Trump extends deadline to reach EU trade deal

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Donald Trump says he will extend the deadline on imposing hefty tariffs on the EU.
Donald Trump says he will extend the deadline on imposing hefty tariffs on the EU.

US President Donald Trump says he’s agreed to extend a deadline for trade talks with the European Union after the head of the EU said the bloc needs more time to “reach a good deal”.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One in New Jersey, Trump told reporters on Sunday he had granted the request and would extend the deadline until July 9.

He said that Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, told him “we will rapidly get together to see if we can work something out”.

Von der Leyen said earlier on Sunday in a social media post that the EU was ready to move quickly in trade talks with the US but needed more time to strike a deal. 

Von der Leyen said in a post on X that she had a “good” phone call with Trump.

Trump said on Friday that he was dissatisfied with the pace of trade talks with the EU and threatened to put 50 per cent tariffs on all EU goods from June 1. 

In early April, Trump had set a 90-day window for trade talks for EU and the US which was to end on July 9. 

Trump said his tariff policy was aimed at promoting the domestic manufacturing of tanks and technology products, not sneakers and T-shirts.

Trump said he agreed with comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent  that the US does not necessarily need a “booming textile industry” – comments that drew criticism from the National Council of Textile Organizations.

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent
Scott Bessent says the US doesn’t need a “booming textile industry”. (AP PHOTO)

“We’re not looking to make sneakers and T-shirts. We want to make military equipment. We want to make big things. We want to do the AI thing with computers,” Trump said.

“I’m not looking to make T-shirts, to be honest. I’m not looking to make socks. We can do that very well in other locations. We are looking to do chips and computers and lots of other things, and tanks and ships,” Trump said.

Trump, who has upended world markets with the broad imposition of tariffs, revived his harsh trade rhetoric on Friday when he pushed for a 50 per cent tariff on EU goods starting June 1 and warned Apple he may impose a 25 per cent levy on all imported iPhones.

Reuters