Europe Fights Back: Boycotting American Goods To Protest Trump’s Policies

Moya O’Sullivan opened her kitchen cabinets and spotted a problem: her cream cheese, toothpaste, mouthwash, whiskey, and soft drinks were all American. That had to change.

“I’m not buying Philadelphia cream cheese anymore,” O’Sullivan told CNN. “No more Oreos either.” Oral-B and Listerine have been swapped out in her bathroom, while Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola have been evicted from her drinks cabinet.

O’Sullivan, 29, teaches history and English in Kilkenny, southern Ireland. But by changing her shopping list, she hopes to send a message to the 77 million Americans who voted to give Donald Trump a second term.

“It’s really disappointing to see that half of America would choose him,” she says.

Slipping into a tone more suited to a classroom, she adds, “The Americans didn’t learn their lesson the first time. Unfortunately, there need to be consequences.”

Economic Backlash Across Europe

As Trump’s trade war with the European Union escalates, a wave of economic nationalism is spreading across Europe. O’Sullivan is part of a growing group of Europeans using their wallets to protest against the Trump administration.

Trump has announced that starting April 2, a series of new tariffs will be imposed on goods coming into the U.S. from around the world. In response, the EU is preparing to strike back with higher tariffs on American whiskey, motorcycles, beer, poultry, beef, and produce like soybeans, tomatoes, and raspberries.

But opposing Trump through economic means is proving harder this time around. European leaders have worked to maintain diplomatic ties with Trump, hoping to avoid harsh tariffs or steer him toward acceptable outcomes in Ukraine and Gaza. And there’s a sense of exhaustion.

“The first time Trump was elected, people were outraged and thought they could fight back and win,” says Zoe Gardner, a spokesperson for the UK-based protest group Stop Trump Coalition. “Now, people feel more beaten down. They’re less confident in their ability to oppose this.”

Do Boycotts Work?

James Blackledge, a 33-year-old postman in Bristol, England, has also made changes. Like O’Sullivan, he’s switched to a locally made alternative to Philadelphia cream cheese, despite the higher price.

“I’m a bit of a mayo monster,” he admits, but he’s stopped buying Hellmann’s and started making his own with a blender. “It’s actually pretty easy.”

He’s also ditched McDonald’s coffee and poured his last Sierra Nevada beer down the drain. “A lot of my friends have been doing the same,” he says. “Many of them stopped buying U.S. products after Trump was first elected.”

O’Sullivan and Blackledge are not alone. Their frustration is echoed in online forums, where people exchange ideas about how to boycott American goods.

In Denmark, the country’s largest retailer, the Salling Group, recently added black star-shaped stickers to supermarket labels to highlight products made in Europe. Trump’s proposal to annex Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, has particularly angered Danes.

“We’ve had a number of customers asking to buy more European brands,” said Salling Group CEO Anders Hagh on LinkedIn. “We’ll continue to stock products from all over the world, but the choice is up to the customers.”

A Swedish Facebook group calling for a boycott of American goods has 81,000 members, while a similar Danish group has 90,000. Members frequently ask whether their dog food, soda, or chocolate has U.S. ties — and seek alternatives.

It’s too early to tell if these efforts will significantly affect American exports to Europe. However, the looming threat of new tariffs has strengthened the resolve of some consumers to buy EU-produced items over American versions.

Past boycotts in Europe, such as those targeting companies tied to Russia and Israel over conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, have seen some success in pressuring companies to cut ties. However, measuring their direct economic impact remains difficult.

A 2016 University of Virginia study found that U.S. consumers reduced their purchases of French-sounding brands after a political dispute between Washington and Paris over the Iraq War. Another study of U.S. boycotts between 1990 and 2005 found that while economic impact was limited, boycotts could damage companies' reputations.

For O’Sullivan, that’s enough. “We vote with our money,” she says. “Even if it makes no difference, I just don’t want my money supporting his economy.”

Targeting Tesla

Trump remains broadly unpopular in Europe, and polling suggests his re-election has worsened European sentiment toward America. But the massive protests that marked his first term have been replaced by quieter, kitchen-table activism.

In 2018, around 250,000 people marched in London to protest Trump’s visit. A 20-foot “Trump Baby” balloon, depicting the president in a diaper clutching a phone, floated above the city.

“I don’t know if we’d get those kinds of numbers again,” admits Gardner, whose group organized the protest and has re-formed since Trump’s re-election.

Instead, demonstrators are getting creative. Small protests have been held outside Tesla showrooms in the UK, targeting Elon Musk’s involvement with the administration. However, turnout has been low — fewer than 20 people showed up at one event in Leeds.

Tesla’s sales in Europe have dropped since Trump’s return to office. In January, Tesla registered just 9,913 new units across the continent, down from 18,121 the previous year. However, analysts predict the upcoming release of the updated Model Y could reverse that trend.

Trump is set to visit the UK again soon at the invitation of King Charles III — an invitation gleefully extended by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

But recent events have reignited European anger. Trump’s tense Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sparked outrage. The next day, the Daily Mail, a right-leaning British tabloid usually sympathetic to Trump, led with the headline: "Stop the state visit for ‘bully’ Trump."

Gardner has supported boycotts of U.S. goods and even avoids shopping on Amazon, though she admits her group organizes protests using WhatsApp, which is owned by U.S.-based Meta. “There are contradictions, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile,” she says.

And some European leaders are making symbolic gestures. Raphael Glucksmann, a French member of the European Parliament, recently demanded the return of the Statue of Liberty.

“It was our gift to you,” he said at a rally. “But if your government despises what it stands for, we will carry the torch here in Europe.”