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WASHINGTON – President Trump, fresh out of an international rally between world leaders to mark the end of the First World War, on Monday renewed his attacks on longtime US allies and demanded fair treatment the United States.
In a trio of Twitter posts, Trump said that the US was paying "LARGE" military protection from other countries and was losing money for trade with these same countries. Mr. Trump has frequently criticized what he claims to be the imbalance in the costs of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the military alliance whose base includes mutual defense.
Shortly after the mid-term elections held six days ago, Mr. Trump re-elected one of his favorite campaign topics – the "unfair" stance of the United States within the alliance of NATO – without even mentioning the name of the alliance. But the complaint, a rallying cry well known to its political base, recalls that his campaign to be reelected in 2020 is well engaged.
The president also reiterated his complaint about the trade deficit, saying that trade between the United States and Europe "must be FREE and fair".
Cecilia Malmstrom, Europe's leading trade negotiator, will visit Washington this week to meet with Robert E. Lighthizer, US Trade Representative. The United States and Europe are engaged in a real tariff war, since Mr Trump imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminum and the bloc fought back with rights customs on American products such as peanut butter, orange juice and whiskey. Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs on European cars and spare parts if the block does not accept US trade demands.
Expectations that the United States and Europe can quickly make substantial progress in settling disputes over industrial goods, tariffs on steel or cars have largely evaporated. Instead, Ms. Malmstrom will be on a mission to try to achieve some modest successes, including better access to the US agricultural market, including the sale of shellfish in the United States and an agreement on pharmaceuticals. .
The European pharmaceutical industry insists that the United States recognize clinical trials of new drugs in Europe and vice versa. This would reduce the cost of testing a new multi-million dollar drug and help keep prices down for prescription drugs.
Brussels trade negotiators hope that "as long as constructive efforts are made to strengthen future trade relations, the United States will retain its commitment to impose new tariffs," said Koen Berden, trade expert at the United States. European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.
"They want to show Trump that we are serious and that we want it to work," Berden said in an interview Monday.
But the proposals under discussion fall well short of the "new phase in relations between the United States and the European Union", described by Mr Trump and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, at After a meeting at the White House. in July.
Wednesday's meeting in Washington will be the second between Lighthizer and Malmstrom since July and her first trip to Washington. The members of their staff met more often. They focused on regulations, which often constitute a more serious obstacle to trade than tariffs.
As for trade deficits, most economists do not see a gap like "lost" money for other countries and do not subscribe to the president's view that trade imbalance is a sign of America's weak trade policy .
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Trump's nationalist position during his speech at the commemorative ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
"Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying," Our interest first. Who cares about others, "said Mr. Macron.
The remarks of the French leader prompted the title, "French Diss", on the Monday cover of the New York Post tabloid.
Trump called himself a nationalist last month at a campaign rally in Houston and was applauded. He also raised his claims that NATO countries must "pay".
"We protect them, and that's great," Trump told a cheering crowd, "but they have to pay."
