Donald Trump’s tariffs, policies, and threats have resulted in EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposing a replacement, or at least major changes, for the World Trade Organization (WTO):

Let’s create a new World Trade Organization – Von der Leyen
27 June 2025
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has proposed to EU leaders the launch of a Europe-led initiative to establish a structured trade cooperation with Asian countries, potentially laying the groundwork for an alternative to the gridlocked World Trade Organisation (WTO).
At Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels, European leaders discussed the possibility of overhauling the WTO’s institutional framework, including its stalled dispute resolution mechanisms, to better reflect the current global trade landscape.
“The WTO hasn’t worked for years,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a press conference following the summit, referencing persistent dysfunction under both the Trump and Biden administrations.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented leaders with different options of trade deals, labelling as the most attractive a closer cooperation between the EU and members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a regional trade pact of 11 Pacific Rim countries and the UK.
She introduced the initiative as a potential first step toward reshaping the global trade order.
“I said that we can think about this as the beginning of redesigning the WTO—of course, understanding what should be reformed positively within it,” von der Leyen told reporters after the summit.
She stressed the importance of learning from the WTO’s shortcomings and showing the world that “free trade based on rules” remains achievable with a wide group of willing partners.
“This is a project we should truly engage in. CPTPP and the European Union—that’s my team,” she said, adding that the EU must take the lead in managing this initiative.
Asked whether the United States should be involved, von der Leyen replied: “As far as I understand, the Americans left the CPTPP at a certain point.” https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/06/27/von-der-leyen-touts-eu-led-alternative-to-mired-wto
EU leaders try to out-bully Trump, floating world trade club without US
Ursula von der Leyen suggests EU could join forces with the Asian-Pacific trade bloc as Europe tries to up its game.
27 June 2025
European Union’s leadership excitedly revealed a new plan to combat the … American president’s trade war: Take him on at his own wild game.
For six months, Donald Trump has upended the global trading order, threatening and announcing tariffs, then easing them to open negotiations, while warning that punitive levies will be reimposed if the terms are not to his liking.
With just 13 days until the Trump-imposed deadline to conclude a EU-U.S. deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen decided the time for conventional negotiating tactics was over.
She floated the idea that the EU’s 27 countries could join forces with 12 members of the Asian-led Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership bloc (CPTPP) — which now includes the U.K. — to form a new world trade initiative.
The new grouping would redesign a rules-based global trading order, reforming or perhaps even replacing the now largely defunct World Trade Organization, she said.
Crucially, the U.S. would not automatically be invited.
Such a plan would “show to the world that free trade with a large number of countries is possible on a rules-based foundation,” von der Leyen said at the end of the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels in the early hours of Friday morning. “This is a project where I think we should really engage on, because CPTPP and the European Union is mighty.” …
Von der Leyen’s idea won public endorsement from Europe’s most powerful leader, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “If the WTO is as dysfunctional as it has been for years and apparently remains so, then we, who continue to consider free trade important, must come up with something else,” he said. …
The risk in that situation would be that Trump then revisits his commitments to European defense, asking why Americans should pay to protect countries that are fighting them on trade, one diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter is sensitive. https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-leaders-donald-trump-us-trade-tariffs-ursula-von-der-leyen/

While the Biden Administration was also blamed in the first news item above, it was decisions by Donald Trump in 2019 to block appointments to the WTO that essentially stopped it from performing many of its functions.

Since at least 2008, I have warned that the Europeans wanted to set the standards for trade (Thiel B. A Combined EU & North American Trade Block Coming? COGwriter.com, March 3, 2008). In 2013 I posted, “Biblically, world trade agreements are expected” (Thiel B. WTO reaches new world order trade agreement. COGwriter, December 7, 2013).

In 2017, I posted:

Europe is interested in trade deals, and will make them whether or not the USA is party to them. (Thiel B. Pew poll concludes US image in the world tarnished because of Donald Trump, but what about CNN and Edward Snowden? COGwriter, June 27, 2017)

Now the EU President is basically publicly calling for setting trade standards and a world trade system that does not have to involve the USA.

