Secretary of State Marco Rubio took aim at foreign students who come to the United States on a student visa only to do “crazy things” on campus, asserting that the administration continues to crack down on these “lunatics.”

Rubio said a student visa is not “some sort of birthright.”

Rubio made the remarks during President Donald Trump’s Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

“If you come to this country as a student, we expect you to go to class and study and get a degree. If you come here to, like, vandalize a library, take over a campus, and do all kinds of crazy things, you know, we’re going to get rid of these people,” Rubio said. “So when we identify lunatics like these, we take away their student visa.”

Rubio said late last month that the State Department had, at that point, revoked more than 300 student visas of foreign students who participate in actions such as “vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus,” among other things, like voicing support for Hamas terrorists in Gaza or antisemitic speech.

“No one’s entitled to a student visa. The press covers student visas like they’re some sort of birthright,” Rubio added. “No, a student visa is like me inviting you into my home. If you come into my home and put all kinds of crap on my couch, I’m going to kick you out of my house.”

Rubio’s remarks come amid reports that 300 foreign students in recent days alone have had their student visas revoked.

The White House defends the revocations under the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act.

“It’s a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that basically states that, for whatever reason, that if we think you’re not compliant, we can make you deportable,” immigration lawyer Jamie Barron told CBS News. “It could be, for example, an argument with a roommate, a fight, a DWI, a theft charge, or maybe they did a protest, which is freedom of speech, but they consider it may be harmful for the country.”

Newsmax

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Newsmax about a protest in central Florida he crashed earlier this week to ask what the protesters were so mad about, only to find out they had no idea.

Donalds joined “Greg Kelly Reports” on Thursday and said the protesters had “no idea what they’re talking about.”

“Look, this is one of the reasons why I went to that Tesla protest, because I wanted to see firsthand what people were upset about. And when you ask them the question, they can’t answer,” Donalds told guest host Lidia Curanaj.

“It’s nothing new, especially when you’re dealing with people who are on the radical left,” he added about his experience in Kissimmee, Florida. “They can’t argue the facts. So what they try to do is bring out these crazy emotional arguments.”

Donalds also reacted to a clip of a woman trying to explain the evils of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which passed in the House earlier Thursday, calling it “crazy” that the protester couldn’t enumerate basic facts about the measure she was protesting.

“They’re quick to tell you to do your research, and then when you try to go a couple levels down to figure out their research, you realize they have no idea what the hell they’re talking about,” Donalds said. “So when I see these clips — and I’m glad these clips are surfacing and that they’re out there for the American people to see — first I laugh, then I shake my head. Then I realize we still have a job to do.

“We have to communicate exactly what we’re doing to the American people. We have to be factual and demonstrate that our policies — the America First movement — is what’s going to put America on track to be successful for everybody,” he added.

Mark Swanson, Newsmax

How the media is killing society:

1. People like good production value. They like good acting. Look at the popularity of The White Lotus. Or The Game of Thrones. To most people, the “news” seems credible, because it’s executed well. They’re liars, but they’re highly capable liars. Rachel Maddow is not a good person, but she’s good at what she does.

2. People were not trained to think critically. Government schools and most private schools condition you to be part of the pack. You are taught in groups, or classes, not individually. The goal is the average, or the norm, not achievement of your own potential. This leads, in adulthood, to a mentality of group think. In practice, this means replacing “What’s true?” with “What does everyone else seem to think?” I never knew how prevalent this was until COVID. It was shocking and staggering, even to me. 2020-2021 unmasked EVERYTHING.

3. The people in the media are the same as the people watching the “mainstream” media. They lack independence and critical thinking. Just like their audience. However, they, the members of the media, do have a leftist agenda. In fact, they are SO leftist they don’t even realize they’re leftist. To them, it’s a combination of virtue and objective truth. Their biases and outright lies seem self-evident, to them. They sneer at dissension, something they rarely encounter outside their elite blue states and cities. This results in the spectacle of sheep teaching sheep; sheep reinforcing sheep. Today’s establishment media: an elitism of ignorance and naivete masquerading as sophistication and truth. Most don’t see it. They just absorb it all, uncritically call it “news,” and go about the business of their lives.

