President Trump’s bold and unapologetic America First trade policy is already paying dividends. Just days after announcing a 90-day pause on global tariffs—excluding Communist China, of course—the European Union has already backed down.
On Thursday, the EU hit the brakes on a set of retaliatory tariffs it had fast-tracked earlier in the week. The move was a direct response to President Trump’s aggressive stance on European steel and aluminum imports, which had the global elite clutching their pearls. But it turns out Trump’s pressure tactics are working exactly as intended.
“We’re doing again what we should have done many years ago,” Trump said. “There’ll be a transition cost and transition problems, but in the end, it’s going to be, it’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
And that “beautiful thing” is already taking shape.
According to the European Commission, Brussels will pause the adoption of its retaliatory tariffs to “give negotiations a chance.” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen added that “all options remain on the table”—a not-so-subtle way of saying: We’re not ready for a full-blown trade war with Trump.
Let’s be honest: they blinked first.
The EU’s initial retaliation was supposed to hit American goods with up to 25% tariffs starting April 15, followed by a second wave in May. That plan is now shelved—for now.
Why? Because Trump didn’t flinch. He held the line, and as usual, the globalists folded.
Meanwhile, China isn’t getting a pass. The Trump White House made it clear the 90-day pause does not apply to Beijing. In fact, Trump is going even harder on the Chinese Communist Party, slapping them with a massive 125% tariff—effective immediately.
“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately,” Trump said. “At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable.”
That’s leadership.
While the usual critics moan about “transition problems” and potential cost increases, Trump is playing a longer game—leveraging tariffs to force real deals that benefit American workers, farmers, and manufacturers.
Even Trump skeptics are starting to admit it might work.
The White House says that nearly 70 countries are now lining up to negotiate better deals—something they would’ve never done under a weak administration.
“We have so many countries to talk to,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. “They have come with offers that they never, ever, ever would have come with, but for the moves that the President has made… We’re getting the respect we deserve now.”
In fact, countries are already caving:
- Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to eliminate tariffs on U.S. goods.
- Vietnam has signaled it’s willing to drop its tariffs to zero.
- India is reportedly working on a new trade proposal to avoid duties altogether.
That’s what winning looks like.
So while the media continues to wring its hands and Democrats scream about “economic instability,” the rest of the world is finally waking up to reality: The United States is done being taken advantage of—and President Trump is making sure of it.
If this is Trump’s game of chicken, it’s clear who’s swerving first.
