Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on EU Imports Amid Stalled Trade Talks

In a dramatic escalation of ongoing trade tensions, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is recommending a sweeping 50% tariff on all European Union imports starting June 1, 2025. The move comes as trade negotiations between Washington and Brussels continue to stall, with Trump expressing frustration over the lack of progress.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that talks with the EU are “going nowhere,” accusing the 27-member bloc of deliberately stalling and exploiting the U.S. economy.

The proposed tariff would significantly raise the current 10% baseline duty on EU goods, signaling a new phase in Trump’s protectionist trade agenda.

Markets responded swiftly to the announcement, with Wall Street stock futures dipping as investors weighed the potential consequences of heightened economic conflict between the world’s largest economy and its biggest trading bloc.

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The move also adds pressure on an already fragile global trade environment still adjusting to earlier rounds of tariffs and retaliatory measures.

Last month, the Trump administration introduced a wave of tariffs targeting several countries, including the European Union, with focused levies on industries like automobiles, steel, and aluminum.

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While a temporary 90-day reprieve was offered to some partners to encourage negotiations, the baseline tariffs remained, and the EU has since warned it could impose retaliatory tariffs worth nearly €100 billion ($113 billion) on U.S. goods if the talks fail.

Trump defended his decision by claiming that the European Union was “formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on trade,” and said that current negotiations have proven “very difficult.”

As tensions rise and the clock ticks toward the proposed tariff deadline, all eyes will be on whether diplomacy can ease the friction or if both sides are heading toward a full-blown transatlantic trade war.