President Donald J. Trump speaks at a roundtable dialogue on the Group Emergency Operations Middle in Kerrville, Texas, Friday, July 11, 2025.
Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman/AP
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Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman/AP
BRIDGEWATER, New Jersey — President Donald Trump on Saturday introduced he is levying tariffs of 30% in opposition to the European Union and Mexico.
Trump introduced the tariffs on two of the USA’ greatest commerce companions in letters posted to his social media account.
In his letter to Mexico’s chief, Trump acknowledged that the nation has been useful in stemming the circulate of undocumented migrants and fentanyl into the USA. However he mentioned the nation has not accomplished sufficient to cease North America from turning right into a “Narco-Trafficking Playground.”
“Mexico has been serving to me safe the border, BUT, what Mexico has accomplished, is just not sufficient,” Trump added.
Trump in his letter to the European Union mentioned that the U.S. commerce deficit was a nationwide safety menace.
“We have now had years to debate our Buying and selling Relationship with The European Union, and we’ve concluded we should transfer away from these long-term, giant, and chronic, Commerce Deficits, engendered by your Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Insurance policies, and Commerce Obstacles,” Trump wrote within the letter to the EU. “Our relationship has been, sadly, removed from Reciprocal.”
Trump is within the midst of an announcement blitz of latest tariffs with allies and foes alike, a bedrock of his 2024 marketing campaign that he mentioned would set the inspiration for reviving a U.S. financial system that he claims has been ripped off by different nations for many years.
With the reciprocal tariffs, Trump is successfully blowing up the foundations governing world commerce. For many years, the USA and most different international locations abided by tariff charges set by a sequence of advanced negotiations often known as the Uruguay spherical. International locations might set their very own tariffs – however below the “most favored nation” method, they could not cost one nation greater than they charged one other.
With Saturday’s letters, Trump has now issued tariff situations on 24 international locations and the 27-member European Union.
The European Union’s chief commerce negotiator mentioned earlier this week {that a} commerce deal to avert larger tariffs on European items imported to the U.S. may very well be reached “even within the coming days.” Maroš Šefčovič advised EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday that the EU had been spared the elevated tariffs contained within the letters Trump despatched on Monday, and that an extension of talks would offer “extra area to succeed in a passable conclusion.”
The bloc collectively sells extra to the U.S. than every other nation. U.S. items imports from the EU topped $553 billion in 2022, in line with the Workplace of the U.S. Commerce Consultant.
Trump on April 2 proposed a 20% tariff for EU items after which threatened to lift that to 50% after negotiations didn’t transfer as quick as he would have preferred. Šefčovič didn’t point out any tariff figures.
The upper tariffs in addition to any EU retaliation had been suspended as the 2 sides negotiate. Nevertheless the bottom charge of 10% for many commerce companions in addition to larger charges of 25% on autos and 50% on metal and aluminum had gone into impact.
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Funds Workplace director and president of the center-right American Motion Discussion board, mentioned the letters had been proof that severe commerce talks weren’t going down over the previous three months. He burdened that nations had been as a substitute speaking amongst themselves about the best way to reduce their very own publicity to the U.S. financial system and Trump.
“They’re spending time speaking to one another about what the longer term goes to seem like, and we’re neglected,” Holtz-Eakin mentioned.
He added that Trump was utilizing the letters to demand consideration, however, “Ultimately, these are letters to different international locations about taxes he will levy on his residents.”
