(C) Common Dreams
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Donald Trump Rejects Europe's Offer to Drop Tariffs: 'They Are Screwing Us' [1]
['Shane Croucher', 'James Bickerton', 'Nicholas Creel', 'Paul Du Quenoy']
Date: 2025-04-08 07:14:56-04:00
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
President Trump on Monday rejected an offer from European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a "zero-for-zero" tariff goods deal between the EU and U.S.
Speaking to reporters at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the EU is "screwing us on trade" and was "formed to do damage to the United States in trade."
Newsweek contacted the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, for comment on Tuesday via email outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Stock markets around the world have fallen sharply since Trump announced a new series of tariffs on U.S. trading partners, including 20 percent for the EU, on April 2 which he dubbed "liberation day."
In response, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he expected inflation to increase and economic growth to slow in the U.S.
Trump's reaction to von der Leyen's offer suggests U.S. tariffs on the EU won't be reduced in the near future, raising the likelihood of the European bloc retaliating with its own measures.
President Donald Trump answers a reporter's question in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025, in Washington D.C. President Donald Trump answers a reporter's question in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025, in Washington D.C. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
What To Know
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday Von der Leyen said: "Europe is ready to negotiate with the U.S. We have offered zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods. Because we're always ready for a good deal."
Trump was asked whether this was "enough" by a reporter in the Oval Office to which he replied: "No it's not. The EU has been very tough over the years, I always say it was formed really to do damage to the United States in trade, that's the reason it was formed."
The president went on to say the EU "took advantage of us dollar wise and militarily," adding: "We're paying them to guard them militarily and they're screwing us on trade so that's not a good combination."
Trump then said the U.S. has a "deficit with the European Union of $350 billion" and suggested this could be reduced by European countries buying American energy.
According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, a federal agency, in 2024, the U.S. had a goods deficit with the EU of $235.6 billion. However, EU figures show that in 2023 the U.S. had a trade surplus in services, which are calculated separately from physical goods, with the bloc of 109 billion euros ($119 billion).
What People Are Saying
Speaking to reporters about the European offer President Donald Trump said: "The European Union's been very bad to us; they don't take our cars, like Japan in that sense, they don't take our agricultural products, they don't take anything practically, yet they send millions of cars a year, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMWs, they're sending millions and millions of cars into the U.S.
"We have a deficit with the European Union of $350 billion and it's going to disappear fast, and one of the ways that that can disappear easily and quickly is they're going to have to buy our energy from us because they need it."
On X, political commentator Richard Hanania posted: "Reporter asks Trump if the European Union agreeing to drop tariffs to zero would be enough to get a deal.
"Trump says no, because the EU started out as a conspiracy to rip us off. He appears determined to destroy the country."
What Happens Next
Von der Leyen said if Trump didn't accept her offer, the EU was "prepared to respond with countermeasures," which would likely include retaliatory tariffs on American produce.
China has already imposed retaliatory tariffs of 34 percent on American goods, matching that put in place by Trump. In response on Monday, the president warned of an additional 50-percent tariff for Chinese goods unless Beijing backed down.
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[1] Url:
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-rejects-europe-tariffs-offer-2056776
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