President Trump on Friday recommended a 50 percent tariff on the European Union starting next month, a sign that trade talks have been unproductive.
"The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with," the president said in a post on Truth Social. "Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable.
"Our discussions with them are going nowhere!" Trump added. "Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Trump’s announcement came shortly after he threatened to impose a tariff on Apple if the company didn’t begin manufacturing their iPhones in the United States.
"I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else," he wrote. "If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your for your attention to this matter!"
The posts tee up a potentially tense exchange between U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and his European counterpart later Friday morning. Greer is expected to tell European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in a meeting that Brussels’ latest move in the ongoing trade talks falls short of U.S. expectations, the FT reported.
The EU was the second-largest purchaser of U.S. exports in 2022, taking in nearly $351 billion of American goods, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. [...]
Trump has long accused Europe of taking unfair advantage of the U.S. through trade. He announced a blanket 20% tariff on the EU on April 2 as part of his “reciprocal” tariff plan, though he quickly revised that duty down to 10% for 90 days. (CNBC)
*TRUMP: RECOMMENDING A 50% TARIFF ON THE EU STARTING JUNE 1 pic.twitter.com/T13gRJThRl
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 23, 2025
🚨President Trump just put Apple’s CEO Tim Cook on blast: pic.twitter.com/HR8h3aj8bj
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 23, 2025
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