Trump threatens 50 per cent tariffs against the EU and attacks Apple

The US president announces his intention to impose heavy duties as of 1 June 2025. Brussels brakes and awaits the confrontation between Sefcovic and Greer

Trump revives the trade clash with the European Union. In a post published on Truth Social, the US president announced his intention to impose 50% duties on European goods as of 1 June 2025, denouncing the EU’s ‘trade barriers’ and calling Brussels a ‘very difficult partner to deal with’.

‘The European Union was formed to take advantage of the United States on trade,’ Donald Trump wrote, stating that ‘our conversations with them are going nowhere.’ A sudden change of direction after he had granted a 90-day pause in duties on 9 April last year precisely to encourage dialogue.

Also in the president’s crosshairs is Apple. Trump addressed a direct message to Tim Cook, reiterating that he expects “iPhones sold in the US to be made in the US and not in India or elsewhere”. If not, he announced the introduction of a 25% tariff on the multinational company.

The US president’s words shook the markets. European stock exchanges closed sharply down: Milan lost 1.94%, Paris 2.73% and Frankfurt 2.54%. Only London managed to limit its losses. Wall Street opened in the red, with the Dow Jones down 1.10% and the Nasdaq down 1.67%.

In the afternoon, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic is scheduled to have a phone call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in an attempt to defuse tensions. According to a European Commission spokesperson, the talk was already planned before Trump’s announcement. Brussels, for now, is maintaining silence and postponing any comments until after the confrontation between the parties.

Trump’s new lunge risks definitively undermining the transatlantic talks, opening a phase of uncertainty in economic relations between the two sides of the Atlantic and putting the global balance of trade to the test.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)