Trump told the European Union it has until July 4 to approve last year’s trade framework or face higher U.S. tariff rates, a warning he issued in a Thursday social media post. The announcement came after what Trump described as a “great call” with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and it also followed Trump’s earlier threat that EU autos would face higher tariffs starting this week.
In the post, Trump said, “A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!” and he said he had agreed to give von der Leyen more time, pointing to “our Country’s 250th Birthday.” Trump added that if the EU did not meet that timeline, “their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels,” according to the text of the post.
The specific scope of what would become more expensive under Trump’s latest warning was not clear from the post. It was unclear whether the tariff jump would apply to all EU goods or only to automobiles, even though the update appeared to come as an extension of the deadline after Trump’s earlier remarks focused on vehicles.
The new message also reflected Trump’s displeasure that the European Parliament had not yet finalized the trade arrangement reached last year. The negotiations have been complicated in part by a February U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
Under the original terms of the framework, the U.S. would charge a 15% tariff on most goods imported from the European Union. But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has instead levied a 10% tariff while it investigates trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to set new tariffs intended to make up for lost revenue.
In this latest statement, Trump appeared to back away from his prior threat on EU autos by providing additional time for the European Parliament to approve the agreement, even as he maintained a July 4 deadline in his post.