It’s not hopeless. But the situation is daunting. More than most of us know. It’s incredibly uphill. Trump’s surprising victory in 2024 proved the media is not omnipotent. But it’s very, very present. And, because of those 3 points above, people will continue to default to whatever the media wants. Trump has an uphill battle, and his successors will have it even tougher. Ignorance has morphed into hatred, and it’s not letting go. It will not go down without a fight, and I am talking the fight of this century.

If the media stopped being leftist, it would have an impact. Indeed, we have more nonleftist media than ever before. It started with National Review and Ayn Rand’s Manhattan living room discussion groups in the 1950s and 1960s. It evolved into Rush Limbaugh, Fox News in the 1990s and 2000s. And today: alternate media (translation: nonleftist) is a force. It’s so much a force that Donald Trump got two terms (really, three terms) as President. Never underestimate the power of human potenial in the exercise of free will. We all have the capacity to think and know the truth, independently and against any odds. We all have this inner superhero, when we choose to activate it.

Good news: Critical, objective thinking is making a comeback. But we have a long tough road ahead for America, for truth and for civilization itself. I love Ayn Rand’s quote the most: Those who fight for the future live in it today. Thanks to the future we are creating today, the world has become a better place.

Follow Dr. Hurd on Facebook. Search under “Michael Hurd” (Charleston SC). Get up-to-the-minute postings, recommended articles and links, and engage in back-and-forth discussion with Dr. Hurd on topics of interest. Also follow Dr. Hurd on X at @MichaelJHurd1, drmichaelhurd on Instagram, @DrHurd on TruthSocial. Dr. Hurd is also now a Newsmax Insider!

The Trump administration unleashed another round of sanctions on Iranian entities fueling the country’s illicit nuclear weapons program, ratcheting up pressure on the hardline regime ahead of major diplomatic talks this weekend.

The Wednesday sanctions primarily target “key entities managing and overseeing Iran’s nuclear program,” including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and a subordinate group, the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA), which manufactures the machines powering Tehran’s uranium enrichment program.

The fresh sanctions are the most biting to date and strike at the heart of Tehran’s nuclear industry, effectively choking off its ability to source the materials required for uranium enrichment and the construction of research facilities. They are certain to get the Iranian leadership’s attention ahead of negotiations with the United States on Saturday.

“The Iranian regime’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons remains a grave threat to the United States and a menace to regional stability and global security,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to disrupt any attempt by Iran to advance its nuclear program and its broader destabilizing agenda.”

Iran has spent years perfecting its ability to enrich uranium, the key component in an atomic bomb, through advanced centrifuges, which spin the fuel at high speeds to bring it towards weapons-grade levels. The latest sanctions aim to disrupt this activity by targeting the Iran-based Atbin Ista Technical and Engineering Company (AIT), which helps Tehran’s technology sector secure various components from foreign suppliers.

Iranian national Majid Mosallat, who serves as a managing director at AIT, was also hit with sanctions for his role in overseeing “the purchase and shipment of items to TESA on behalf of AIT,” according to information provided by the Treasury Department.

Another Iranian company, Pegah Aluminum Arak Company, was also designated for manufacturing aluminum products on TESA’s behalf. Additional sanctions target a constellation of companies that feed Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, the main government body “responsible for research and development activities in the field of nuclear technology, including Iran’s centrifuge enrichment and experimental laser enrichment of uranium programs,” according to the Treasury Department.

Around July 2023, the AEOI formed Thorium Power Company and tasked it with developing “thorium-fueled reactor technologies,” which help breed a pivotal fissile material known as uranium-233. The company is now formally under U.S. sanctions and will face great difficulties trying to source weapons technology.

Two other Iranian companies—the Pars Reactors Construction and Development Company and Azarab Industries Co.—will also face sanctions. Pars acts as an “AEOI-subordinate” engaged in a “number of nuclear reactor projects.”

Azarab, the Treasury Department said, acts as a general contractor for the AEOI, helping it construct “power plant, refinery, petrochemical, and cement projects.” It also has a contract to produce “equipment for nuclear power plants.” The sanctions, like other similar measures, will stop Azarab from sourcing the materials it needs to complete these projects.

