---
title: "Germany’s Lindner Warns Trump Against Starting Trade War With EU"
description: "German Finance Minister Christian Lindner warned Donald Trump against starting a trade war with the European Union if he returns to the White House because imposing tariffs would hurt both sides."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-23-germanys-lindner-warns-trump-against-starting-trade-war-with-eu/"
published: "2024-10-23T16:42:33"
updated: "2024-10-23T16:42:34"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 257
---

# Germany’s Lindner Warns Trump Against Starting Trade War With EU

> German Finance Minister Christian Lindner warned Donald Trump against starting a trade war with the European Union if he returns to the White House because imposing tariffs would hurt both sides.

By Bloomberg · Published 23 October 2024, 18:42 SAST · Updated 23 October 2024, 18:42 SAST

## Key points
- In a bid to keep the transatlantic alliance from unraveling like a poorly knit sweater, German Finance Minister Lindner warns that trade spats with the US are a lose-lose scenario, especially with Trump’s tariff obsession looming like a dark cloud over Europe.
- German Finance Minister Lindner emphasizes the need for transatlantic solidarity against China, citing risks to liberal democracies.
- He warns that trade conflicts between the US and EU are detrimental to both sides, with no winners emerging from such disputes.
- Concerns grow in Europe over a potential second Trump presidency, especially regarding his pro-tariff stance and its implications for trade.
- Lindner advocates for a fair trade agreement and a level playing field, regardless of the outcome of the US elections, highlighting the strength of unity.

## Content

Lindner, who’s also head of the pro-business Free Democrats, called instead for transatlantic solidarity to stand up to China, which he said posed a potential risk to “the league of liberal democracies and free traders.”

“Every kind of trade conflict harms both sides,” he told Bloomberg TV in an interview in New York on Wednesday. “There won’t be success for anyone out of a trade controversy between the US and EU.”

Lindner’s comments reflect wide concerns in Europe about the impacts of a second Trump presidency. The Republican candidate has declared tariffs “beautiful” and called the word his favorite in the dictionary. That has added to tensions over the US Inflation Reduction Act, a package of measures designed to boost the economy with green subsidies for companies investing in the country.

Read More: [Trump Election Victory Threat Gives Europe Economic Nightmares](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-22/a-second-trump-presidency-worries-europe-central-bankers)

Lindner is meeting with investors in New York and visited the United Nations headquarters. His next stop is Washington to join the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

The German finance minister — an ardent defender of Germany’s so-called debt brake — also said that he doubted the US can continue with its current fiscal policy for the foreseeable future. He said Brussels and Washington need to agree on a level playing field and a fair trade agreement, whoever wins the next election.

“It is in the best interest of the United States — it doesn’t matter who enters the White House — to remember this: together we are stronger,” he said.