Donald Trump’s Latest Tariff Tantrum: The Art of the No-Deal

Another round of economic self-immolation

Oh, glorious leader! The great dealmaker, the maestro of mergers, the sultan of “You’re fired!”—has decided that the best way to negotiate with Europe is to escalate his Trade war with the E.U.

Yes, folks, Donald J. Trump, the man who once wrote The Art of the Deal, has apparently misplaced his own playbook and replaced it with The Art of the Tariff Temper Tantrum. His latest stroke of genius? Slapping a 50% tariff on all exports from the EU to the USA on the 1st of June, because—why not? It’s not like Europe has feelings. Or economies. Or the ability to retaliate with tariffs on bourbon, Boeing, Harley-Davidson, and other sacral American exports.

Trump’s move, announced via his Truth Social with characteristic bravado, claims to target Europe’s “unfair trade practices.” (a phrase usually reserved for Trump’s golf handicap) But beneath the bluster lies a risky strategy, if you could call it that. His threat-first, think-later strategy: Step one: Declare that Europe has been “very unfa…