RE: Tit for tat escalated quickly. Trump slaps 104% tariff on Chinese goods. European VAT is not a tariff, it's a high sales tax in the EU, affecting all products, hence neutral.

I think the "secret strategy" that Trump is attempting, is while talking big about tariffs, I believe his real goal is to equalize and minimize tariffs, even eliminate them if possible.

By pushing tariffs up, it forces countries to test the rhetoric to see if he's serious. Yes, he's serious. Trump would put 1000% tariffs on China if need be - with the ultimate goal of settling on something mutually beneficial, like a modest 10% / 10% reciprocal. That's my theory anyway.