Nick Stewart, who served as chief of staff for the State Department’s Iran Action Group during Trump’s first term, said the latest sanctions send “a powerful and unmistakable message” to Tehran ahead of diplomatic talks this weekend.

“Beyond the practical impact of today’s designations, their timing—on the eve of potential talks in Oman—sends a powerful and unmistakable message: Iran’s nuclear ambitions will not be tolerated, and those who enable them will face severe consequences,” said Stewart, who is currently the senior director of government relations at FDD Action, an advocacy arm of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank.

“With Iran at its weakest point in decades, the United States must recognize the tremendous leverage it holds and press that advantage,” Stewart said. “The complete and verifiable dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program is the only viable path to protect U.S. national security and promote regional stability.”

The bevy of new punitive measures come ahead of what President Donald Trump described earlier this week as a “very big meeting” with Iran over its nuclear weapons program. Tehran’s enrichment activities went into overdrive during the Biden-Harris administration, which failed to enforce sanctions on Iran, helping it secure the cash needed to pursue nuclear technology and fund its regional terror proxies.

Trump entered office pledging to pursue diplomacy with Iran but promising to take military action if Iran balked at direct negotiations. The country’s hardline leadership still maintains that Saturday’s diplomatic détente will occur indirectly, with the two sides speaking through Oman as a mediator. The White House, meanwhile, insists the negotiations will take place directly with Tehran.

On Tuesday, shortly after Trump announced the talks, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi claimed that Washington had agreed to hold indirect negotiations.

“As long as ‘maximum pressure’ and threats exist, there is no ground for fair negotiations, and we will not hold direct negotiations,” Araqchi said. Trump, however, described the upcoming meeting differently during a Tuesday press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We have a very big meeting on Saturday, and we’re dealing with them directly,” Trump said. “We are meeting, very importantly, on Saturday at almost the h freshighest level.” Should the talks fail, “Iran is going to be in great danger.”

Free Beacon, Adam Kredo

For several years now, the Democratic Party and its allies in the media have been fomenting violence. Since they control the mainstream news cycle, they’ve been able to get away with their mischief—bigly. One must be a low-grade moron, a fanatical Democratic partisan, or a seeing- and hearing-impaired hermit not to notice what’s been transpiring. From 2020’s so-called Summer of Love, through the intimidation of Supreme Court justices who supposedly voted “against women” in the Dobbs decision of 2022, to the incitement to assassinate Donald Trump in 2024, to the recent torching of Tesla automobiles and dealerships, the Democrats have been as much steeped in violence as the Nazis and Communists were during the waning days of the Weimar Republic.

Senator Chuck Schumer’s threat of “reaping the whirlwind,” hurled on the steps of the Supreme Court at the justices who sided with reversing Roe v. Wade against the wishes of the Democratic Party, was no idle gesture. Those justices were targeted in their homes and menacingly demonstrated against, while Justice Kavanaugh was the object of an assassination plot by someone angered by his stand on abortion. If anyone is disappointed by how supposedly conservative justices have begun to vote with the left, the explanation might be that these vulnerable judges are understandably afraid that Democratic mobs and assailants may come after them and their families. Given their unsettling recent experiences, these judges have every reason to fear this.

Democratic operatives and their media allies are not looking in the mouths of the unhinged gift horses they’ve created. The Democrats learned, after the 2020 riots they helped abet, how much partisan violence they can get away with stirring up. While the staff of Kamala Harris and other prominent Democrats were bailing out the arsonists who burned Minneapolis during the George Floyd riots, enabling them to return to their criminal activities, the media provided cover for the party they slobber over. News interpreters went apoplectic attacking Trump’s policy of calling out the National Guard during those riots, and they focused their feigned anger on Kyle Rittenhouse, the young man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who shot and killed assailants who were chasing him during another riot inspired by a police shooting.

This week, a bomb was thrown into the Tesla vehicle of a pregnant women in Vancouver. It seems the anti-Trump fanatics now targeting Musk are finding allies among our very woke neighbors to the North. One point about the violence spreading in Canada seems indisputable: those involved are most definitely not Conservatives. They and their compatriots engaged in similar activity here in the U.S. are quite likely enthusiasts of left-wing politics and, in many cases, are being paid for their efforts by George Soros’s NGOs or other front organizations. It is hard to imagine that those torching Tesla dealerships and leaving messages with the word “resist” are doing anything that doesn’t delight the U.S. Democratic Party leadership.

