Angela Merkel talks tough on Trump about Nato and an all-out trade war
Berlin — On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned US President Donald Trump against unleashing an all-out trade war after he threatened to impose steep tariffs on cars from the EU. In a speech to the Bundestag federal parliament, Merkel said both sides were effectively locked in a "trade conflict" since Trump’s decision to slap punitive tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. "It is worthwhile to prevent this conflict from becoming a real war," she said, adding, however, that this "would require both sides" to take steps. On Sunday, Trump charged that Europe is "possibly as bad as China" on trade, as he reiterated that he is mulling import taxes of 20% on EU cars. The EU has slapped tariffs on iconic US products, including bourbon, jeans and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, as a symbolic tit-for-tat response to the metals duties.
Taking aim at Trump over his complaint that the EU and, in particular, economic powerhouse Germany, is running a massive trade surplus agains...
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