German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, on March 3, 2026. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP
Donald Trump has not given up on his trade war. On Friday, May 1, the US president again threatened the European Union with retaliatory tariffs. In a post on his social network, Truth Social, he announced that car and truck imports from Europe would be subject to a 25% tariff – up from the current 15% – starting from the week of May 4.
The measure aims to both punish the EU, which Trump believes is dragging its feet on signing a trade deal that was concluded in summer 2025, and to send a broader message to the Europeans, as EU-US relations have further cooled since the start of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran and European countries' refusal to participate in the war's military operations.
"I am pleased to announce that, based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the United States" from the EU, he wrote on Truth Social.
From February
