EU is upset

Europe is upset with the new America First policy and that is not surprising. The US is now starting to place tariffs on European goods similar to what Europe has always placed on US goods. In 2024 the US sold $370 billion to Europe and the US purchased $605 billion. The new US tariffs are designed to the balance of trade. The US has now told the EU that they must start paying for their own national defense. The EU spends 1.5% of its GDP on defense while the US spends 3.75%. In dollars the EU spends $400 billion while the US spends one trillion. The US has encouraged the EU to deport illegal migrants since, unlike the USA, many are Muslims and they have difficulty in assimilating and many use public assistance. The EU is faced with high energy cost due to their plan to replace fossil fuels and nuclear power with wind and solar. The US has pointed out that high energy cost is the reason the EU economy is collapsing. The US has pushed for the EU to reach a peace settlement with Russia over Ukraine and thus allow the purchase of cheap Russian gas but the EU wants to keep on fighting, much like Biden who said as long as it takes. While regulations are a problem in the US, they are strangling business in the EU mostly surrounding climate change. The US has said it is time for the EU to start paying their fair share for NATO and other world entities like the UN, WTO and WHO. Europe is banning material on social media saying it is misinformation but the US sees that as a threat to free speech. Taking this all into consideration it is not unexpected that the EU would be upset.