Public sentiment surrounding the US-EU trade tariff negotiations is predominantly negative, with widespread frustration and distrust toward President Trump's aggressive tariff strategies. Many commenters express concerns about the adverse economic implications for both American consumers and the EU, fearing heightened tensions and the potential for a trade war. There is a strong call for fairness in trade practices and a desire for the EU to resist US demands, with suggestions for exploring alternative trade partnerships. Overall, the public perceives Trump's tactics as bullying, leading to anxiety about the future of international trade relations.

Trump Administration

European Union

Being a near-free trade absolutist, I’m glad they’re making these concessions. If only Trump had the sense to accept it. Unfortunately, he’s obsessed with trade deficits rather than the actual elimination of tariffs. I’ve yet to hear a convincing explanation of why a trade deficit is necessarily a bad thing.

Partytime79

&gt; The U.S. and EU came close to scrapping industrial tariffs a decade ago in their discussions of the TTIP — the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership — that was ultimately scuppered by Trump in his first term.

&amp;

&gt; The EU charges average tariffs of just 1.6 percent on U.S. non-agricultural products, on a trade-weighted basis. But it does charge a higher tariff of 10 percent on imported American cars — although the U.S. is the only G7 country that still pays it because TTIP wasn’t concluded.

Great job, Trump, you now have the same opportunity for a deal that you had a decade ago. All it took was a quick 10% jab to the stock market. Masterful gambit, sir.

Zenkin

I’d pay money to see the fighting going on right now between Elon Musk and Peter Navarro behind closed doors

mikey-likes_it

The European Union has been willing to make a trade deal with the United States for years, it was Trump who stopped the TTIP negotiations when he came into office. Same thing in the Pacific where America already had the TPP negotiated and ready to be ratified but Trump withdrew.

The idea that you need all this chaos as leverage to bring them to the table is beyond absurd, and only people who never paid attention to international trade policy before Trump could come up with. It was America who left the table; if Trump wanted back in, he would only need to ask.

Be it as it may, this offer only appears to include industrial tariffs. Tariffs and other protectionist measures on agriculture is what makes a US-EU free trade negotiation incredibly challenging (and generally any trade agreement involving either of those two), as both sides impose extremely protectionist measures which they hardly will budge on due to special interests.

84JPG

I honestly don't think Trump is interested in making any deals like this. He wants these companies to come and manufacture their products in the US and avoid the tariffs that way.

trying_2_live_life

If he's going to make VAT a sticking point, it isn't going to be good enough. I don't see European countries rewriting their tax structures to please him

cathbadh

[WH already saying it’s not enough](https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/white-house-pushes-back-on-eus-zero-for-zero-tariff-proposal-reveals-donald-trumps-negotiation-conditions/amp_articleshow/120069344.cms). Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

&gt; The European Union will have to significantly reduce its non-tariff barriers, including value-added tax (VAT), if it wants to negotiate lower U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Monday.

&gt;Navarro, speaking to CNBC television, described the EU’s willingness to discuss tariff reductions as “a good, small start” but stressed that non-tariff barriers, such as VAT and stringent food safety regulations, present a far greater obstacle to fair trade, as mentioned in a report by Reuters.

strycco

Looks like the EU average tariff is 1.6%. If the objective was to remove this minuscule tariff maybe he could have negotiated a free trade deal instead of nuking the whole US economy?

These are industrial tariffs only which are already super low. The EU's higher tariffs are on agricultural goods.

If what comes out of this is that we get the EU to drop their 1% tariff at the expense of people's 401k and a recession, it will not be worth it.

I hope Trump at least pauses all tariffs for now to allow for more negotiations. Currently, the tariffs are causing chaos to world trade.

Also, Trump supporters are so worried about America's debt and deficits, but a recession will result in higher debt and deficits. Just go look at the deficits during the past 5 recessions. It is looking more likely that Trump will end his first year with massive deficits and debt increases with no end in sight.

xxlordsothxx

Big goal is to have EU rescind digital service taxes on US tech cos

mrmoistei202

How can Trump use these tariffs to play hardball in negotiating new deals when the American markets are tanking? The US economy is not in a strong negotiating position.

