US President Donald Trump has revived old grievances, naming the countries he believes have been shamelessly "ripping off" America for decades. The European Union emerges as one of the United States' worst enemies, with Trump claiming that the EU has managed to skillfully fleece the United States over the past 45 years.
The president noted that tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico would be suspended until April 2, but he was quick to warn that few exceptions should be expected. According to Trump, there are not as many "good guys" among America's trading partners as he would like.
He stressed that the US national debt, which now stands at a staggering $36 trillion, was a direct result of what he called America's "softness and weakness" in trade policy. Now, Trump is determined to get that money back, even if it means souring relations with so-called "friends" who, in his view, have behaved worse than adversaries.
Along with the EU, China has made the list of those who have, in Trump's words, taken advantage of the United States. The president appears ready to start an open reckoning about who owes the world's largest economy.
India, for its part, has already made a move to appease Trump by reducing tariffs on 55% of US goods. Previously, those tariffs ranged from 5% to 30%.
The only question now is which of America's "friends" will follow India's lead and which will continue to "rip off" the United States.
