Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon warned Europe to be scared because ‘tariffs are coming’ as America prepares for drastic foreign policy reform under the new administration.
The Former White House Chief Strategist insisted ‘we don’t need help from anyone in Europe’ as he slammed Europe for ‘abusing us’ in a new interview with Italian media.
‘We will not pay for your defense while you hit us with unbalanced trade deals. Yes, tariffs are coming, you will have to pay to have access to the US market. It is no longer free, the free market is over,’ he said in a lengthy tirade bashing ‘allies’.
While maintaining that he will not return to a senior role in the White House, Bannon stressed that the ‘Maga movement’ seeks to ‘cut 100 per cent of the funds for Ukraine’, urging European nations to ‘put in the money’ themselves.
It came as European leaders met in Paris yesterday to brace for change under President Trump amid threat of tariffs on imports to the US and renewed fears that he could seek to pull the United States out of NATO.
In his interview with the Italian outlet Corriere Della Sera, Bannon said the America First ideology – which has come to define Trump’s MAGA movement – will focus on bringing the economy and job security back stateside.
He stressed that the USA ‘don’t need any help from anyone in Europe’ and on the issue of Ukraine – which Trump pledge to resolve quickly throughout the campaign – he said he wanted to an end of what he claimed was NATO’s ‘semi-obsession with pushing NATO almost into Russian territory.’
Bannon’s comments represent a growing chasm between Europe and the USA once Trump returns to the White House in January.
Relations between America and Europe were testy during Trump’s previous administration when the President-elect pursued decisively more isolationist policies than his predecessors.
During a meeting of European leaders in Budapest last Thursday – in the shadow of Trump’s election victory – there were discussions about how Europe could assert more strategic independence from the United States.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged other European leaders write their own history.
He said: ‘Do we want to read the history written by others – the wars launched by Vladimir Putin, the US election, China’s technological or trade choices?’
‘Or do we want to write our own history? I think we have the strength to write it.’
Macron’s comment would likely be welcomed by Bannon who claimed Europe had done nothing for the USA despite the continent being ‘saved’ by America during the previous World Wars, the Cold War and Ukraine.
With regards to the United Kingdom, one Democrat Governor who had a good working relationship with Trump believes he might spare the UK from the incoming tariffs.
Following Brexit, a free trade deal had been under discussion between the UK and USA before it was paused in 2020 by the Biden administration.
In words reported by Sky News, Phil Murphy said his ‘gut feeling’ was that Trump will not impose tariffs on goods from the UK – which could exempt British exports from billions of pounds of tariffs.
He claimed this was because Trump recognised the importance of the UK and the USA’s special relationship and his favourable view of the country after Brexit.
Governor Murphy said: ‘Donald Trump (has) some sympathy with the renegade who has courage.
‘I think there’s some of that. I think that’s a card that can be played. We’ll see.’
Bannon also revealed details about key figures within Trump’s transition team at Mar-a-Lago which included an array of figures such as Robert F. Kennedy, former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, billionaire Elon Musk and TV presenter Tucker Carlson.