Trump spanned 50% tariffs for EU – DW – 26.05.2025

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he had suspended planned 50% tariffs for the European Union by July 9.

He made the announcement in his social network of truth.

This agreement came after a call on Sunday with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission.

“Good call with @potus”, wrote from the Leyen about X. “The EU and the USA share the most consequent and closest trade relationship in the world. Europe is ready to find the conversations quickly and determined. To achieve good business, we need the time until July 9th.”

What did Trump say?

The Leyen said “The talks will start quickly,” Trump wrote about his call with the President of the European Commission on his social platform of truth and added that it was his “privilege” to agree to the “expansion”.

In conversation with reporters on Sunday, before he entered the US President Air Force One, Trump said that Leyen “asked for an extension on June 1st and she wanted to come to serious negotiations”.

How did we get this phase?

The authorities in Brussels and Washington negotiated to avoid a trade war that Trump's announcement triggered in April that he would make most of the USA's trading partners.

Trump threatened a 20% tariff for most EU goods before halved to 10% with a period from July 8.

On Friday, Trump said that he would impose a 50% tariff from the EU from June 1 because the trade talks with the block “nowhere” would go.

Now he has agreed to an “extension” of the original July period that has been announced last month.

The block, which Trump repeatedly accused, was a “universal” basis -10% tariff remains.

For his part, the EU has declared that it will contest US goods as an answer.

Europeans are calling “respect” not “threats”

Maros Sefvociv, the EU's trade officer, said Brussels “obliged” to achieve an agreement, but insisted that the transatlantic relationship on “mutual respect” was based on “threats”.

On Sunday, Germany's finance minister Lars Klingbeil said that he hoped for “serious negotiations” with the White House, but asked “further provocations” and added that he had discussed the problem with his American counterpart Scott Bessent.

Klingbeil also pointed out this weekend that Trump's tariffs do not help anyone and the US economy “just like the German and European economies.

Published by: John Silk