Trump’s comments mark a significant departure from his warm words about the European Commission’s president last week, in which he praised Ursula von der Leyen as “fantastic,” adding he hoped that the two would meet soon.
Although Trump has already met with a host of European leaders, von der Leyen has yet to nail down her own meeting — saying last week she’d only meet the U.S. president if there’s a “concrete” trade package that can be negotiated.
Brussels last week dangled a list of potential concessions — including regulatory easing and joint efforts to curb Chinese overproduction — and threatened tariffs on €95 billion worth of U.S. goods if talks stall. Trump’s trade hawk Peter Navarro condemned the mooted counteroffensive as provocative.
Trump’s heated new remarks come as Washington and Beijing agreed to slash so-called reciprocal tariffs against each other, after talks between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Chinese officials in Switzerland.
The U.S. will cut Trump’s recent tariffs on Chinese imports from 145 percent to 30 percent, while the Chinese side will drop measures from 125 percent to 10 percent. The suspension is temporary for now, lasting 90 days, allowing time for further negotiations.
Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on countries around the world and the EU triggered shockwaves in financial markets and threatened to upend global trade entirely.