U.S. President Donald Trump said the United Kingdom has been “out of line,” but he expressed optimism that an agreement can be reached between the two countries.
When asked whether he would consider imposing tariffs on the U.K., Trump told reporters: “We’ll see how things work out. It might happen with that. It will definitely happen with the European Union, I can tell you that, because they’ve really taken advantage of us.”
“The U.K. is way out of line, and we’ll see. But the European Union is really out of line. The U.K. is out of line, but I’m sure that one, I think that one can be worked out.
“But the European Union, it’s an atrocity what they’ve done,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. has a $350 billion deficit with the EU.
Trump’s response came after he imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on goods from China. The tariffs will go into effect Tuesday.
In the executive order that authorized the tariffs, the U.S. President said they are in response to the “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, [which] constitutes a national emergency.”
Canada immediately vowed to impose retaliatory tariffs of its own, while China said it would file a legal challenge at the World Trade Organization and take “necessary countermeasures to defend its rights and interests.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Monday evening that she had negotiated a one-month pause on the tariffs after reaching an agreement to send 10,000 soldiers to the border between Mexico and the U.S. to stem the flow of immigrants and illegal drugs.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that imposing duties on imports will raise hundreds of billions of dollars for the government to fund its programs, while forcing other nations to acquiesce to his demands.
The EU has already said that tariffs are “hurtful to all sides,” while warning that it would “respond firmly to any trading partner that unfairly or arbitrarily imposes tariffs” on goods from the 27-member bloc.
Trump also told the media about his recent engagement with Britain’s Keir Starmer, saying the prime minister has been “very nice.” The U.S. President said that they’re “getting along very well.”