Trump delays 50% tariff on European Union to July 9, extends deadline to reach trade deal

The president of the European Commission had earlier in a social media post said that the EU was ready to finalise a trade deal with the US and move quickly with trade talks but required more time to strike a deal.

Trump, while briefing the media in Morristown, New Jersey before returning to Washington, said “I told anybody that would listen, they have to do that.”

Good call with @POTUS.

The EU and US share the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship.

Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively.

To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 25, 2025

Earlier, Trump in a post on social media had threatened to impose a 50% tariff on all EU goods and complained that the 27-member bloc had been “very difficult to deal with” on trade and that negotiations were “going nowhere.”

The tariffs on EU were supposed to kick start on June 1, but a call with European Commission President Ursula von der has made the US president go smooth on the tariffs, at least for now. “I agreed to the extension — July 9, 2025 — It was my privilege to do so,” Trump said on Truth Social shortly after the call on Sunday evening.

Ursula said that Europe is ready to advance trade talks in a decisive manner with America and that to reach a “good deal” it would require time until July 9.

In April, Trump had set a 90-day window to hold trade talks with the European Union which was set to end on July 9.