Remarks After Call With EU Commission President
EU Requests "Time Needed Until July 9" From Trump
On May 25 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump announced that, following a phone call with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, he had decided to extend the deadline for imposing a 50% high tariff on the European Union (EU) until July 9.
Speaking to reporters at Morristown Airport in New Jersey before heading to Washington, President Trump said, "We had a good call and agreed to adjust the schedule." This conciliatory message came just two days after President Trump warned that he would impose high tariffs on the EU starting from June 1.
The Financial Times (FT) assessed, "This statement suggests a turning point, indicating that the European Commission is moving away from a confrontational stance and is seeking a compromise."
The Trump administration had originally planned to impose a 20% tariff on the EU, but as a temporary measure, the rate had been lowered to 10% until July 9. In response, the EU also postponed the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. products. However, on May 23, President Trump took to social media to announce a surprise plan to impose a 50% high tariff on the EU starting June 1, citing stalled negotiations between the U.S. and EU and accusing the EU of unfairly targeting U.S. companies through lawsuits and regulations.
As signs of a cooling atmosphere in the negotiations emerged, President von der Leyen posted on X (formerly Twitter) the same day, stating, "We are ready to advance the negotiations swiftly and decisively," and requested that "time is needed until July 9 to reach a good agreement." July 9 is the deadline President Trump set when he announced a 90-day mutual tariff suspension in April. As President Trump declared he would invalidate this deadline and apply high tariffs, von der Leyen's message is interpreted as an attempt to ease tensions.
Previously, the EU had proposed in a recent statement to promote purchases of U.S. products in strategic sectors such as energy, to strengthen cooperation in 5G and 6G communications, and to enhance collaboration in the semiconductor, steel, and automotive sectors. However, President Trump has continued to focus more on removing non-tariff barriers than simply eliminating tariffs, pursuing strong measures to increase incentives for domestic production in the U.S.
President Trump emphasized, "We're not trying to make sneakers or t-shirts. We want to produce big things in America, like military equipment, semiconductors, computers, and artificial intelligence (AI)." He also warned that, in addition to announcing the 50% tariff on the EU, he could impose an additional 25% tariff on companies such as Apple and Samsung Electronics that manufacture smartphones overseas.
However, from the U.S. perspective, while negotiating with the EU, the country also faces a "dual negotiation structure," having to negotiate or persuade individual European governments separately. As a result, it is expected that reaching an agreement between the two sides will take considerable time. Negotiations to lower tariffs must be conducted with the EU, but non-tariff barriers such as regulations differ by country, requiring separate negotiations.
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