Alarming-Research-42

Every country that is in the interests of the US will come to the table and negotiate. The only country that can fight this battle is China. But even China will eventually reach an agreement that suits them as well.

costafilh0

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has publicly offered a "zero-to-zero" trade agreement on industrial products (chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cars, rubber, etc..) this morning. Her exact words:

&gt;“We have offered zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods as we have successfully done with many other trading partners. Because Europe is always ready for a good deal. So we keep it on the table”

As the article mentions, this trade deal was offered to Trump during his last term which he basically walked away from. Wiki can give all the details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_Trade_and_Investment_Partnership Negotioations had started under Obama and ended when Trump wanted to ramp up his first trade war with the EU.

Will this bring Trump to the table for further negotiations? With the UK out of the picture (they were very much against this deal when they were in the EU) will talks bring forth anything in the near future?

JussiesTunaSub

Hopefully Trump will take it, present it as his victory and we can get back to normal.

xmBQWugdxjaA

Why won’t Mr. Trump have a conversation? I think any removal of tariffs proposal should be discussed at the very least. A strong pillar of free markets is free trade. Mr. Trump is fixated on trade deficit, but you can’t control that. Just producing goods locally won’t help overcome a trade deficit. Your goods need to sell too.

obelix_dogmatix

I have no clue what to expect as a response at this point.

[deleted]

&gt;“We have offered zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods as we have successfully done with many other trading partners."

So why didn't they do this before? Presidents since [Kennedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Round) have been asking to remove barriers.

notapersonaltrainer

FlashAttack

Looks like this is moving in the direction Trump wants it to 

784678467846

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&gt; Proposals from the EU are expected to include lowering trade and non-tariff barriers and boosting investments in the US.

They should really spend more of those investments in the EU. 

Maybe build up that tech sector, and reduce barriers...?

himynameis_

Someone who wants a war should get a war. We should not give into Trump. he either removes all the tariffs or he faces the consequences. The longer these tariffs are in place, the faster he’s going to get impeached, and he knows this.

FloorSufficient9364

They should be doing it now! Make Trump stop his war on the world!

Empty_Afternoon_8746

Stop targeting goods, target services. 

Target Apple, Facebook and Google. Then you will have their compliance.

mrdevlar

Well trump with his taxes on movies has expanded it to services. Now you just need to properly tax google, meta, Netflix Microsoft etc and you’ll make an absolute killing.

SuperLeverage

Pls fail, so at least it'll goes one way right.

Sengle473

"Separately, the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm that handles trade matters, is expected to share a paper with the US this week to try to kickstart the negotiations, Bloomberg reported earlier."


This just seems desperate, surely they should know a well thought out analysis of US-EU trade will only confuse the US government circus even more?

Pleasemakesense

fajadada

I thought Trump said that Italy (or the EU) was offering 0% tariffs, but that wasn't good enough?!

Laureles2

Lol. 

There will be no good faith talks. 

As hard as our allies and trade partners are giving Trump an off ramp, dude's brain is cooked. He just floated re-opening a fucking museum because he watched a movie. 

We're so fucked.

AgitatedStranger9698

Trump's mistake was taking the shotgun approach to Tariffs. He should have done it 1 country or region at a time. The strategy he employed allowed for many countries to band together, trade with one another while simultaneously drop/reduce trading with the U.S. like a bad habit. 

His shotgun approach would have worked if all the manufacturing facilities were already built out and running in the U.S. So, I wonder how Trump gets out of this mess that will finally be felt within the next 6 months.

Party_Shoe104

Goddamn start taxing digital services! It's not even in trump's trade deficit calculation and he did it with movie tariffs. 
But make it collectable and not like trump without any specifics.

Stiefelkante

Give them nothing, the best option should be a return to normal before tariffs and the US should be more than happy if that comes true.

Don't get bullied into giving them anything.

AliceLunar

Its good if it works, but if it falils life is going to be alot worse for all of us.

Green_Flied

digitalgirlie

Lol why wait till talks fail. Just do the tariffs now get it over with

Wrong_Employee2024

Please target social media ads. That would be crazy good. Not only with tariffs by strict regulations and heavy sanctions.

Considering how dependent the far right machine is on social media misinformation and shock value it would also help containing the poison a little bit.

