Donald Trump seems determined to alienate our country’s closest allies.

His most recent blunder in this regard was imposing tariffs (taxes) on imports of steel (25 percent) and aluminum (10 percent) from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.

These countries have responded to Trump’s actions by imposing tariffs on imports of certain American products. Such “trade wars” are likely to be detrimental to the financial wellbeing of the citizens of each feuding country.

Trump was able to take this action by using a provision in the law that permits the use of tariffs to “counter a national security threat.” It is hard to imagine how such a threat would arise from our allies, but the president’s lack of logic and “alternative facts” thinking operates in strange ways. It is especially troubling since he refuses to admit that a real national security threat exists with past and future Russian interference in our elections.

Needless to say, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau was not happy with Trump’s actions, and said so on “Meet the Press” June 3. One of his key remarks on that program was: “The idea that we are somehow a national security threat to the United States is, quite frankly, insulting and unacceptable.”

And what response has arisen from the majority of Congressional Republicans? None. They sit idly by and watch this know-nothing president attack unity with allies shared for over a hundred years.

Chinese and Russian leadership must be jumping for joy.

Gretta Van Bree

Lincoln Township