President Donald Trump issued new tariffs on steel and aluminum Monday, and leaders in the European Union are already vowing retaliatory tariffs on products from the United States.
The Trump administration announced new 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and removed all exceptions to the tariffs. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen decried the new tariffs and said that they would impose “firm and proportionate countermeasures” on U.S. imports into the European Union.
“I deeply regret the US decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum exports,” von der Leyen said in a statement. “Tariffs are taxes – bad for business, worse for consumers. Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered—they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures.
“The EU will act to safeguard its economic interests,” she added. “We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers.”
Bernd Lange, chairman of the trade committee in the European Parliament, said in a post on X, “We will continue to cooperate where possible but retaliate where necessary.”
Lange also told RBB24 German radio that “Motorcycles, jeans, peanut butter, bourbon, whiskey and a whole range of products” imported from the U.S. would be affected by counter tariffs, according to the Associated Press.
White House officials have defended the additional tariffs as actions being done to protect U.S. workers and interests.
“President Trump’s bold action restores the strength of America’s steel and aluminum industries and puts an end to the rampant exploitation and circumvention that has hurt American workers,” a senior White House official said Monday.
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“The Trump 2.0 tariffs are a direct response to the failed policies of the Biden administration, which allowed China, Russia, and many of our allies like Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and the EU to manipulate trade and cripple U.S. industry,” the official added.
Trump has used tariffs early in his second term as part of his diplomacy with other countries, including in high-profile battles with Canada and Mexico over illegal immigration and fentanyl.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
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