Trump ‘Extremely Satisfied’ With Plan to Hit EU With 50 Percent Tariff

Comments come after they announce that these duties will be suspended until July 9th if no transactions are made.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his announcement was successful in putting 50% tariffs on European Union imports into the United States.

Trump warned last week that he would impose a 50% rate from June 1, but in a weekend social media post, he said it would be pushed back on July 9 amid trade negotiations.

In the Truth Social Post on Tuesday, the president was pleased with how it unfolded and showed that he was “very satisfied with the European Union’s 50% tariff allocation.

“I was informed that the EU has called for a quick meeting date to be established. This is a positive event and I hope that in the end, as in my same demand for China, we will open up European countries for trade with the United States,” he said.

He added a warning that if we are unable to do business or are treated unfairly, we are given the authority to “set up a transaction” for trade to the United States.

In a social media post last week, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on EU goods before delaying the imposition of obligations, claiming that the bloc is “very difficult” in trade and that negotiations “doesn’t go anywhere.”

A call between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday caused delays to occur until July.

EU Commission spokesman Paula Pingho said at a press conference that von der Leyen and Trump have agreed to quickly track the negotiations. The outcome of the call was, “Now there’s a new driving force in negotiations and we’re going to take it from there… From our side, we were always ready to make a deal,” she said.

Von Der Leyen confirmed his call with Trump in an X post, writing that the EU and the US will “share the most important close trade ties in the world.” She added that Europe is “ready to move forward with quick and decisive discussions,” and that “we will need time until July 9th to reach a significant deal.”

The EU has offered Trump a “zero-zero” transaction in which tariffs are removed on industrial products, including cars, but the Trump administration has said it will not lower tariffs below the 10% baseline imposed on almost all trading partners. Trump has also announced a wide 25% tariff on steel and automobiles.

The 10% baseline tariff was announced in early April as part of the “Freedom Date” statement released by the Trump administration. About a week later, Trump issued another statement suspending fees above 90 days.

The administration also hiked tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%. Earlier this month, both Washington and Beijing agreed to a deal that would result in both the US and the Chinese administration reducing tariffs by 115%.

Except for the announcement that it will impose a new obligation on the EU, Trump also said that it will impose a 25% import tax on all smartphones unless those devices are manufactured in the US.

“I have informed Tim Cook a long time ago that I expect the iPhone iPhones for sale in the United States to be manufactured and built in the United States, not in India or elsewhere,” Trump wrote in a post last week. “If not, then you will have to pay at least 25% of the customs duties from Apple to the US.”

Trump later revealed his post, saying that tariffs apply to all smartphones, not just Apple’s iPhones.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.