That is if we pull out of the Paris climate agreement.
French and European ministers say they will not sign future trade agreements with nations that do not ratify the Paris climate agreement.
Addressing the French parliament on Thursday, French foreign affairs minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne drew a line in the sand.
“One of our main demands is that any country who signs a trade agreement with EU should implement the Paris Agreement on the ground,” said Lemoyne. “No Paris Agreement, no trade agreement. The [United States] knows what to expect.”
EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström tweeted support Lemoyne’s comments on Thursday.
The European Union's position may seem radical, but the United States is literally the only nation in the entire world that has decided to pull out of the agreement. Under Trump, we are the radicals. We're the pariah nation.
The European Union's position is that it would be impractical to sign any significant trade deal that doesn't account for sustainable development and growth. And that makes sense because no one wants to sign a business deal with a partner who isn't even taking steps to prepare for the future. That would make us an unreliable partner.
While Trump has committed to backing out of the Paris climate accord, the earliest that can actually happen is in 2020. In the meantime, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the EU has been shelved and I don't see any reason to think Trump will resurrect it. His decision to abandon the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and his threat to unilaterally withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) suggests he won't sign off on any significant trade deals while he's in office.
This isolation is going to catch up to us.