Donald Trump set the stage for a trade war by slapping tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, daring other countries to retaliate and leading the European Union to warn that it would target iconic American brands. In turn, the U.S. president put the European auto industry in his sights.
Hours after Trump said in a Twitter message that “trade wars are good, and easy to win,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the bloc was prepared to respond forcefully by targeting imports of Harley-Davidson Inc. motorbikes, Levi Strauss & Co. jeans and bourbon whiskey from the U.S.
Trump tweeted on Saturday that “If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S.”
The president faces anger from manufacturers and trade partners in Asia and Europe, as well as from allies such as Republican lawmakers, after announcing tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum for “a long period of time.”
He’s expected to sign the formal order as early as the coming week after certain formalities are completed, Peter Navarro, director of the National Trade Council at the White House, said Saturday in an interview on satellite radio.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Friday the president has chosen to impose the tariffs on all countries and products, dimming the hopes for nations such as Australia still pressing for an exemption.
