Trump Threatens To Ban European Car Sales If Drug Companies Don't Lower Prices Because That Makes Sense

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Donald Trump has a batch of thoughts. Most of them don't make immoderate sense, and nan sentences themselves are often hardly intelligible, but that doesn't mean he doesn't still person thoughts. If he were successful representation care, for illustration he astir apt should be, that would beryllium 1 thing, but instead, he's our president, truthful his incoherent ramblings are once again nan full world's problem. For example, conscionable this week, Trump said he'll prohibition European automakers from trading cars present if pharmaceutical companies don't little their prices. You know, because that makes sense. 

While speaking connected lowering supplier prices successful nan U.S., Trump said we request to get "the different countries to assistance up their prices a small spot and to get nan supplier companies to put it to them. And if they don't, nan supplier companies will person [sic] batch of problems, and they are mostly agreed to it. And if nan countries don't, then, arsenic an example, if it's Europe, I'll say, 'That's OK. You're nary longer allowed to waste cars successful America. You're nary longer allowed to person Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen aliases immoderate of nan different galore cars,' and they will say, 'Oh, I emotion nan thought of little supplier prices for America. So you person to usage that."

Now, it's worthy noting that Europe is simply a continent, not a country, and nan European Union is, well, a governmental national made up of galore individual countries, but that besides isn't nan main constituent here. More importantly, he's saying he wants pharmaceutical companies to little their prices successful nan U.S., and if they don't, he'll prohibition separate, unrelated companies — successful this case, automakers — from doing business successful nan U.S. Apparently, it's BMW's work to unit Pfizer to little its prices. Or something. Maybe nan EU is expected to unit supplier companies to little their prices truthful nan automakers don't get punished? 

To get a building from Michael Tae Sweeney, 10,000 Tariff Grandpa has his bully days and his bad days, but mostly, it's conscionable bad days now. And sure, he's nether a batch of unit lately pinch considering each nan stories coming retired astir really adjacent his narration was pinch infamous activity trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. But connected a basal level, his threat conscionable doesn't make immoderate sense. Why would you punish Volkswagen because Eli Lilly did thing you don't like? 

If I told you I was suing Costco because I was huffy Ford refused to springiness america a caller Fiesta ST, you'd look astatine maine for illustration I had mislaid my mind. You would besides beryllium correct to do so. And yet, here's nan President of nan United States saying thing arsenic nonsensical. Sure, location will astir apt beryllium plentifulness of bootlickers who travel retired of nan woodwork to opportunity he didn't really mean it, he'd ne'er really do it and I person Trump Derangement Syndrome if I deliberation nan words spoken retired large by nan existent president matter, but travel on. I mean, travel on.

How would this moreover work? Would he only prohibition imports, aliases would he prohibition each conveyance sales? European automakers already build a crap-ton of vehicles here, truthful that's a beautiful large question. Would he unopen down BMW's mill successful Greer, South Carolina? And what would he do astir Stellantis? That's a European company. Is Trump going to prohibition Jeep because it's nary longer owned by a institution headquartered successful nan U.S.? Perhaps astir importantly, really would punishing automakers unit Merck to little its prices?

Additionally, aren't Republicans expected to beryllium nan statement of mini government? Would this not beryllium an egregious illustration of national overreach? Do Republicans nary longer attraction astir nan president being mentally fresh for agency now that their feline is successful charge? I deliberation we each cognize nan answers to those questions, but it doesn't make Trump's threats to prohibition European car income if supplier companies don't little their prices immoderate little nonsensical aliases unhinged.