- cross-posted to:
- europe@lemmy.ml
- cross-posted to:
- europe@lemmy.ml
Summary
Trump has rejected the EU’s “zero-for-zero” tariff offer on cars and industrial goods, demanding instead that the bloc commit to purchasing $350 billion of American energy to offset the trade deficit.
Following his implementation of 20% tariffs on EU goods last week, which triggered significant market downturns, Trump indicated openness to negotiations while emphasizing his “America First” stance.
He also criticized EU product standards as “non-monetary barriers” designed to block American exports.
Turns out that allowing people to choose from a very limited pool of potential rulers every couple of years doesn’t actually give them any real power over their society, and maybe it’s just a way to delay revolution while the true ruling class gets all the benefits of the old monarchs with almost none of the blowback, because we’re all too divided over which potential ruler is less blatantly evil to address the real problems.
It’s a very effective method of social control, but it would be a really bad idea for one of the de facto ruling class to try to step into the de jure ruler’s office and try to run it for himself like a dictator. That would probably blow up in his face.