President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States will impose 30% tariffs on imports from the European Union and Mexico, starting August 1. The announcement came via letters posted on his social media accounts, targeting two of America’s largest trading partners.
In his letter to the Mexican leadership, Trump acknowledged Mexico’s efforts in curbing the flow of undocumented migrants and fentanyl into the U.S., but criticized the country for not doing enough to stop North America from becoming a “playground for drug trafficking.”
Addressing the European Union, Trump cited the U.S. trade deficit with the bloc as a national security threat. He accused the EU of maintaining long-standing and significant trade imbalances due to its tariff and non-tariff barriers.
“We have spent years discussing our Trade Relationship with the European Union and have concluded that we must move away from these large, chronic, and persistent Trade Deficits caused by your Tariff and Non-Tariff Trade Policies,” Trump wrote. “Unfortunately, our relationship has been far from reciprocal.”
The announcement is expected to further strain trade relations and could trigger retaliatory measures from both Mexico and the EU.
