Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States will postpone a planned 50% tariff on goods from the European Union until July 9, granting both sides more time to engage in high-level trade negotiations.
The decision came after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who Trump said expressed a strong willingness to move forward with substantive talks. “She wants to get down to serious negotiations,” Trump told reporters in Morristown, New Jersey, before boarding Air Force One.
“I told anybody that would listen, they have to do that,” Trump said of his position on EU trade discussions. According to the president, von der Leyen vowed to “rapidly get together and see if we can work something out.”
Trump had previously threatened to impose the sweeping 50% tariff on EU goods beginning June 1, criticizing the 27-nation bloc for what he described as an unfair and stagnant trade relationship. In a social media post on Friday, the president said talks with the EU were “going nowhere” and called the bloc “very difficult to deal with.”
The Sunday evening call, however, appeared to de-escalate transatlantic tensions. Shortly afterward, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had agreed to delay the tariff implementation. “I agreed to the extension — July 9, 2025 — It was my privilege to do so,” he wrote.
The delay provides a six-week window to strike a potential agreement and avoid what experts warn could be a costly escalation of trade disputes between two of the world’s largest economies.
Von der Leyen, in a statement released Sunday, acknowledged the high stakes. “Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively,” she said. “To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9.”
She also emphasized the importance of the transatlantic relationship, calling it “the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship.”
The delay marks the second time this year that Trump has used tariff threats as leverage in negotiations, following a similar move involving Japan in March. Administration officials have defended the approach as a way to gain bargaining power, though critics warn it injects instability into global markets.
If enacted, the 50% tariff would affect a broad range of EU exports to the United States, from automobiles and industrial machinery to agricultural products. European officials had warned of potential retaliatory measures, raising concerns about a broader trade war.
It remains unclear how much progress can be made before the new July deadline, but officials on both sides have signaled urgency and a renewed commitment to diplomacy.
“We don’t want a trade war,” one EU trade diplomat told reporters on condition of anonymity. “But we’re prepared to defend our interests if it comes to that.”
With economic growth slowing across Europe and key U.S. sectors watching closely, the next round of talks could be decisive.
