EU 50% tariff threat (withdrawn for a deal)

On May 23, 2025, President Trump posted that he would impose a 50% tariff on goods from the European Union starting June 1, 2025, citing frustration with the pace of trade negotiations. The proposed rate was far above the already-announced reciprocal EU tariff and would have applied to America's largest trading partner.

It did not happen on schedule. After pushback from European officials and markets, Trump backed off on May 25, 2025, pushing the deadline to July 9 to allow more time for a deal. Negotiations continued through the summer, and on July 27, 2025 the U.S. and EU (under Commission President von der Leyen) announced a framework agreement that set roughly 15% levies on most EU exports in exchange for commitments on soybeans, LNG and other U.S. goods. The headline 50% threat was effectively traded away.

That makes this a rescinded case rather than a pause: the specific 50% figure was a negotiating posture that was withdrawn as part of a deal, not temporarily frozen pending a restart.

Status as of July 2026; verify before relying on this for decisions. Note that the broader IEEPA tariff framework this threat relied on was separately invalidated by the Supreme Court in February 2026, so even the legal vehicle for the threat no longer exists.

Directly: No one — the 50% tariff never took effect

Ultimately: No one, for this specific threat

Had it been imposed, U.S. importers of EU autos, machinery, wine and pharmaceuticals would have absorbed the cost.