- Boring Business Nerd
- Posts
- The World’s Not Buying It
The World’s Not Buying It
McDonald’s said it observed an eight- to a 10-point increase in anti-American sentiment.
Kieran Ryan
May 09, 2025
In partnership with
TODAY’S STORY
President Trump’s trade war is exacerbating anti-American sentiment internationally.
The European Central Bank wrote in a blog post, “The newly imposed U.S. trade tariffs on European products are causing European consumers to think twice about what’s in their shopping cart.”
Some Europeans are now loudly boycotting American products.
In Germany and Italy, developers have created apps like BrandSnap that can scan clothing and grocery items for people who want to avoid buying American.
In a French-run “Boycott USA” group, people boast about buying Adidas, a German brand, over Nike and New Balance. In a Sweden-run Facebook group, people are promoting alternatives to Airbnb.
Even brands like McDonald’s are starting to notice the impact. McDonald’s said it observed an eight- to a 10-point increase in anti-American sentiment. The growing negative attitudes abroad are especially prevalent in Northern Europe and Canada, where the fast food chain reported that same-store sales dropped 1% in the first quarter from a year earlier.
Millions of people are still buying American, but the shift in sentiment is unmistakable.
Hear why BILL S&E is #1 + earn AirPods 4
BILL is the all-in-one financial platform that simplifies managing bills, invoices, expenses, budgets, and business credit.
As a controller, you need software that works as hard as you do—that’s why BILL Spend & Expense is ranked #1 on G2’s 2025 Best Accounting & Finance Products list. New features include:
Assistant permissions for seamless delegation
Auto-freezing cards
Visa Signature benefit
API integrations for smarter scaling
Ready to see it in action and claim your AirPods 4?*
*Terms and conditions apply. See offer page for details. The BILL Divvy Card is issued by Cross River Bank, Member FDIC, and is not a deposit product.
#SHORTS
Employee monitoring software has gone off the deep end with AI
@boringbusinesskieran Employee monitoring software has gone off the deep end with AI 🫠📌 #business #techtok #ai
PREVIOUS STORIES
Trump’s Trade War Is Hitting U.S. Tourism Hard — Canadian travel to the U.S. is plummeting—part of a broader international trend with significant economic consequences.
Netflix Doesn’t Care About the Recession — Some analysts see the stock as particularly well-positioned to withstand a recession.
Why Brand-Owned Resale Is Booming — 47% of consumers are more likely to make a first-time purchase with a brand that offers trade-in credit for used apparel.
How CAVA Stays Affordable Amid Expansion — The CPI has increased 23% since 2019, while CAVA's prices have increased only 15%.
How Ozempic Is Reshaping Clothing Sizes — Last June, Lululemon’s CEO mentioned the brand was “out of stock in some of [its] smaller sizes.”
To read the web version of previous stories, click here.
If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email.
Thanks for reading,
Kieran & Justin Ryan
