Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 50% tariff on all European Union imports from 1 June, accusing the bloc of taking advantage of the United States and labelling trade negotiations as “very difficult.”
The former US president announced his social media platform, Truth Social, claiming the EU was “formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE.”
It comes as EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic was expected to hold a call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Friday, raising speculation the threat could be a tactic to apply pressure ahead of talks.
Trump’s comments follow his decision last month to implement a 90-day pause on new tariffs under his so-called “Liberation Day” policy.
The pause gave nations time to negotiate individual agreements while maintaining a base 10% tariff on all imports — except those from China.
So far, only the UK has secured a formal agreement, which includes the 10% rate and new access for American agricultural goods.
A preliminary deal with China is in place, but Trump has voiced frustration over stalled talks with the EU.
“Our discussions with them are goin nowhere!” he posted. “Their powerful Trade Barriers, VAT Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against American Companies… have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250 billion a year.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News he hoped the latest threat would “light a fire under the EU” to make progress.
Trump has signalled that if progress is not made, his administration could shift away from bilateral talks toward broader, standardised tariff packages.
The UK’s agreement is reportedly being used as a blueprint, with officials stating that no future deals would fall below the 10% base rate.
Trump also repeated a threat made earlier this week against Apple, saying he would impose a 25% tariff on iPhones unless the tech giant moves manufacturing to the US.
His wider trade war with China saw tariffs peak at 145% before being cut to 30% after talks in Switzerland. That rate includes an extra 20% tariff in response to China’s failure to stop the flow of fentanyl.
With less than two weeks to the 1 June deadline, pressure is mounting on EU leaders to return to the negotiating table.
