Patrick Canning was interviewed by RTL to discuss Trump Tariff plans. He didn't hold bac.

Click to see the interview. The translation is below.

 

RTL - D'Handelswelt steet op der Kopp: D'EU decidéiert Geigen-Taxen op amerikanesch Produiten

 

At the same time, the American punitive tariffs on European products have now come into force. How is the political opposition in the United States reacting?

Have the Democrats already recovered from their historic defeat in November? We spoke to a representative of the US Democrats in Luxembourg.

America is back, with high import tariffs for other countries, turbulence on the financial markets, uncertainties in the global economy and counter-tariffs from other countries: the list of consequences is long. Experts around the world are warning of a recession, and so is the political opposition in the United States. Patrick Canning is president of Democrats Abroad here in Luxembourg and spoke out clearly against Trump's trade policy in an interview: "This is a clumsy approach that benefits no one. It doesn't create new jobs, it raises inflation and unemployment. It's a stupid idea."

He would not understand why Trump would take such protectionist measures, America would put historic alliances at risk. According to Patrick Canning, Trump would focus too much on trade deficits and thus risk isolating the United States: "China is of course a big market for the United States. Trump is blackmailing them, they are blackmailing him back. But it is not just China, the EU is also targeted."

Patrick Canning admits that the trade balance needs to be more balanced, but President Trump would go far too far here. One should not submit to Trump's tactics: "President Biden has indeed withheld some of Trump's import tariffs. There is also a need, but what Trump is doing goes far too far. We feel sorry for the countries that are bowing to Trump. He does not respect anyone who bows to him."

Democrats are currently being criticized from many quarters for not yet having a clear strategy to position themselves against Trump's policies. The defeats in the November elections in particular were seen by many as a call for the Democratic Party to shed its elitist image. It also needs to appeal more strongly to the working-class voters it used to represent. Patrick Canning is confident that this can be achieved: "Democrats have learned from the past. We did a few things wrong: Joe Biden said he wouldn't run again, but then he did. His debate was a disaster. We have to learn from that, but I still have hope for the Democratic Party." According to Patrick Canning, Trump's voters will eventually realize that his economic policies will not work against them, as promised during the election campaign. Trump's import tariffs are keeping the world on edge. On Wednesday evening, Donald Trump made new announcements. He announced a pause in punitive tariffs for dozens of countries and that China will see another increase.