Germany slams Trump’s 25% auto tariffs as bad news for U.S., EU and global trade
- Germany’s car industry lambasted U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to impose sweeping 25% tariffs on U.S. car imports
- Trump on Wednesday said he would implement tariffs on all vehicles and foreign-made auto parts imported into the U.S., with the measures set to come into force from April 2.
- The duties, which coincide with an even broader push on levies, represent a major escalation in an already brewing global trade war.
Germany’s economy minister and auto industry lambasted U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to impose sweeping 25% tariffs on U.S. car imports, saying the move sends a “fatal signal” to free and rules-based trade.
Trump on Wednesday said he would implement tariffs on all vehicles and foreign-made auto parts imported into the U.S., as part of measures set to come into force from April 2.
The duties, which coincide with an even broader push on levies starting next week, represent a major escalation in an already brewing global trade war.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck called for the European Union to provide a “decisive response” to Trump’s latest tariff announcement, saying the levies “ultimately harm the US and the EU, and global trade as a whole.”
“The announcement of high tariffs on cars and car parts is bad news for German carmakers, for the German economy, for the EU, but also for the US,” Habeck said Thursday in a Google-translated statement.
“It is now crucial that the EU delivers a decisive response to the tariffs – it must be clear that we will not back down in the face of the US . Strength and self-confidence are required,” he added.
