The main protagonists are standing apart, eyeing each other warily, fingers on triggers, waiting to see who blinks first.
The president has already imposed tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico — the latter two since paused pending talks.
The outbreak of any trade war between the US and EU would inevitably lead to similar dialogue.
That would be a self-destructive impulse and any self-destruction is best left to president Trump himself.
What we can do is take comfort from being part of something bigger and stay true to our values.

The Sunday Independent's View: We have to hold our nerve in face of bully Donald Trump