Trump calls for 50% tariffs for EU imports from June 1 – DW – 23.05.2025

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he recommends a 50% tariff at goods from the European Union, citing a patient discussions.

“Our discussions with them do not go anywhere! So I recommend an all -round 50% tariff for the European Union, from June 1, 2025,” he wrote on social media.

In a post about the social truth, Trump repeated his criticism of the EU and said that the block, which was “formed to use the United States for trade, was very difficult to cope with”.

He also complained about the “mighty trade barriers of the EU, VAT, ridiculous company penalties, not monetary trade barriers, money manipulations, unfair and unjustified complaints against American companies and more.”

At the end of the post office, Trump reminded readers that products that were manufactured in the USA are not exposed to tariffs.

How did the EU react to Trump's threat to tariffs?

The EU Commission refused to express Trump's post and said it would wait for a call between the EU head of retail Maros Sefcovic and his US counterpart Jamieson Greer at 1500 GMT.

In the meantime, the euro fell back and returned earlier profits that had been achieved after the previous threat of Trump Tariff and the fears of the investors ignited the effects of duties on the global economy and trade.

The European markets fell almost immediately after Trump's posts. Germany's Dax, a stock market index consisting of the 40 largest German blue chip companies that were traded on the Frankfurt exchange, quickly swung to a loss of 1.9%, while the analog French benchmark CAC 40 fell by 2.4%.

The FTSE 100, the most famous stock market index Great Britain, consisted of the 100 most employed blue chip companies that are listed on the London stock exchange, fell by 1.1%.

The US markets also recorded a decline. The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial average were 1.5% and the Nasdaq Futures fell by 1.7% before the bell. Oil prices fell and the Ministry of Finance also dropped.

Trump also threatens Apple with 25% tariffs on iPhones

Earlier a day before he suggested 50% tariffs for EU imports, Trump Apple threatened with a tariff of 25% on sold iPhones, but not in the USA.

“I announced Tim Cook from Apple a long time ago that I expect the iPhone [sic] This is sold in the United States of America and built and built in the United States, not in India or elsewhere, “Trump wrote about the social truth.

“If this is not the case, a tariff of at least 25% of Apple must be paid to the USA,” he added.

Trump has long insisted that Apple produces iPhones in the United States. However, experts argue that this would require considerable investments and that the costs for smartphones would increase drastically.

While Apple mainly produces iPhones in China, it has also increased production in India in recent years.

Published by: Alex Berry