WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the U.S. will postpone the implementation of a 50% tariff on European Union goods from June 1 to July 9. This delay is intended to allow more time for negotiations with the EU.
This decision was reached after Trump had a call with Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, who expressed her desire for serious negotiations, according to Trump’s account of the conversation.
“I told everyone who would listen that they need to do this,” Trump stated to reporters on Sunday in Morristown, New Jersey, before heading back to Washington. Von der Leyen, as per Trump’s account, promised to “quickly get together to see if we can find a resolution.”
In a social media post Friday, Trump had threatened to impose the 50% tariff on EU goods, complaining that the 27-member bloc had been “very difficult to deal with” on trade and that negotiations were “going nowhere.” Those tariffs would have kicked in starting June 1.
But the call with von der Leyen appeared to smooth over tensions, 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 he spoke with reporters on Sunday evening.
For her part, von der Leyen said the EU and the U.S. “share the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship.”
“Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively,” she said. “To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9.”
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