Trump threatens the European Union with astronomical tariffs
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs of up to 50% on European Union imports, starting June 1, 2025, amid stalled trade negotiations between the two sides.
Trump explained that talks with the EU haven’t yielded any progress, and that he believes the bloc is exploiting the United States on trade.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump noted that the European Union was founded primarily to advance his interests at America’s expense, emphasizing the difficulty of dealing with it on trade issues.
He threatened to impose heavy tariffs on European products entering the US market, emphasizing that goods manufactured in the United States would be exempt from these tariffs.
This escalation comes amid ongoing disagreements over tariff levels, with the European Union demanding a complete reduction to zero, while Trump insists on maintaining a 10% base tariff on most European goods.
In previous statements, Trump described the European Union as more challenging than China in trade, arguing that Europe imposes unfair restrictions on American goods, particularly in the automotive and agricultural sectors.
He said, “They sell us millions of cars and agricultural products, and we can’t export anything in return”.
He added that the United States will work to rebalance this trade relationship, emphasizing that Europe will be the most affected, while America will benefit from reduced costs.
