Trade Cases

Trump eyes 50% tariff on EU starting June 1

May 23, 2025

President Trump has threatened the European Union with 50% tariffs on imports into the United States beginning on June 1.

The president said trade discussions with the EU were “going nowhere” in a Truth Social post on Friday.

“Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025,” he said. “There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States.”

Trump cited the EU’s “powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more.”

He claimed these have led to a trade deficit with the US of more than $250,000,000 a year, “a number which is totally unacceptable.”

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.