Donald Trump Is Talking Himself Into a Global Trade War on Twitter

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While officials inside the White House are still shocked at Donald Trump’s sudden public pivot toward trade wars with China and the European Union, the president isn’t letting up. Instead, he’s digging in, taking to Twitter to once again make threats directed at the EU.

“Our jobs and wealth are being given to other countries that have taken advantage of us for years,” Trump tweeted early Saturday afternoon. “They laugh at what fools our leaders have been. No more!”

The United States has an $800 Billion Dollar Yearly Trade Deficit because of our “very stupid” trade deals and policies. Our jobs and wealth are being given to other countries that have taken advantage of us for years. They laugh at what fools our leaders have been. No more!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2018

He then threatened to increase taxes on European exports into the United States:

If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S. They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2018

Saturday’s latest mini-tweetstorm comes a day after the president issued a series of similarly disconcerting messages, writing in part that “trade wars are good, and easy to win.”

When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 2, 2018

Meanwhile, officials inside of the Treasury Department are scrambling to contain the fallout from Trump’s tweets, which in addition to being wrong, have also frightened investors and outraged US allies across the globe. One senior member of the president’s economic advisory team told Politico, “I don’t understand what we announced, I don’t know what the policy is.”