US President Donald Trump announced the measure this Friday, May 1, through his Truth Social platform. The Republican leader justified that he will increase tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union to 25%, accusing the EU of not having complied with the trade agreement.

First modification: 05/01/2026 - 19:21 Last modification: 05/01/2026 - 19:27

Donald Trump announces that he will increase tariffs on vehicles coming from the EU to 25%, while accusing the bloc of, in his words, violating the trade pact with the US.

"I am pleased to announce that, since the European Union is not complying with our trade agreement, which has already been fully agreed, next week I will increase the tariffs applied to the EU on cars and trucks entering the United States. The tariff will be increased to 25%," he stated on Truth Social.

Trump also once again conditioned the withdrawal of tariffs on the transfer of European manufacturing plants to US territory.

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"It is completely clear and agreed that if they produce cars and trucks in US plants, THERE WILL BE NO TARIFFS. Many car and truck plants are currently being built, with an investment of more than $100 billion, a record in the history of car and truck manufacturing. These plants, with American personnel, will open soon. There has never been anything like what is happening in the United States today!", he assured.

The new tariff increase, announced for next week, could shake the world economy at a sensitive time.

Read alsoWhat you need to know about the largest tariff refund in US history after ruling against Trump

What did the US-EU trade deal establish?

The tenant of the White House and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, agreed to the trade agreement in July 2025.

The pact established a maximum tariff limit of 15% for most products.

The EU had said it expected the bilateral agreement to save European carmakers between 500 million and 600 million euros ($585 million and $700 million) a month.

The value of the EU-US agreement. Trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, equivalent to an average of 4.6 billion euros per day, according to the EU statistical agency, Eurostat.

However, later, on February 20, 2026, the US Supreme Court invalidated most of the president's global customs fees, a cornerstone of his economic agenda. The court noted that the Republican leader exceeded his powers by applying them under a law intended for national emergency situations.

The Supreme Court's decision forced Trump to look for alternative legal bases, and his Administration has imposed a 10% tariff while investigating trade imbalances and what it describes as national security issues to establish new customs rates to compensate for lost revenue.

“An agreement is an agreement,” declared the European Commission last February after the Supreme Court ruling. "As the United States' main trading partner, the EU expects it to fulfill its commitments set out in the Joint Declaration, just as the EU maintains its own. EU products should continue to benefit from the most competitive treatment, without tariff increases exceeding the previously agreed clear and comprehensive ceiling."

Trump's new tariff announcement comes at a time when the war launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel against Iran has hit the world economy hard, with expectations of lower growth and higher inflation, due to the increase in oil and natural gas prices caused by the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Read alsoDonald Trump challenges the Supreme Court and assures that he will impose new 10% tariffs

Inflation soars in the US and Trump's popularity drops, ahead of elections

Trump faces political pressure in the United States ahead of the midterm elections that will take place next November, due to rising inflation. The Republican returned to the White House last year with the explicit promise that he could quickly control prices that skyrocketed after the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but now the outlook is different from what was promised. The increase in energy costs raised annual inflation in March to 3.3%, higher than what the president had inherited.

According to the latest Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Center poll, only 30% of American adults approve of Trump's economic management.

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Both the United States and the EU had previously confirmed their commitment to preserving the trade framework known as the Turnberry Agreement, named after Trump's golf course in Scotland.

But the status of the 2025 deal was first called into question after the Supreme Court ruled this year that the president lacked legal authority to declare an economic emergency and impose tariffs on products from EU members and other states.

The alternative tariffs being explored by the Trump administration could ultimately put the deal with the EU at risk, although European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič told reporters last week that the relationship with the United States had become more positive over the past year.

Read alsoU.S. Supreme Court declares global tariffs imposed by Trump illegal

With Reuters and AP

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