U.S. President Donald Trump declared his imposition of a 50% tariff on the European Union a success, claiming it has encouraged the bloc to accelerate negotiations. In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed his satisfaction with the tariff, stating, "I was extremely satisfied with the 50% Tariff allotment on the European Union, especially since they were slow walking (to put it mildly!) our negotiations with them."
Trump noted that he had been informed that the EU has reached out to establish meeting dates promptly, describing this development as positive. He expressed hope that the EU would finally agree to open up for trade with the United States, mirroring his demands from China.
The announcement follows a call between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, resulting in the delay of the imposition of the 50% tariff on all European goods from June 1 to July 9. This call marked a significant turnaround in negotiations after months of frustration from European leaders who felt that Washington was not adequately engaging with their proposals and was instead requesting unilateral concessions.
Paula Pinho, the chief spokesperson for the European Commission, remarked that the call introduced "a new impetus" to the discussions, indicating a renewed willingness to engage in negotiations. "And we will take it from there," Pinho stated. "It’s positive to see that there’s engagement also on the level of the presidents, and from our side, we always said that we were ready to make a deal."
