John Whelan: Ireland will be unable to escape the crossfire of a second Trump term

The EU sells more goods to the US than it buys, leaving the US with a deficit of €158bn last year. Ireland accounted for €32bn of the deficit, as our US exports rapidly grew

Presidential candidate Donald Trump complained about EU competition investigations into American tech giants, saying he would tackle an EU court ruling that forced Apple to pay €13bn in unpaid taxes to Ireland.

The rapidly approaching US presidential election is shaping up to be a high-stakes event for Ireland’s international trade relations. 

In Brussels, there is the expectation of a massive trade war if Donald Trump wins a second term as US president next month. His recent rally speech sets the tone and poses multiple economic threats to the EU. Trump's fixation on the US trade deficit with the European bloc is only second to his fixation with the deficit with China.