WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. will postpone the 50% tariff on EU goods from June 1 to July 9 to acquire the time for negotiations with the group.
The deal was raised on Sunday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had told Trump that she “want to negotiate seriously.”
“I tell anyone who will listen, they have to do that,” Trump told reporters Sunday in Morristown, New Jersey, that he was ready to return to Washington. Trump said von der Leyen vowed to “get together quickly and see if we can solve some problems.”
In a social media post on Friday, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on EU goods and complained that the 27-member group was “very difficult” in trade and that negotiations “nowhere to go”. These tariffs will begin on June 1.
But at least for the time being, the phone with Von der Leyen seems to be smooth.
Shortly after Trump spoke to reporters on Sunday night, Trump told Truth Social: “I agree to the expansion – July 9, 2025, it’s my honor.”
Von der Leyen said the EU and the United States “share the world’s closest trade relations.”
“Europe is ready to negotiate quickly and decisively,” she said. “We need time until July 9 to reach a good deal.”
