Trump threatens tariffs on Apple iPhones and EU products

“EU-US trade is unmatched & must be guided by mutual respect, not threats,” European Union Commerce Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič wrote on social media, external. “We stand ready to defend our interests.”

In remarks to reporters on the White Home on Friday afternoon, Trump expressed impatience with the tempo of negotiations, saying his plan to lift tariffs on 1 June was set.

“I’m not looking for a deal – we’ve set the deal,” he added, earlier than instantly including {that a} huge funding within the US by a European firm may make him open to a delay.

“We’re going to see what happens but right now it’s going on on June 1st,” he stated.

Analysts stated it remained to be seen whether or not Trump’s rhetoric would flip into actuality.

Commerce knowledgeable Aslak Berg from the Centre for European Reform instructed the BBC that he thought Trump’s publish was meant to extend leverage forward of the negotiations.

“But the fact of the matter is the EU is not going to budge. They are going to stay calm, carry on and it will be a very difficult discussion,” he stated.

He added that Trump’s re-escalation of tariffs set a foul precedent for different offers the US is perhaps engaged on.

“For a while there was this perception … that Trump was backing off, that we would have a bit of quiet and stability. This shows that is not at all the case,” he stated.