Trump is blackmailing the world

[pandowo]

Just what the fuck ? If Europe give in to his demands because he’s now threatening tariffs then where does it end ? He’ll be claiming they need Mexico and Canada next FOR SECURITY and if anyone disagrees - Tariff’s !
I would really like to hear off trump supporters, do you think this is okay?

more we produce in UK, less affected by such politics.

Exactly. When you shop look for made in UK.

This is about power. Expectations are irrelevant.

So belief and integrity are not values the U.S. care for anymore, it's a form of rampant consumerism and an abandonment of civic virtue. Truly depressing.

@Beentheredonethat98

I think it's especially irritating that in spite of the war and sanctions Europe has still had to buy oil off Putin !

Trump said in his first term before the war : stop buying their oil find other ways and back then he was pushing for higher NATO contributions.

Whats the old line X million USA citizens paying to defend X millions EU citizens from X million Russians ?

I think the whole Ukraine debacle has caught the EU with it's trousers down.
I'm glad trump has pushed and pushed to raise NATO spending and getting the EU and us talking about defence. It's critical.

I agree it is depressing!

But belief and integrity, soft power etc are only relevant insofar as they are backed up by hard power. If you do not have hard power, or a reliable ally with hard power, you are up the creek.

And for those saying the US has always been a reliable ally, remember WW2 when Churchill had to beg for them to join in in the defence of Europe? And when did we stop paying for lend lease?

Trump has been consistent in his messaging on European defence. The failure of our politicians and our electorates to recognise this has left us in the position we are in. And even now, anyone suggesting additional tax or lower spending on welfare etc to fund defence would never get elected.

Spending less on defence and more in welfare and infrastructure is not something undesirable, but desirable, in my most deep conviction.
The less armed you are, the less armed the enemy needs to be and so on and on, till there is no need for weapons. Like UK police force not carrying guns generally so there is less armed criminals around.
The problem is the agressor. Their actions force a reverse in a good policy. And more money needs to be spent on manufacturing weapons.
I do not think that investing billions in rockets, missiles and rockets is more beneficial to humankind than spending them in healthcare, research and clean energy, plus the upkeep of our ill and disable.
But, in the current circumstances, there is no other option than up our armament, training and readiness.
I would take with a pinch of salt that Europe cannot defend itself, by the way. They already had warning enough of Trump intentions during his first go at being POTUS. We are not blind and deaf. We do have a good intelligence service, we do.

I don’t pretend to know much about tariffs etc and I’d be lying if I did, from what I can gather higher tariffs mean Americans pay more from overseas goods? Is that correct ?
I am just so tired of one man thinking he rules the world, he says jump and the rest of the world says how high. What will be next on his agenda after Greenland ? Can we really just let him sit back and take over another country ?
I think there is one positive that’s come out of this and it’s forcing Europe to band together

I think with tariff it depends (and apologies if I am wrong)

so what is means is for a $10 product a $1 tax is paid to the government by the company importing into that country.

where it gets tricky is who actually takes that cost and for the most part what happens is that $10 product becomes $11 for the end consumer - the US public. Which also may be less stuff is imported and the company exporting is affected as sales could fall

but yes whilst the government gains the US public loses.

We were talking about Greenland at family lunch today and we did note that there is apparently a fracture within Greenland about what exactly their future should look like, but Trump has united the entire country together against him. So sort of the president of peace but not in the way that he thinks of himself.

We were debating whether they could really be a properly independent nation, there's just so few of them. All the things that a country needs to do that are currently being done by Denmark would have to be done by locals, and there's a lot. Foreign policy and trade negotiations, education system (think currently they go to Denmark for third level), health system (currently mostly relies on short term contracts with Danish doctors), defence, taxation, welfare etc. There's fewer than 60 thousand, that's so few, there are more people in Ireland waiting for a driving test (61 thousand) than there are people in Greenland. There are four times as many inhabitants in my local county council than there are in all of Greenland. It's just a really tiny number and the communities outside of Nuuk are very remote, with no roads connecting them, harder administratively than, say, the small pacific island nations.

Yes, he is. But no country wants added tariffs (exprndive for consumers), so he will get his own way if he pushes it. 🤷‍♀️

The Media need to stop shouting the lie of a special relationship. There isn't one. There hasn't really ever been. It's our wishful thinking. We need to stop tugging our fucking forelock.

We have to say no. Enough. United with the other countries. Pull back. Raise tariffs to match. Ultimately tell them to fuck off from Lakenheath, Mildenhall and all their other UK bases...unless they deal with that fucking global terrorist and his cronies.

Well that will not be true then! The guardian lol

Trump is doing what Putin tells him to do – in this case destroy NATO. Neither of them care a jot about how this will affect their citizens.

Tourism to the USA, while recovering post-pandemic, faced significant recent declines in late 2025, with sharp drops from key markets like Canada and Europe, partly attributed to new policies, tariffs, and travel bans under the Trump administration, impacting overall spending and international visitor numbers despite ongoing domestic travel. Visitors need visas (B-2) or ESTA (for VWP countries) for entry, planning trips around major cities, national parks, and attractions, though recent data shows a concerning downturn in international arrivals and projected losses for the U.S. economy
.