Paul Gottfried

In response to comments that Senator Rand Paul is a RINO because he doesn’t support tariffs: Rand Paul is correct that — in a world dominated by free market economies — tariffs are a tax, and are not justified in a global network of free markets. However, the reality is that most countries outside of America are totalitarian (China, Russia) or authoritarian socialist economies (Western Europe). Our American government — under Trump, a free country, once again — has no choice but to deal with these countries as the regimes they are.

I listened to Senator Paul in his speech to Republicans in South Carolina yesterday, and did not hear him acknowledge this point. However, he is in no way a RINO or a fraud. He acknowledges that President Trump is sincere, good for the country and right about the essentials. Unlike others on the libertarian side, Rand Paul has no illusions that the leftists, the Democrats and the Establishment are lunatics and deadly wrong about everything, and he acknowledged them as such. Trump’s economic strategies in his first term, including with regard to trade, were effective, and I noticed that Senator Paul acknowledged this, as well.

America has a LOT of enemies, certainly in its own government and in both parties. I don’t view Rand Paul as anything close to this. We should concentrate on the horrific spectacle of AOC as Speaker of the House in 2 years, or the Democratic nominee for President in 2028. We should concentrate on being ready to fight the next catastrophe leftists plan to manufacture for us, as they did COVID, lockdowns, ballot fraud and violence in 2020. Because this is war, and they (not people like Rand Paul) are the ones who will destroy our country, if we let them.

Michael J. Hurd, Daily Dose of Reason

Many politicians and policymakers predicted that Monday would be a “Black Monday.” While the equities market closed lower, the drops were at a lower pace than last week. In connecting the tariffs to the market’s volatility, part of the evenness of Monday’s trading came on the heels of news that numerous American trading partners agreed to negotiate with President Donald Trump and offered free trade deals to ratchet down his “reciprocal tariffs.”

Last Wednesday, which Trump dubbed “Liberation Day,” the president announced large-scale tariffs on nearly every country, declaring that the measures would help to end American trade deficits with foreign powers and bolster domestic production of goods. Thursday and Friday witnessed precipitous declines in the stock market, though the administration made clear it would hold the course.

Preliminary announcements from Trump himself and senior administration officials, moreover, suggested that many key trading partners were prepared to negotiate favorable trade agreements to eliminate or at least reduce the tariffs. 

Talking to us

“Countries from all over the World are talking to us. Tough but fair parameters are being set. Spoke to the Japanese Prime Minister this morning. He is sending a top team to negotiate!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “They have treated the U.S. very poorly on Trade. They don’t take our cars, but we take MILLIONS of theirs. Likewise Agriculture, and many other ‘things.’ It all has to change, but especially with CHINA!!!”

In the meantime, Trump urged Americans to avoid being a “PANICAN” and to have patience with the market as it adjusted to the economic rebalancing.

“The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO. Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!). Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!” he posted.

Evidently, at least some investors took his advice as key indices defied predictions of a precipitous fall and instead dropped only by modest amounts. The DOW Jones closed down 0.91%, while the Nasdaq rose 0.10%, and the S&P 500 dropped 0.23%.

More than 50 countries have asked to parley 

Several Trump administration officials hit the airwaves over the weekend, shedding light on President Trump’s tariff strategy and indicating that negotiations are an important component of the plan. “So, the fact is, the countries are angry and retaliating and, by the way, coming to the table,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said during an interview with ABC News on Sunday. 

He said that the tariffs imposed last week, so far, have spurred many countries to approach the administration to begin negotiations. “I got a report from the [U.S. Trade Representative] last night that more than 50 countries have reached out to the president to begin a negotiation,” Hassett said. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with NBC News on Sunday that the tariffs have allowed President Trump to create “maximum leverage for himself” in any trade negotiations. “More than 50 countries have approached the administration about lowering their non-tariff trade barriers, lowering their tariffs, stopping currency manipulation,” he said, echoing Hassett, but warned that talks could take time.

