European Leaders Scramble to Respond to Trump’s Tariffs

President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on dozens of foreign trading partners have unleashed a rapid response abroad, as Europeans leaders urged negotiations while pondering retaliatory measures Thursday.

Trump spoke of such negotiation requests in his Wednesday speech as he previewed the tariffs, saying, “To all of the foreign presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, ambassadors and everyone else who will soon be calling to ask for exemptions from these tariffs I say: terminate your own tariffs, drop your barriers, don’t manipulate your currencies.”

In some instances, countries have scrambled to suggest dropping tariffs bilaterally. The Israeli government, for example, said it would drop tariffs on U.S. goods before the tariffs were set to go into effect. 

But European leaders responded with indignation even as they pushed for negotiations. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said, “We’re now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail.”

“There is an alternative path. It is not too late to address concerns through negotiations. … We will work towards reducing barriers, not raising them,” she said, adding: “I know that many of you feel let down by our oldest ally.”

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer similarly called for negotiations with the threat of possible countermeasures, saying, “Our intention remains to secure a deal, but nothing is off the table.”

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a plan to pour 14 billion euros into the Spanish economy to mitigate damages from Trump’s tariff rollout.

Sánchez pledged to combat the U.S. tariffs.

 “I’m convinced that we are going to overcome this unjust and unjustified crisis, which some have decided to put the world in,” he said in Spanish.

“We’re going to keep working for European integration, defending multilateralism, opening ourselves to the world, seeking new partners that respect our interests and also share our values.”

Von der Leyen also hinted at “seeking new partners,” posting an image of herself meeting with Central Asian leaders and saying that “in today’s world, this [cooperation] matters more than ever.”

Nevertheless, the vigorous response from European leaders indicates Trump’s tariffs are likely to have a significant effect on EU economies.

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