President Donald J. Trump has denounced the European Union (EU) as “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World,” threatening the bloc with crushing tariffs if it does not lift “a nasty 50% Tariff on Whisky.”
“If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES,” the America First leader warned.
The EU recently implemented tariffs on $28 billion worth of U.S. goods in reaction to President Trump’s increased tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum imports. The EU’s tariffs target goods such as bourbon, jeans, and motorcycles—and appear designed to harm globally popular American brands.
Tariffs on metal imports to the U.S. were not targeted at the EU in particular but took effect globally, imposing a 25 percent levy on various metal items. Previously, tariffs in several areas have often been unbalanced in the EU’s favor—with the bloc imposing 10 percent tariffs on American cars while the U.S. imposed only 2.5 percent tariffs on European cars, for instance.
The Trump trade strategy has received support from the U.S. steel industry, with expectations of job creation and investments.
