Shona Murray: EU's bids to mollify Trump were met with nothing but chaos, tariffs, and war

All of those auditioning to be the EU's 'Trump whisperer' have been roundly rebuffed. Some say it's time for Europe to break away from the US and go it alone

Donald Trump with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other leaders including Giorgia Meloni, Emmanuel Macron, Finnish president Alexander Stubb, Ursula von der Leyen, Nato leader Mark Rutte, and Germany's Friedrich Merz at the White House last year. Picture: Aaron Schwartz/PA

The EU is really feeling the weight of US hostility less than two years after Donald Trump’s return as US president. Brussels is now struggling to respond to the latest coercive measure from the White House. 

This time, a 25% tariff on Europe’s car industry looms. Trump says the reason behind it is that the EU is “not complying with our fully agreed-to trade deal”.