And would infuriate Elmo Muck which is a bonus.

esmifra

god88_

Why only 100 Billion, If they target 500 Billion, then WE should do the Same to the bully

jeans100

The EU is so funny. 😂 

They are always ALMOST gonna send troops, and ALMOST gonna join the trade war. 😂 

Just spineless talk always.

FCKINGTRADERS

unhinged_centrifuge

Why do we bend for the stupid percentages from across the Atlantic?

hmtk1976

It is like 2 days since I read the opposite headline on this sub..

CaptchaSolvingRobot

Wow, just as i predicted

Stand together with china on this

Or fall like a loser alone

theanxioussnail

Pathetic. Weak. We're caving to a bully for nothing. He'll learn that he can keep making demands and we'll keep on giving. What a shameful day to be European.

araujoms

We are only good at resigning ourselves, that’s life

Greedy_End3168

If they want to raise taxes on themselves, who cares?

PanickyFool

Trump's actions are not even based on actual tariffs imposed by other countries.  
It's based on trade deficit, which is insane, this is a country's version of Elon's "advertise with me or fuck you".

PixelsGoBoom

Since the original calculations weren't about actual tarrifs most countries can offer "0 tarrifs" with little change to trade. Both Japan and South Korea have gone from united states to neutral and more willing to work with China.

Educational-Dance-61

From the [Semafor Business](https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/04/08/2025/us-trading-partners-face-a-choice-retaliate-or-cave?utm_campaign=semaforreddit) newsletter:

US trading partners face a choice: dig in or make a deal? So far those with the most to lose are retaliating, betting that a falling stock market will weaken Trump’s negotiating position.

China’s government promised to “fight to the end,” responded with tariffs of its own, and has ramped up scrutiny of some Western companies and deals. Mexico, the US’ biggest trading partner, hasn’t ruled out reciprocal tariffs but is so far holding off. EU countries “want to give the US time to think about the whole situation as the US market lost 5 trillion within a few days,” a Polish official said at a meeting of European trade ministers.

Smaller economies like Vietnam and Israel have capitulated, dropping their own tariffs on US goods. Also eager to deal are those with few retaliatory options, like Japan, an island nation that relies on US imports of medicines and meat and has been eyeing big purchases of American natural gas. (Japan’s status as America’s biggest creditor likely helped it land at the front of the negotiating line, following a 25-minute call between Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday.)

[Read more here.](https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/04/08/2025/us-trading-partners-face-a-choice-retaliate-or-cave?utm_campaign=semaforreddit)

semafornews

I think what is important to note is that the country with the surplus is going to have less inflation as a result of tariffs than the most be with the deficit, as a substantial drop in exports, while economically damaging, would increase supply of those goods internally, softening the blow on civilians. A 100% tariff posed on European goods, for example, would significantly increase inflation in the us, as the market would basically have to fully restructure without them, and alternative markets exist for those eu goods (granted this would likely cause a recession in Europe, as new partners are found. Alternative suppliers for America may not exist in the present. While a trade war would be devastating, a us- eu+china trade war would be one the us would loose, as much of the trade destined for the us, could be re-routed to each other.

This is why you fight one trade war at a time, not all possible trade wars simultaneously.

StipaCaproniEnjoyer

Israel should be on here. They also offered no tariffs

Dogeaterturkey

Trump doesn’t even accept their surrender

th3tavv3ga

Poor Taiwan, they would face existential threat if they don’t bend the knee.

leopardbaseball

Most tarifs in the rest of the world are in between 2-10% so dropping them won't do much to the US trade deficit. Especially with the trend not to buy American goods, because people are pissed about Trumps blackmail politics.

It's probably just a little blackmail and distraction for him, but it seriously the whole world economy. What a crazy time to live in.

ConsistentAd7859

Why is the UK green here? Sounds more like, let's talk, but see won't accept everything..

Herzkoeniko

Strong-Replacement22

We’re up to 84% tariffs from China now, btw. Donald’s pointless pissing contest is going really well with the wind blowing it right back in all of our faces

Alarming-Magician637

President Trump has intensified demands for tariffs on European Union imports amid ongoing trade negotiations, which raises concerns about a potential trade war.

US-EU Trade Tariff Negotiations

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

Parties Involved

What the people want