President Donald Trump has vowed to escalate his unprovoked trade war by unilaterally imposing taxes on Americans’ purchases of alcoholic beverages imported from European Union countries if the 27-member bloc dares to enact a retaliatory tariff on American-made whiskey.
In an early-morning post on his Truth Social platform, Trump falsely claimed that the EU — which originated as a customs union to strengthen intra-continental ties in the wake of the Second World War — was “formed for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the United States” and called the body “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the world”.
