, our leaders must command respect, even at greater risks, to avoid unnecessary concessions that harm citizens and businesses. But, even more importantly, to prevent further humiliations from strengthening Trump's apprentices who, scattered across the continent, dream of tearing the European project apart.