President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have agreed to meet following a brief conversation at Pope Francis‘s funeral in Vatican City on Saturday morning.
European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho confirmed the future meeting in a post on X that included a photo showing Trump shaking hands with the top EU official alongside first lady Melania Trump.
“In their brief exchange, President von der Leyen and President Trump agreed to meet,” Pinho said.
No other details about the meeting were revealed and it has not been confirmed by the White House.
Trump has yet to meet with von der Leyen since taking office in January. The news of a meeting between the two in the near future comes as the European Union has been slapped with 10% tariffs on all its exports by the United States. Europe also faces 25% levies on automobiles, steel, and aluminum.
In a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last week at the White House, Trump expressed confidence that a trade deal between Europe and the U.S. could be reached before a 90-day pause on his significantly higher, so-called reciprocal tariffs ends.
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“Of course there will be a trade deal, very much. They want to make one very much. And we are going to make a trade deal. I fully expect it. And it will be a fair deal,” he said.
If a trade deal isn’t reached by early July, when the “reciprocal” tariff pause ends, Europe would be facing a 20% tariff on most of its goods exported to the U.S.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
