Switzerland Is Being Too Friendly to the US, Voters Say in Poll

(Bloomberg) — Swiss voters reckon their government is being too amenable to the US after President Donald Trump imposed an outsized tariff on their country’s imports.

Some 80% of respondents in a poll for public broadcaster SRG SSR said that Switzerland is “too friendly” to the world’s biggest economy.

The survey also showed that Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter — who until the end of the year also holds the rotating Swiss presidency — is considered the most powerful person in the seven-member cabinet, despite her failure to secure a trade deal with the US.

Keller-Sutter came under public criticism after a phone call with Trump didn’t deliver a pre-negotiated tariff agreement that would have seen much lower levies on Switzerland. Instead, her US counterpart slapped a 39% surcharge on many Swiss exports, which has been in effect since August.

“The woman was nice, but she didn’t want to listen,” Trump later told CNBC about Keller-Sutter.

The tariff prompted a sharp drop of Swiss exports to the US in its first month, and Trump’s trade policies have increased the uncertainty about Switzerland’s economy.

Bern is still negotiating with Washington to secure a lower rate. People familiar with the talks told Bloomberg that as part of an improved offer the Swiss proposed to invest in the US gold-refining industry.

The pollsters canvassed Aug. 25 to Sept. 11, just weeks after the 39% tariff took effect and the trade spat was dominating Swiss media coverage.

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