Donald Trump confirmed he will be hitting Ursula von der Leyen’s EU with tariffs (Image: GETTY)
has offered an unequivocal answer when asked if he plans to hit the with punitive trade tariffs, telling reporters gathered in the Oval Office: “Absolutely.”
And the US President also confirmed he would slap levies of 25 percent on goods entering the US from Canada and Mexico, and of 10 percent on goods from .
Mr Trump, speaking on Friday, said: “Am I going to impose tariffs on the ?
“Do you want the truthful answer or should I give you a political answer? Absolutely, absolutely.”
He added: “The has treated us so terribly.”
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Donald Trump confirmed he will be hitting Ursula von der Leyen’s EU with tariffs (Image: GETTY)
Mr Trump did not specify which goods would be targeted or provide a percentage, but emphasised he would be “doing something substantial”, adding that there was nothing any of the three could do to stop the charges being applied.
In his first term, the 78-year-old billionaire imposed tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminium imports from the EU, triggering a trade war as the bloc imposed tariffs on US goods including whiskey, motorcycles and denim, worth roughly £4.8billion ($6 billion).
The European Commission, led be President Ursula von der Leyen, has said it will likewise retaliate this time.
The bloc exported £464billion ($576.3 billion) worth of goods to the US in 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau data – 20 percent of its total exports.
European Union executive vice-president Maros Sefcovic (Image: Getty)
Nevertheless, speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on January 22, two days after Mr Trump’s inauguration, European Commission executive vice-president Maros Sefcovic sought to strike a conciliatory note.
He said: ““Our message is very clear: We are ready to engage. We want to put on the table [a] package of cooperation.
“And we are ready to discuss all the concerns of our American partners and take it from there.”
Mr Trump had been threatening the tariffs to ensure greater cooperation from the countries on stopping illegal immigration and the smuggling of chemicals used for fentanyl, but has also pledged to use tariffs to boost domestic manufacturing and raise revenues for the federal government.
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Democrat Senate Leader Chuck Schumer said the US should be ‘focused on going hard against China’ (Image: Getty)
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “Starting tomorrow, those tariffs will be in place.
“These are promises made and promises kept by the president.”
The tariffs are risky for Mr Trump, who is just two weeks into his second term, given that many voters backed the Republican on the promise that he could tamp down inflation.
However, tariffs could trigger higher prices and potentially disrupt the energy, auto, lumber and agricultural sectors.
White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt (Image: Getty)
Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said: “We should be focused on going hard against competitors who rig the game, like China, rather than attacking our allies.
“If these tariffs go into full effect, they will raise prices for everything from groceries, to cars, to gas, making it even harder for middle-class families to just get by.”
Shortly after Ms Leavitt spoke, the S&P 500 stock index sold off and largely erased its gains on the day.
Wendy Cutler, a former US trade negotiator, warned: “We should expect all three countries to retaliate.”
China responded aggressively to tariffs Mr Trump imposed on Chinese goods during his first term, targeting the president’s supporters in rural America with retaliatory taxes on US farm exports.