US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, the 2nd of February, that he will “absolutely” impose tariffs on goods from the European Union (EU), describing the bloc’s action as an “atrocity”, reports Politico.
Asked whether he planned to impose tariffs on goods from the UK, Trump attacked Brussels: “It may happen on that, but it will definitely happen on the European Union. I can say that because they have really taken advantage, you know, we have a deficit of over 300 billion US dollars.”
There is no evidence that the current US trade deficit with the EU exceeds 300 US billion dollars. According to the EU, in 2023 the US had a trade deficit with the bloc of 155.8 billion euros.
“The UK is out of line, but… I think it can be worked out. But the European Union – it’s an atrocity they’ve committed,” Trump said, adding that if “the UK is out of line” then “the European Union is really out of line”.
A global trade war is inevitable after Trump took steps at the weekend to impose tariffs on neighbours, allies and rivals, sparking loud criticism from around the world.
On Friday evening, Trump promised to “absolutely” impose tariffs on EU goods, claiming that the bloc had treated the US “so horribly”, while officially imposing tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China.
A European Commission spokesman said on Sunday that the EU would “react strongly” if Trump “unfairly or arbitrarily imposes tariffs on EU goods”.
Trump: EU commits “atrocities” on trade
