Trump has proposed a 100 percent tariff on all imported vehicles, which would be disastrous news for countries with significant auto industries. The German economy, for example, which is already struggling, would suffer a -0.23 percent hit to gross domestic product as a result of Trump’s trade policies, according to a study published by the London School of Economics (LSE). 

“These tariffs will impact the American economy, not just Chinese and European sectors, so Donald Trump [plowing] ahead with these policies if elected would be awful for economies across the globe,” study author Aurélien Saussay, from the LSE’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said. 

The antagonism triggered by a trade war wouldn’t only have an economic impact. When it comes to security, London has traditionally been one of Washington’s closest allies. But political tensions are already on display.

Relations between Trump and Starmer’s new center-left government are already in trouble. The Republican slammed Starmer’s “far left” Labour Party for sending activists to campaign for Harris in the election, claiming it amounted to foreign interference in American democracy. His campaign has filed a legal complaint against the party alleging “foreign interference.” 

Trump’s record in the Middle East is another reason for Europeans to fret. In his first term, he junked the Iran nuclear deal which was backed by Germany, France, the EU and the United Kingdom. 

“A second Trump term would see a return of its policy of ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran, which could include the possibility of direct strikes on Iran and targeted assassinations,” according to analysis from the European Union Institute for Security Studies. “Although the administration’s plan would be to re-establish deterrence, the risk of a direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran would increase.”