Trump Threatens Higher Tariffs on EU by July 4 If Bloc Does Not Drop Levies to Zero

President Donald Trump threatened much higher tariffs on the European Union by July 4 if the bloc does not drop its levies on the United States to zero.

Trump made the statement after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He said the EU had signed a historic trade deal with the US and agreed to cut its tariffs.

"I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels," Trump wrote on social media.

"We remain fully committed, on both sides, to its implementation," von der Leyen said on X.

The trade deal was struck by von der Leyen and Trump in July last year. Progress on enacting it stalled on Wednesday after talks between EU lawmakers and governments ended without agreement.

Under the agreement, US tariffs on exports from the EU would face a 15 percent tariff. Trump had threatened tariffs of 30 percent on European goods.

The deal received conditional approval from the European Parliament in March. A majority of lawmakers backed legislation to implement the agreement but added safeguards to ensure the US honored its side.

Parliamentarians voted to accept zero tariffs on US goods only if European goods made with steel and aluminum were excluded from Trump's global 50 percent tariff on those metals.

Despite progress in parliament, the deal requires endorsement by the 27 member states.

Earlier Thursday, before Trump's post, European Parliament chief negotiator Bernd Lange said lawmakers and governments were making good progress but added there was still some way to go.

Negotiators plan another round of talks on May 19 in Strasbourg.

"We remain more committed than ever to advance and defend Parliament's mandate so as to provide additional guarantees that will benefit citizens and companies in both the EU and the US," Lange said in a statement.