Donald Trump sparks tariff trade war as EU threatens 'firm and proportionate' retaliation to US steel levies Donald Trump sparked a tariff trade war as the European Union vowed “firm and proportionate” retaliation against new levies on steel imports into the US.
As he signed the order at the White House, the US president said he would follow Monday’s action with announcements about reciprocal tariffs on all countries that impose duties on US goods over the next two days, and said he was also looking at tariffs on cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.
European Union trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said Trump will be fuelling inflation with his move to resume tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, which he stressed would also hit US consumers.
Trump substantially raised tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on Monday to a flat 25% “without exceptions or exemptions” in a move he hopes will aid the struggling industries in the United States but which also risks sparking a multi-front trade war.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the EU would not let the decision by Trump to impose import tariffs on European steel and aluminium go unanswered.