Key Trends & Challenges (Late 2025)
Declining Arrivals: International visitor numbers dropped in late 2025 compared to previous years, with Canada experiencing the largest absolute decrease.
Policy Impact: New travel restrictions, increased fees (like a new $250 fee for some visas starting Oct 2025), and nationalistic rhetoric under the Trump administration are seen as deterring tourists, notes this YouTube video and <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&rct=j&url=www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/1/foreign-tourism-to-the-us-drops-amid-trump-era-policies&ved=2ahUKEwipje260JWSAxXIXUEAHQiZHVEQy_kOegYIAQgDEAM&opi=89978449&cd&psig=AOvVaw3hYg_uh9Q_JPUyLMkYgnpM&ust=1768844250453000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Al Jazeera.
Economic Losses: The U.S. economy faces substantial losses in international traveler spending due to these issues, reports <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&rct=j&url=wttc.org/news/us-economy-set-to-lose-12-5bn-in-international-traveler-spend-this-year&ved=2ahUKEwipje260JWSAxXIXUEAHQiZHVEQy_kOegYIAQgDEAU&opi=89978449&cd&psig=AOvVaw3hYg_uh9Q_JPUyLMkYgnpM&ust=1768844250453000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
Masked Domestic Strength: High domestic travel masks vulnerabilities in the international market, with the U.S. losing ground in global tourism, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
Entry Requirements
Visa Waiver Program (VWP): Citizens from eligible countries can apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for tourism.
Visitor Visa: Other foreign nationals need a B-2 or combined B1/B2 visa for tourism, family visits, or medical treatment.
Popular Destinations & Activities
Cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco.
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Theme Parks: Disney World (Orlando).
Resources for Travelers
Entry: Check <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&rct=j&url=www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/entry-requirements&ved=2ahUKEwipje260JWSAxXIXUEAHQiZHVEQy_kOegYIAQgJEAE&opi=89978449&cd&psig=AOvVaw3hYg_uh9Q_JPUyLMkYgnpM&ust=1768844250453000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GOV.UK for requirements and the <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&rct=j&url=travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit.html&ved=2ahUKEwipje260JWSAxXIXUEAHQiZHVEQy_kOegYIAQgJEAI&opi=89978449&cd&psig=AOvVaw3hYg_uh9Q_JPUyLMkYgnpM&ust=1768844250453000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">U.S. Department of State for visa info.
Planning: <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&rct=j&url=www.visittheusa.com/&ved=2ahUKEwipje260JWSAxXIXUEAHQiZHVEQy_kOegYIAQgJEAQ&opi=89978449&cd&psig=AOvVaw3hYg_uh9Q_JPUyLMkYgnpM&ust=1768844250453000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visit The USA provides travel guides and tips.

Has anyone seen this letter to he sent to the Norwegian government?

Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT

This is beyond embarrassing. What a disgusting, petulant child. 'You didn't give me the Peace Prize so I'm gonna invade an ally!'

Perhaps the rest of the world should slowly start unloading US government bonds.

The bottom line is that Europe has failed to invest in its own defence since the end of the cold war, preferring instead to rely on the US.

They were encouraged to do that by the US, which wanted to maintain a power base in Europe during the Cold War.

In my view, Europe now needs to stand together, with Britain rejoining the EU if possible (leaving was always a terrible mistake, backed by our enemies). Britain needs to extricate itself from its military dependency on the US, which had been set up on the assumption that America would always be a trusted ally. Sadly, it isn't any more and we'll never be able to trust it again.

I have no idea why people don’t just tell him to fuck off. He’s an elected leader of a democracy, not running his own personal fiefdom and needs reminding of this sharpish

What a cunt.

Not to mention a total insult to the memory of the NATO service personnel lost the one and only time article 5 was ever invoked. I defence of the US!

Hold on a minute.... I need to shake my head and rub my eyes.... you telling me that the POTUS sent THAT letter to the government of Denmark/ Greenland?!?!?!

Apparently, according to a Guardian report, Trump has invited Putin to join his noard of peace for Gaza.....
A man who is responsible for taking and keeping thousand of Ukranian children! Amongst many other crimes.....

Yes it's in the mainstream news: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-tells-norway-he-no-longer-feels-obligation-think-only-peace-2026-01-19/

I couldn't believe it at first either!

It's Norway though, not Denmark. On account of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Its all like a massive toddler tantrum

I hope they come for you next.

Economics is not my strong point.

does the rest of the world need US trade so badly that these tariffs will actually impact them? does your average company in the UK for example export so much to the US it will destroy them if they don’t?

cos it seems to me we’ll be just fine buying Australian, Indian, Chinese and Korean goods.

i saw Mark Carney is trialling vehicle deals with china now as well as expanding the Korean/japanese imports. US car industry is down 39% just from Canada choosing not to trade. If we all did that the only country suffering from the tariffs will be the US?

if denmark pull their supply chains for insulin, viagra, mounjaro etc, plus maersk and their shipping, the US could really be in the shit.