‘They don’t accept our cars. They don’t accept, essentially, our farm products,’ Trump said, adding that the EU was created ‘in order to screw the United States.’ The bloc has been among US’ closest allies
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US President Donald Trump said Wednesday (February 26) that his administration plans to impose a 25 per cent “reciprocal” tariff on European cars and other goods, escalating trade tensions with the European Union.
Asked whether a decision had been made on tariff rates for EU imports, Trump responded, “We have made a decision, and we’ll be announcing it very soon, and it’ll be 25 per cent, generally speaking, and that’ll be on cars, and all of the things.”
Trump’s trade advisers argue that value-added taxes imposed by European nations function as a form of tariff, giving EU countries an unfair advantage over American exports.
The president has set early April as a target for implementing reciprocal tariffs to match import duties and offset other trade restrictions imposed by foreign countries.
The EU, Trump said, represents a “different case” from Canada and has long taken advantage of the United States in trade.
“They don’t accept our cars. They don’t accept, essentially, our farm products,” he said, adding that the EU was created “in order to screw the United States.”
EU’s response
In response, a European Commission spokesperson said the EU “
will react firmly and
immediately against unjustified barriers to free and fair trade,” including for tariffs that challenge legal and non-discriminatory policies.
They defended the bloc’s trade policies, calling the EU “the world’s largest free market” and a key partner for US businesses.
“The EU has facilitate