Consumers around the world are looking for ways to boycott American products in response to Donald Trump’s trade war - and they are using apps to help them do it.
Politicians in badly affected countries are encouraging citizens to buy local after the US president imposed tariffs on a range of goods. Canada, Mexico and China were the first in Trump’s firing line but now he has introduced 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium from anywhere in the world.
Government reactions have been mixed so far; while the EU is introducing counter-tariffs on €26bn (£21.9bn) worth of American goods including motorbikes, industrial goods and Kentucky Bourbon, some countries like the UK have been more cautious in their response.
However, consumers who want to find a way to fight back against Trump’s tactics are taking matters into their own hands.
A plethora of apps have appeared to help Canadians and Europeans choose local goods over American products, including ‘Maple Scan’. The phone app allows you to scan products to check the ownership and history of the brand, and suggest alternatives if it is not ‘Canadian first’.
Websites such as Made in Canada, European Alternatives and Buy European have also been set up while social media accounts showing alternatives to US goods have also become popular on sites like TikTok.
Redditors have created practical guides for Canadians looking to switch their US purchasing habits with local ones, listing alternatives for everything from Levi’s jeans and Pepsi to Netflix and Uber.
“Now is the time for Canadians to stand together against his aggression,” one poster said.
Canadians are also avoiding travel across the border, and in such numbers that Forbes estimates it could cost the US economy $4 billion. Road trips from Canada to its southern neighbor have dropped by 23 per cent compared to February last year, data from Statistics Canada shows, while Flight Centre told the magazine it had seen “a surge of customers” cancelling US holidays.
Outside Canada, Facebook groups have been set up to organise and promote the boycott of US goods, as Google searches for “Boycott US” and “Boycott USA” remain strong after spiking earlier this month.
Searches have been particularly strong in Denmark, where there is anger over Trump’s talk of taking over Greenland as well as tariffs. More than 75,000 people have joined a Danish Boycott USA group on Facebook to discuss where they can buy non-American alternatives to favorite products, including tobacco.
More than 21,000 people have joined the “BOYCOTT USA: Achetez Français et Européen!” group on Facebook, which translates to “BOYCOTT USA: Buy French and European”, while a Swedish group “Bojkotta varor från USA” (”Boycott goods from the USA”) has nearly 80,000 members.
Consumer boycotts are also shifting business behavior.
The chief executive of major Danish retailer Salling Group, Anders Hagh, said that due to consumer demand, their stores would not take American items off the shelves but it would label products from European brands with a black star to help identify locally produced items.
Garritt van Dyk, a lecturer in history at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, told Deutsche Welle that consumer boycotts have become a popular way for consumers to exercise their political opinions beyond voting.
He said it echoed the 2003 “freedom fries” campaign when French fries were renamed in parts of the US over France’s opposition to the invasion of Iraq.
"There have been times in the past where you get this weird reaction of: 'We don't want that to be part of our culture anymore,' he said.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to double down on his trade war despite the backlash and concerns it could plunge the US into recession.
In response to the EU’s “nasty” counter-tariff hikes, he has threatened to introduce a 200 per cent tariff on any European alcoholic product including champagne.
“The U.S. doesn’t have Free Trade. We have ‘Stupid Trade.’ The Entire World is RIPPING US OFF!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.
“TARIFF RELATED MONEY IS POURING INTO THE UNITED STATES,” he added, without providing any evidence.
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