Donald Trump announces 25 per cent tariffs on EU imports
Donald Trump has announced he plans to slap 25 per cent tariffs on imports from the European Union (EU) into the US.
The US President slammed the European trading bloc, claiming it was set up to “screw” America, and had “done a good job of it but now I am President”.
His comments came as UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is on a plane to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump since he reentered office in January.
Speaking during his first cabinet meeting in the White House, Trump was asked by reporters whether he still planned to put 25 per cent tariffs on Mexico and Canada, despite a drop in migrant crossings, and he said: “I’m not stopping the tariffs, no.”
Trump added: “April 2, the tariffs go on… not all of them but a lot of them. And I think you’re gonna see something that’s gonna be amazing.”
He also told the meeting, attended by billionaire advisor and Tesla and X owner Elon Musk, that he had taken a “decision” on tariffs on the EU.
The US President said: “We have made a decision, we’ll be announcing it very soon. It will be 25 per cent generally speaking and that all be on cars and all other things.
“The EU is a different kind of case than Canada, they’ve really taken advantage of us in a different way.
“They don’t accept our cars, they don’t accept essentially our farm products, they use all sorts of reasons why not, and we accept everything from them.”
He continued: “We have about a $300bn deficit with the EU. I love the countries of Europe, I guess I’m from there at some point a long time ago.
“But the EU was formed in order to screw the US. That’s the purpose of it and they’ve done a good job of it but now I am President.”
But UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves today said she was confident the UK, which has a goods deficit with America, can boost trade with the US.
She said the announced increase in defence spending was “in our national interest” when asked if the UK expects Donald Trump to withdraw his threat of tariffs in return.
She said: “In terms of the future trading relationship between the UK and the US, last time that President Trump was in the White House, trade and investment between our two countries increased, and I have every confidence that that can happen again.
“I know that the Prime Minister looks forward to talking about those issues and many others in his meetings with Donald Trump tomorrow.”