Some of the messaging out of the administration has been mixed, contributing to the confusion. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested in an interview on Sunday that the tariffs were designed to do more than spur negotiations. 

“There is no postponing. They are definitely going to stay in place for days and weeks. That is sort of obvious. The president needs to reset global trade,” Lutnick told CBS News. “Everybody has a trade surplus and we have a trade deficit. We are paying away our future and our lives. Come- the countries of the world are ripping us off, and it’s got to end.” 

Neither the U.S. Trade Representative nor the White House responded to requests for comment about which countries have approached Trump to negotiate a deal, but several have announced proposals publicly or are preparing negotiating teams.  

Europe is always ready for a good deal”

Many nations initially balked at the prospect of dropping their tariffs or making other concessions in response to American tariffs, and immediately went into public outrage. At the same time, some early actors have offered generous agreements and may be poised to quickly conclude their trade disputes as Trump appears eager to strike deals. Lenient terms, moreover, may prompt other nations to follow suit in pursuing economic rapprochements with Washington.

After initially vowing to impose retaliatory tariffs of its own, the European Union has quickly reversed course and publicly floated a proposal on Monday to wipe away all tariff barriers with the United States. 

“We have offered zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods as we have successfully done with many other trading partners. Because Europe is always ready for a good deal. So we keep it on the table,” European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said at a press conference. 

The EU currently tariffs several U.S. exports, including apparel, accessories, cotton and t-shirts at a 12% rate and vehicles at a 10% rate. Some Trump administration officials have also expressed frustration with EU value-added taxes (VAT) that increase the price of imported goods, but are not a traditional tariff.

Trump spoke with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday morning via video call. Trump’s own announcement indicated they had set the framework for a “tough, but fair” arrangement, though Ishiba stated that “Japan has been the biggest investor in the United States for five straight years and the tariff policies could hurt our Japanese companies’ investment capabilities.”

Ishiba has further agreed to send a negotiating team to the United States in order to resolve the trade dispute. The country currently faces the prospect of a 24% tariff on all of its goods. Ishiba further suggested that he would present an arrangement to the Trump White House that would involve the expansion of Japanese purchases of American liquefied natural gas (LNG), cars, and agricultural products, Bloomberg reported.

“When we negotiate with the US we want to present a package. That will take some time, but we will make it a success,” he said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday confirmed he would lead the American negotiations and thanked the Japanese government for its “outreach and measured approach to this process.”

Israel, for its part, has moved to eliminate all of its tariffs on American goods, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with Trump on Monday at the White House.

“I recognize the position of the United States,” Netanyahu said. “It says, you know, ‘we’re allowing other countries to put tariffs on us, but we don’t put tariffs on them.’ And, you know, I’m a free trade champion, and free trade has to be fair trade.”

“And I think that’s basically the position that you’ve put forward, Mr. President, we are going to eliminate the tariffs, and rapidly,” he vowed. “I ended up [with] the opportunity to speak to Secretary Lupin yesterday. We talked about how we could affect this quickly, and I hope to bring the solution very quickly. We’re not talking about intentions. We’re not talking about, you know, just words. We’re talking about results.”

Other key American trading partners, including Vietnam, Canada, and Argentina, have expressed interest in negotiating lowered tariffs or the elimination of trade barriers altogether, though the European, Japanese and Israeli proposals still appear to be further along.

China’s immediate reaction

The Chinese responded quickly to Trump’s tariffs by imposing their own 34% tariff on American imports in retaliation. Trump, however, has offered Beijing an exit strategy from the trade dispute by threatening to cut off all negotiations entirely should they fail to walk back the tariff. To back up his threat, he further warned of an additional 50% tariff on Chinese goods if they declined.

“[I]f China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th. Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated!” he warned.

He reiterated his warning to Beijing during the Monday conference with Netanyahu, saying “I have great respect for China, but they can’t do this with just, we’re going to have one shot at this, and no other president is going to do this, what I’m doing, and I’ll tell you what, it’s an honor to do it, because we have been just destroyed, what they’ve done to our system.”

No pain, no gain

Trump’s efforts are not without drawbacks for the United States, especially in the short term. Major indices have plummeted in recent days and prompted many calls from supporters to ease off the more substantive tariffs. Nevertheless, the administration has signaled it will move forward and prominent supporters have pointed to the drops as necessary sacrifices to achieve long-term benefits.