That is also consistent with something posted here back in 2018:

To avert a ‘trade apocalypse,’ Europe wants to rewrite the rules for international trade. That is consistent with warnings in the Book of the Apocalypse, more commonly referred to these days as the Book of Revelation. …
One of the ways that this Babylonian European power will be able to dominate world trade is by developing/writing/controlling many of the rules for international trade.
Europe is intending to do that right now! With more and more of the world upset by US President Donald Trump, Europe is seizing an opportunity–an opportunity that will result in it fulfilling various end time prophecies. (Thiel B. ‘Trade apocalypse’ will lead to the fulfilling of prophecies in the Book of the Apocalypse COGwriter, June 26, 2018)

Europe will rise up as the leader in world trade. With 450 million in the EU, plus 150 million wanting in, and multiple other millions in Europe aligning with the EU, steps towards making Europe the end-time Babylonian trading entity of biblical prophecies are coming to pass.

Notice that the Bible says that all trading nations will have become wealthy trading with end-time Babylon, the restored European Empire:

3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury (Revelation 18:3).
13 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. (Revelation 18:12-13)

Notice some items in my book available at Amazon Kindle: Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? as well as Amazon print Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?:

Donald Trump’s foreign policy statements have unsettled many—in the USA as well as foreign nations. …
Donald Trump’s tariff and other economic policies are getting the Gentile nations of Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia to look to trade more with each other. An unintended consequence of his rhetoric and policies is that they are encouraging the end-time rise of the final time of the Gentiles. …
Trade
Historically, Donald Trump has called for “fair trade” and indicated that various nations, including several in Asia, are not engaged in fair trade, so he has proposed high tariffs.[i]
Donald Trump has called tariffs, “the most beautiful word in the dictionary” and even proposed massive tariffs (up to 2000%) on Mexico if it will not do what he wants.[ii] He has basically also proposed a minimum of 10% tariffs on goods from much of the rest of the world.
Some believe that Donald Trump’s positions on trade will lead to a global trade war.[iii] Europe has said it will hit back against Donald Trump’s tariff policies.[iv] It is my position that trade disputes will be a factor in Europe taking military action against the USA one day.
One of the unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and other trade matters is that it is motivating nations he has threatened to look to trade more with each other.
The morning after his reelection, I wrote:
According to the major media, Donald Trump won re-election. … Europe will get more serious about trade deals with others internationally, such as being more motivated to approve the trade deal with the Mercosur block of South America.[v]
On December 6, 2024, Politico reported that the European Union approved the massive Mercosur trade deal, despite opposition from France and others, and also pointed to Donald Trump’s reelection as a factor.[vi]
Energy and climate policy differences between the Europeans and Donald Trump look to increase the negative view many in Europe already have about the USA. …
Unintended Consequences
While Donald Trump seems to believe that his policies are best for the United States, notice some unintended consequences of them: …
Pushing tariffs and sanctions on other countries is contributing to the rise of the final time of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24; Ezekiel 7:24).Pushing tariffs and other policies that foreign nations do not like is contributing to other nations looking to bypass the USA dollar, as well as trade more with each other and less with the USA. This will further push various globalist’s moves forward without the USA. This is also helping set the stage for the coming European Babylonian Beast to dominate international trade.
[i] Trade: Donald J. Trump’s Vision. https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/trade accessed December 16, 2016
[ii] Pan J. Donald Trump calls tariff ‘the most beautiful word,’ threatens up to 2,000% tariff to block Mexican car imports. Yahoo News, November 3, 2024
[iii] Islam F. Will Trump’s victory spark a global trade war? BBC, November 7, 2024
[iv] Vella JH. EU’s game plan for Trump trade war: ‘Hit back fast and hard.’ Polico.eu, October 21, 2024
[v] Thiel B. Media declares Donald Trump won the election–now what? y Donald trump y eventos para observar. COGwriter, November 6, 2024
[vi] Gijs C, Leali G. EU snubs France to seal huge Latin American trade deal. Politico, December 6, 2024

Since the above was published, more countries are looking seriously about bypassing the US dollar because of tariffs, sanctions, and other economic issues.

Regarding how the international trade situation will end up, earlier this year the The Continuing Church of God put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel discussing various views and scriptures about that:

Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …
US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Then listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.

Here is a link to our video: Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …

Church of God warnings on trade are coming to pass.

In the Continuing Church of God:

19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (2 Peter 1:19, KJV)

We continue to see international affairs that are aligning with properly explained biblical prophecies.

Related Items:

WTO and the Babylonian Beast Is world trade changing? Has Donald Trump affected it? Is Europe now taking steps that are pushing it towards being the end-time Babylonian Beast trading power that the Bible warns about? This article addresses those issues.
Trade Wars – and the Winner will be … US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in to this video as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Also listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
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Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Is Donald Trump going to save the USA or are there going to be many disastrous unintended consequences of his statements and policies? What will happen. The link takes you to a book available at Amazon.com.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Kindle edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?