‘Hurt both sides of Atlantic’: How world leaders reacted to Trump’s reciprocal tariffs

Trump displayed a chart detailing the percentage the US will tariff each country, based on what they charged the US with. “We will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us, so the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal,” Trump said.

Reactions from European leaders

• Ireland: Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin called the decision “deeply regrettable” and unjustified. “More than €4.2 billion worth of goods and services are traded daily between the EU and the US. Disrupting this deeply integrated relationship benefits no one,” he stated.

• Spain: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez vowed to protect Spain’s businesses and workers while reaffirming his country’s commitment to global trade. He promised to “continue to be committed to an open world,” reported Sky News.
• Sweden: Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warned against rising trade barriers. “We don’t want growing trade barriers. We don’t want a trade war. We want to find our way back to a path of trade and cooperation together with the US,” he stated.
• European Parliament: Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party (EPP), sharply criticised Trump’s move. “To our American friends, today isn’t Liberation Day—it’s Resentment Day. Donald Trump’s tariffs don’t defend fair trade; they attack it out of fear and hurt both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.

Global response beyond Europe

• Australia: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese argued that the tariffs would ultimately hurt American consumers. “This is why our government will not be seeking to impose reciprocal tariffs. We will not join a race to the bottom that leads to higher prices and slower growth,” he said.

• Brazil: Brazil’s Congress responded by passing an Economic Reciprocity Law to counter Trump’s 10 per cent tariff. While Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has not yet made an official statement, he previously said his country “cannot stand still” in the face of such trade barriers, reported BBC.
• Canada: Although Canada was not explicitly mentioned in Trump’s latest tariff announcement, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed that the country would still be affected. Carney vowed to “fight these tariffs with countermeasures.”

Washington’s response: ‘Sit back, take it in’

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned against retaliation from affected countries, cautioning that escalation would only worsen the situation. “If you retaliate, there will be escalation. Sit back, take it in,” he told Fox News.

With some countries considering countermeasures and others urging negotiation, the coming weeks could determine whether the world faces a full-scale trade war or a new round of diplomatic talks.

(With inputs from BBC, Sky News, Fox News)

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