Former US president Donald Trump has announced plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on imports from the European Union, alleging that the bloc was established to harm American economic interests.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump reiterated his long-standing grievances about trade imbalances, asserting that the US receives little in return for its openness to European goods.
“It’ll be 25 percent, generally speaking,” he told reporters. “And that’ll be on cars and all other things.”
Trump further claimed that the EU “does not accept US cars and farm products” while the US continues to accommodate European exports.
The EU currently imposes a 10 percent tariff on US car imports, compared to the US’s 2.5 percent tariff on European passenger vehicles. However, the US maintains a 25 percent tariff on imported pickup trucks.
“Look, let’s be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States,” Trump stated. “That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it.”
EU’s swift response
Trump’s remarks drew a sharp response from the European Commission, which dismissed his claims and vowed to counter any protectionist measures.
“The EU will react firmly and immediately against unjustified barriers to free and fair trade, including when tariffs are used to challenge legal and non-discriminatory policies,” a spokesperson said.
“The EU will always protect European businesses, workers, and consumers from unjustified tariffs.”
Former diplomats and politicians across Europe also responded to Trump’s allegations.
“Trump hates the EU,” Gérard Araud, France’s former ambassador to Washington, said on X. “He doesn’t know exactly what it is, but he hates it.”
Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt said Trump’s view of the EU’s origins was “seriously distorted.”
“It was actually set up to prevent war on the European continent,” Bildt said.
Strains in transatlantic ties
Trump’s latest trade warning comes at a time of growing uncertainty in US-EU relations, particularly over his administration’s “America First” policies.
Beyond trade disputes, Trump’s stance on NATO and the war in Ukraine has sparked concerns in European capitals. His repeated criticism of US military commitments and engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin have raised doubts about Washington’s future role in the alliance.
Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine “swiftly,” leading to speculation that his approach may favor Moscow. European officials fear a potential peace deal that concedes Ukrainian territory to Russia.
German chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz, whose CDU/CSU alliance won the most seats in parliamentary elections on Sunday, has warned that Europe must prepare for a future without US security guarantees.
“Americans, or at least this portion of the Americans … care very little about the fate of Europe,” Merz said on Monday.
He added that he was uncertain whether NATO would remain in its current form by mid-year or whether the EU would need to accelerate efforts to develop independent defence capabilities.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to downplay concerns about NATO’s future, while urging European nations to increase their defence spending.
“My reaction is NATO is not in jeopardy. The only thing that puts NATO in jeopardy is the fact that we have NATO Allies who barely have militaries or whose militaries are not very capable because they’ve spent 40 years not spending any money on it,” Rubio said.
“These are rich countries, especially in Western Europe. They have plenty of money. They should be investing that in their national security, and they’re not,” he added.
