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Trump said on Friday that he would increase the tariffs charged
on cars and trucks from the European Union this week to 25%, a
move that could further harm the global economy as it reels from
war in the Middle East.
“Especially in the geopolitical period we are experiencing,
allies like the United States of America and the European Union
have much better things to do than to stir up threats of
destabilization,” Macron told reporters in Armenia.
“For our businesses, our households, our populations, we should
rather send a message of stability and confidence,” Macron said.
He added that he hoped “reason will prevail soon.”
EU and U.S. trade officials were due to meet in Paris on Tuesday
to discuss the issue.
Trump accused the EU of “not complying with our fully agreed to
Trade Deal,” without elaborating.
The threat of tariffs comes as Trump fumes over remarks by
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said the U.S. has been
humiliated by Iran in talks to end the war. Germany is a major
automobile manufacturer, and higher tariffs would damage its
industry.
Trump has since threatened to pull thousands of U.S. troops out
of Germany.
Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
agreed to a trade deal in July 2025 that set a tariff ceiling of
15% on most goods, though the U.S. Supreme Court this year ruled
against the legal authority that Trump had used to charge that
tax.
Asked at the EU-Armenia summit in Yerevan on Tuesday about the
threat of another tariff hike, von der Leyen said: “A deal is a
deal, and we have a deal. And the essence of this deal is
prosperity, common rules and reliability.”
The commission, the EU’s executive branch, negotiates trade on
behalf of the 27 member countries. Von der Leyen said that “we
are prepared for every scenario” if things go wrong.
Macron insisted that agreements must be respected. “If they were
challenged again, it would reopen everything,” he said, and
warned that “the European Union has instruments that would then
need to be activated.”
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Masha Macpherson in Paris contributed.
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