Picking Fights
So, 45 wants to pick fights with Europe.
Take a look at this website and search for the report on foreign direct investments in the US in 2016: http://www.ofii.org
In the middle of this report is a lovely pie chart showing foreign direct investment in the US. I can't seem to copy this chart, but here's the info. Remember, this is cumulative:
1. United Kingdom - $449 B
2. Japan - $373 B
3. Netherlands - $305 B
4. Canada - $261 B
5. Luxembourg - $243 B
6. Germany - $224 B
7. Switzerland - $224 B
8. France - $223 B
All Other Countries - $599 B
Some observations, Of the top 8 countries with foreign direct investment, Europe's share (excluding United Kingdom) is more than $1.2 trillion. And of "All Other Countries," undoubtedly some are from Europe, so that $1.2 trillion figure is probably on low side.
And while a portion of that investment is in financial services or in direct investment in stock markets, much of it is investment that creates millions of jobs - BMW's $6.4 billion plant in South Carolina comes to mind. (For more info on job creation, look here: http://www.ofii.org/resources/jobs-by-state. Indeed, a quick look at a handful of states shows that direct investment is responsible for between 3% and 9% of private sector jobs.
And while the US constitutes a vast market for services and manufactured goods - which is largely the reason for much of this investment - those investment dollars can go elsewhere - Canada, Brazil, Asia, etc.
You know, even is someone created "killer graphics" to demonstrate this, I'm pretty sure 45 still wouldn't understand it.
