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President Trump departs the White House on May 22, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption
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President Trump on Friday threatened on social media that he may impose a steep 50% tariff on imports from the European Union starting June 1 because of a lack of progress in talks about trade issues.
Trump warned in a separate post that he had "long ago" told Apple CEO Tim Cook that iPhones have to be manufactured in the United States — "not India, or anyplace else" — or he would impose a tariff of at least 25% on them. He did not give a specific date for when he would impose that tariff.
Trump had eased off on tariff threats since early April, when he announced tariffs on nearly every country, only to pull many of them back a week later for what he described as a 90-day pause after stock markets had plunged and economists warned of recession.
His initial rate for the EU on April 2 had been 20%. The EU had threatened countermeasures at the time.
Trump's officials launched into talks with a series of countries seeking to negotiate lower rates. But Trump said negotiations with the European Union weren't going well. "Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025," Trump said on social media.
Trump has long complained about EU trade barriers, VAT taxes, monetary policy, and lawsuits against American companies — and says he thinks it is unfair the EU sells more to the United States than it imports.
