He criticized the European Union as being “hostile” and “abusive,” while threatening to increase tariffs on some of its most iconic products by 200 percent. He entertained the idea of annexing Greenland while meeting in the Oval Office with the head of the military alliance that might be called upon to protect it. He pledged to escalate a trade war with Canada while questioning its right to exist as an independent nation.
However, when it came to the authoritarian leader in Moscow, President Donald Trump proudly spoke of his rapport with Vladimir Putin and refused to state that he would urge his Russian counterpart to agree to concessions relating to a cease-fire deal with Ukraine. Trump’s apparent sympathies leaned towards America’s adversaries rather than its allies, further unsettling those allies who were nervously observing as the president’s chosen envoy met with Putin in the Kremlin.
And that was just today—a day reminiscent of many early days in this new administration.
Trump’s remarks highlighted how swiftly the new president has shifted U.S. foreign policy and the nation’s global agenda. Former allies have now become economic competitors. Neighborly relations have turned into territorial ambitions. Authoritarian leaders—not just Putin, but also those from China and North Korea—are to be treated with respect, potentially evolving into partners to divide spheres of influence.
The whirlwind day began, as it often does, with an early morning post on social media.
Trump took to Truth Social to escalate his trade conflict with the European Union, promising to impose a staggering 200 percent tariff on European wine and champagne, exacerbating concerns among consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. His reaction was one of anger after the EU retaliated against an initial wave of U.S. tariffs, with the bloc responding by imposing 50 percent tariffs on imports of U.S. whiskey and other products. Trump described the tariffs as “nasty.”
He stated, “The European Union, one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World [was] created solely to exploit the United States.”
This claim was both inaccurate and hostile. The EU, which has historically valued positive relations with the U.S., was responding to Trump’s previous tariffs, established just the day before on aluminum and steel. EU leaders have expressed their desire to eliminate these tariffs but have committed to defending the continent by targeting politically sensitive U.S. goods in reaction to the aggressive stance of the Trump administration.
“We will not succumb to threats,” Laurent Saint-Martin, France’s minister delegate for foreign trade, posted on X. He remarked that Trump “is escalating the trade war he initiated.”
The tariffs were met with disappointment by Americans who appreciate European wine—and by Wall Street, which witnessed yet another downturn due to the trade conflict.
The markets were further affected by Trump’s insistence later that day that he would not back away from an April 2 deadline to impose an additional 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada. The president has fluctuated on tariffs with America’s neighbor to the north, introducing one set on steel and aluminum earlier in the week only to retract it hours later, but he asserted in the Oval Office today that this time he would stick to his word.
Trump has frequently misstated the existing tariffs Canada imposes on U.S. dairy and lumber goods and has grossly inflated the volume of fentanyl crossing the border. His criticisms of Canada have soured American-Canadian relations in Ottawa. “We didn’t ask for this conflict, but Canadians are always ready when someone else throws a punch,” the nation’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, remarked this week. Nevertheless, Trump continues to talk about making Canada the 51st state of the U.S., with many Canadians perceiving it as a serious threat.
“We don’t need anything they have. We [purchase Canadian goods] out of goodwill, but there comes a time when you can’t continue. You have to prioritize your own country,” Trump stated today. “And to be honest, Canada only functions well as a state.”
Trump made that foreboding remark during his first meeting of his second term with Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general. Canada is a NATO member, and any attempt to forcibly annex it would activate the alliance’s mutual-defense clause, termed Article 5, potentially pitting the remaining Western nations against the United States. Trump further provoked NATO by hinting that he was also eyeing another territory—Greenland, a possession of Denmark—and suggested that he might even send troops there.
“We truly need it for national security. That’s why NATO may need to become involved, as we urgently require Greenland for national security,” Trump said. “You know, we already have a few bases in Greenland, and we have quite a number of soldiers stationed there; perhaps you will see more soldiers in the future.”
For years, Trump has coveted Greenland, which is abundant in minerals and situated in a strategic area of the North Atlantic. However, Denmark has consistently declined to entertain discussions on a transfer or sale, even as Greenland recently elected a party in favor of gradual independence. Rutte chuckled during Trump’s discourse on Greenland, inciting displeasure among some Danish officials, including Rasmus Jarlov, the chairman of Denmark’s defense committee, who stated that his country does “not appreciate” Rutte “making jokes with Trump about Greenland in this manner. It could lead to conflict between two NATO nations.”
Yet, even as Trump issued those threats, he chose to temper his rhetoric regarding Putin. For weeks, he and his administration have aligned with Moscow’s perspective on the war in Ukraine. Trump has labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “a dictator,” claimed that Ukraine instigated the war, and stated that Ukraine would not be permitted to join NATO, the alliance intended as a defense against Russian aggression. Last month, Trump dismissed Zelensky in the Oval Office, and the prior pause in U.S. intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine has allowed Russia to gain ground in the conflict. Even as Trump’s emissary Steve Witkoff traveled to the Kremlin to see if Russia would consent to a 30-day cease-fire proposal developed by the U.S. and Ukraine, the president declined to assert today that he would pressure Putin to accept the deal or make any concessions.
“I don’t want to discuss leverage, because at this moment, we are engaging with them, and [the discussions] have been quite promising,” Trump stated. “I hope Russia will agree to the deal as well, and I think once that agreement occurs … I don’t believe they will resume hostilities. I believe that will lead to peace.”
Shortly thereafter, Trump declared that he “had a very good relationship with President Putin.” This time, Rutte did not laugh.
