Key Highlights:

• Trump hits European Union and Mexico with 30% blanket tariffs on all imports starting August 1
  
  
• Retaliation will trigger even higher tariffs, with Trump framing trade as a national security threat
  
  

Yello Paradisers! In yet another seismic shift to global trade policy, President Donald Trump announced a 30% tariff on all goods imported from the European Union and Mexico, effective August 1. 

The announcement came via his usual digital pulpit, Truth Social, and included two letters sent directly to Ursula von der Leyen and Claudia Sheinbaum, warning them in no uncertain terms: retaliate, and we’ll add your number to ours.

This isn’t a solo performance. Earlier this week, Trump targeted Japan, South Korea, Canada, and Brazil with similar measures. A separate 50% tariff was also imposed on imported copper, proving that when Trump says “America First,” he means “everyone else pays.”

Trump to EU: End the Free Ride or Start Manufacturing in the US

In his letter to von der Leyen, Trump claimed that the EU has been benefiting from “decades of anti-American policy” while American exports were getting stuck at the gates. He warned that the 30% tariff would remain unless European manufacturing moves to the U.S., promising fast-track approvals for those who comply, processed in “a matter of weeks.”

And just in case anyone thought retaliation was on the table: “Whatever number you choose to raise by will be added onto the 30% that we charge,” he wrote, in a line that felt more mob boss than diplomat.

Mexico Gets the Same Treatment, And the Same Deadline

The second letter, addressed to Claudia Sheinbaum, mirrors the one sent to the EU. Trump emphasized that Mexico has held a persistent trade surplus with the U.S., which he says has cost America “jobs, companies, and industries.”

Like the EU, Mexico is being told: Build it here or face the tariffs. And if Mexico retaliates? You guessed it, Trump promised to tack their number onto the 30% base rate. Same math, different country.

Both letters leaned heavily on national security language, repeating the phrase:

“This is a major threat to our Economy and, indeed, our National Security!”

The Takeaway: Tariffs Are Back, and the Multilateral Era Is on Fire

Trump’s message is clear: If you don’t play by our rules, you won’t play at all. For companies in Europe and Mexico, this could mean a fast-tracked relocation to American soil or a massive hit to profit margins. For global trade? A return to economic trench warfare.

Want the Breakdown That Coffee Can’t Give?

MCP News Private will follow up with a deeper breakdown plus real-time reactions from the market. And it’s only $3/month,  less than the cost of your data plan, a movie ticket, or two packs of gum at an airport kiosk.

And for high-level insights on how professional traders are reacting to macro chaos like this, follow the discussion inside ParadiseFamilyVIP, where our traders aren’t just watching the news, they’re trading ahead of it.

Also, don’t miss our upcoming YouTube stream, where we’ll unpack what this tariff war could mean for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoin flows.

When tariffs hit trade, crypto doesn’t flinch, it flows. Are you positioned where capital hides during economic trench warfare?