President Donald Trump on Monday hailed his administration’s 50% tariff on European Union imports, claiming the move had successfully pressured EU officials back to the negotiating table.
In a statement posted online, Trump accused the EU of “slow walking” trade talks and asserted his authority to impose trade terms unilaterally if the U.S. is treated unfairly. “I am empowered to ‘set a deal’ if we are unable to make a deal,” he wrote. The president said he had been informed the EU had reached out to set new meeting dates “quickly,” calling it a “positive event.”
Trump expressed hope that Europe would follow the path of China, which he previously demanded open its markets more fully to American goods.