“Is there going to be some short term pain? Yes, but that’s him pushing back against the elites,” Utah state Rep. Trevor Lee, R, said on the Just the News, No Noise television show. “That’s him pushing back against those who have these big corporate corporations heavily involved in the stock market.”

“And what this is going to do is not only help with the trade deficit, and quite frankly, the same tariffs he put on his first administration were kept on by the Biden administration, so they must have done something good there,” he added. “And long term, the stock market is going to rebound. It’s going to be fine. It’s not even lower than it’s been the last eight years. It’s still way up.”

During his press conference with Netanyahu, Trump addressed the tariff negotiations with the European Union and pointed to the need of constituent nations for American investment to keep their economies afloat. He particularly pointed to European need for American energy.

“The European Union has been very, very bad to us. They don’t take our cars like Japan, in that sense, they don’t take our agricultural product, they don’t take anything practically, and yet, they said millions of cars in a year, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, BMWs,” he told reporters.

“They’re sending millions and millions of cars into the US. But we don’t have a car that’s been sold to the European Union or other places. But let’s go for the European Union, and it’s not going to be that way,” he went on. “It’s got to be fair and reciprocal. It’s got to be fair. It’s not fair. We have a deficit with the European Union of $350 billion and it’s going to disappear fast,” Trump said. 

“And one of the reasons, and one of the ways that that can disappear easily and quickly, is they’re going to have to buy our energy from us, because they need it.”

JUST THE NEWS

The American Capitalist Party is planning to field candidates for two city council positions this year. The party is focusing on Colorado and Alabama, both of which are hosting local races later in the year; however, it has not disclosed which cities.

According to information in the party’s April newsletter, the national organization is working with both candidates, who were not named. The party stated that it is assisting them in establishing election finance committees and developing campaign strategies. It intends to release additional election announcements in the future. While the specific cities are not yet known, state election calendars show that many of Alabama’s city elections will take place in August, while Colorado is set to hold a consolidated election on November 4.

Additional organizing efforts mentioned by the party include plans to attend the Objectivist summer conference in Boston, Massachusetts, this July, along with a series of fundraising campaigns to help offset anticipated costs. The party’s chair and vice chair, Mark Pellegrino and Michael Liebowitz, also launched a new livestream this month. The program, titled “Capitalist Corner,” is hosted Monday through Friday at noon on Pellegrino’s YouTube account.

The American Capitalist Party formally launched during this year’s LibertyCon International in Washington, D.C. While the group had been in development for some time with an established platform, it did not formally organize until this past February.

On Monday, European Union leader Ursula von der Leyen has said that the European Union is ready to offer “zero-for-zero” tariffs in trade negotiations with the United States for industrial goods.

“We stand ready to negotiate with the United States. Indeed, we have offered zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods, as we have successfully done with many other trading partners, because Europe is always ready for a good deal,” von der Leyen said on Monday.

This comes as the 27-nation bloc has been in talks to get the US to lower tariffs against the EU. The countries are facing a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports to the United States that go towards making cars as well as reciprocal tariffs imposed by Trump on various countries. The US president has also implemented a widespread 10 percent tariff on nearly all imports to the US.

“We need to remain calm and respond in a way that de-escalates. The stock markets right now show what will happen if we escalate straightaway. But we will be prepared to take countermeasures if needed to get the Americans at the table,” Dutch Trade Minister Reinette Klever said on Monday, according to Reuters.

The meet-up took place in Luxembourg on Monday, where they discussed how Europe should react to the tariffs from the United States. Trump has previously said that the best way to get the tariffs from the US removed on the nations is for the EU countries to drop their own tariffs and trade barriers to the US, but some of the leaders are still floating ideas about retaliating to the US tariffs with more trade barriers.

French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin said that everything should be on the table to retaliate to the tariffs, “We cannot exclude any options on goods or services and, however we approach it, open the box to the European tool which is very comprehensive and which can be extremely aggressive.”

Other leaders were wanting to be cautious in how they dealt with the US.

Thomas Stevenson, Human Events