President Donald Trump just pulled off a trade coup that has Brussels reeling and American workers cheering.
Breitbart reported that on Sunday, at Trump’s own Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, the United States and the European Union inked a blockbuster trade agreement that sees the EU shelling out $750 billion for American energy, investing $600 billion in U.S. businesses, and committing hundreds of billions more for American military equipment.
Let’s rewind to how this unfolded: negotiations kicked off in Brexit Britain, a symbolic slap to the EU’s pride, and concluded with terms that heavily favor the U.S.
The EU dodged a threatened 30% tariff but still got hit with a 15% baseline rate on goods, including automobiles, and a whopping 50% duty on steel and aluminum exports. Compared to the measly 2% average tariff on EU goods from 2000 to 2024, or the 2.5% on cars under the prior administration, this is a seismic shift.
Now, let’s talk numbers that sting—$750 billion in energy purchases alone is a lifeline for American producers. Add to that $600 billion in business investments, and it’s clear Trump played hardball and won.
Then there’s the military angle: the EU’s pledge to buy “hundreds of billions” in U.S. defense gear shows how defense concerns shaped this deal.
European officials were reportedly spooked by the risk of losing American troop presence or arms support for Ukraine if they pushed back too hard. With their own arms supply chains years, if not decades, away from self-sufficiency, they had little room to maneuver.
Speaking of pushback, EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen tried to spin this as a rebalancing act, saying, “We wanted to do it in a way that trade goes on.”
Nice try, but rebalancing shouldn’t mean bending over backward while the U.S. walks away with the lion’s share. This isn’t a partnership; it’s a lesson in leverage.
Across the pond, the grumbling is loud—EU Parliament’s former Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt called this a “scandalous disaster” with “not one concession” from America. He’s not wrong to feel burned, but perhaps Brussels should’ve seen the Trump train coming. Playing nice with a negotiator known for his no-nonsense style was never going to end in a pat on the back.
An unnamed European ambassador, per the Financial Times, admitted, “Brussels was rolled over.” That’s diplomatic speak for getting steamrolled, and it’s hard to argue when the EU’s concessions dwarf anything they gained in return.
Even former French Finance Minister Thierry Breton questioned the deal’s legitimacy, musing, “I don’t know if you can call it a deal.” He’s got a point—when one side dictates terms while the other scrambles to avoid worse pain, that’s not negotiation; it’s capitulation.
Germany, often the EU’s economic powerhouse, pushed for a deal over retaliation but now faces a 15% tariff on its prized automobiles.
While it might gain from buying American energy—especially after losing cheap Russian gas and struggling with green energy flops—it’s also battling cheap Chinese electric vehicles. This deal is a mixed bag, and not a particularly sweet one.
Dirk Jandura, head of Germany’s Foreign Trade Association, didn’t mince words, calling the tariff markup an “existential threat” to dealers. That’s the kind of language that wakes up policymakers, but it might be too late to renegotiate with a dealmaker like Trump.
Other nations like Ireland also nudged Brussels to cave, fearing targeted tariffs on sectors like whiskey. When even the smaller players are begging for a deal, you know the EU’s bargaining power was thinner than a pub’s last pint.
On the U.S. side, Vice President JD Vance couldn’t resist a jab, noting the European press is “singing the president’s praises” for this deal. He’s right to crow—rarely do you see a negotiation so lopsided that even critics abroad tip their hats.
Vance also quipped that American media might grumble that Trump “only got 99.9%” of what he wanted. That’s a fair dig at the perpetually unimpressed press, but let’s be honest: this deal is a home run for American interests, no matter how it’s spun.