Cnn
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President Donald Trump amaze the European officials and took some of his own superior advisers to his devoid of his Instant decision Friday To revive its market war in the fight against the market with the European Union.
Three days later, he got exactly what he wanted.
“I have just been informed that the EU called to quickly establish meeting dates”, ” Trump posted Tuesday On his social account of truth, calling him a “positive event”.
Trump’s threatening trip to slap prices of 50% on EU imports – to his take a break on this threat Sunday – Re -enlist the process of commercial negotiations which had become an increasing irritant inside the White House, according to two people familiar with the issue.
Trump administration officials agreed that EU’s commercial talks should be shaken. What would imply exactly and when he happened was Trump’s domain.
“We expected,” said the director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, in CNN on the side of Trump. “In the end, the president decides and he has a lot on his plate.”
The best officials of the Trump administration have warned their EU counterparts in recent weeks in recent weeks that the pace of trade talks between the United States and the 27-country block had become a major problem.
But there has never been an explicit threat or a new deadline included in these warnings, according to three European diplomats. The EU has had a process – and despite the methodical and time -consuming nature of this process, the implementation is simply to know how commercial negotiations have worked, one of them said.
The American party had its own problems in their opinion: European negotiators made unreasonable requests and lacked clarity on what the contours of an acceptable proposal would look like.
However, some European officials expressed cautious optimism that a term leaf presented to the administration at the beginning of last week would demonstrate a level of concrete progress which would facilitate the frustrations of the White House.
The US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, had clearly declared in conversations that the lack of proposals in writing had been an undeniable irritant, and the EU proposals represented an effort to solve this problem.
The offer differs considerably from a list of priorities presented by the American side beforehand, but its content and these differences were to serve as a basis for a appeal provided between Greer and Maros Sefcovik, the head of the EU, said one of the EU diplomats.
This call was scheduled for May 23 at 11:30 am he. US officials were preparing to use the call to reject the outline of the pricing reductions written by the EU. And then Trump published his reflections on social networks.
Trump’s personal point of view was delivered to his Truth social account four hours before the call takes place.
“Our discussions with them are not going!” Trump posted. “Consequently, I recommend a right rate of 50% on the European Union, from June 1, 2025.”
There were few public explanations or immediate details of the White House in the aftermath of Trump’s dramatic escalation.
The markets have tumbled By recognizing that the stay of several weeks in Trump’s pricing war would be interrupted, a reality that seemed to harden when Trump spoke later that in the afternoon of the oval office and offered no indication that he was looking for a ramp out of ramp.
But the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, who was out of Washington throughout the week, preceded Trump’s escalation, offered the first index of Trump in a live television interview a few hours after Trump’s threat.
“I believe that the president thinks that the EU proposals have not been of the same quality as we have seen from our other important business partners,” said Bessent in an interview on Fox News. “I hope it would turn on a fire under the EU.”
The declaration offered an index on what has become a debate on the endless market on the question of whether Trump’s tariff threats represent a negotiation tactic or a clear intention to implement in full.
The truth, according to several advisers, is that it depends – in part because Trump has sometimes not made his own decision.
But Bessent’s comments were a clue, despite the fact that he had given no sign that he had been aware of Trump’s threatened climbing in advance.
Bessent, who has become the economic spokesman and Trump’s best negotiator, had just returned to the United States G7 funds leader in Canada when Trump sent his post.
Bessent did not provide any indication during its meetings with European counterparts present or the executive vice-president of the European Commission that Trump’s escalation was going to arrive, said people familiar with the case.
The role that Bessent played and approaches that he brought to meetings with finance officials who were unstable by Trump’s pricing strategy was “productive and very well received,” said a European official. The group managed to agree on a final press release despite persistent doubts based in part to Trump’s prices.
Bessent kept a low public profile during meetings and did not keep a press conference in the presence.
“Conversation in Canada was good,” said Bessent on Fox News. “The problem was the head.”
Bessent has publicly underlined this problem before – and it is the one who has deeply frustrated Trump’s economic team in recent weeks.
They have a collective action problem, “said Bessent to Bloomberg Television on the same day.” These are twenty-seven countries, they all have different needs. “”
Hassett, who was involved in EU negotiations when they take place in Washington, said that the 18 bilateral trade negotiations are currently underway as the Trump’s “reciprocal” rate “reciprocal” rate, the EU is “in fact the most difficult to break nut.”
“They cannot decide,” Hassett told CNN. “It was very difficult to negotiate with them.
But Hassett stressed that Trump had established a close relationship with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who played an important role in his decision to delay the samples of 50% until July 9.
In their call during the weekend, Von Der Leyen has committed to move “quickly and decisively” on the talks in the future in Trump, but clearly indicated that the EU would need more time.
Trump said it would be “his privilege” to do so, triggering what will now be a six -week sprint for us and EU negotiators to reach an agreement.
Sefcovic held calls with Lutnick and Greer on Monday to lay the foundations for the future way, displaying on social networks that the EU commission “remains fully attached to constructive efforts and concentrated on the rhythm” towards an agreement.
Trump, in the same position praising the “positive” direction of the talks, made sure to maintain part of this lever effect if everything is disintegrated.
“I was extremely satisfied with the allocation of prices to 50% on the European Union, especially since they walked slow (to say it slightly!), Our negotiations with them,” said Trump. “Remember, I am authorized to” define an agreement “for trade in the United States if we cannot conclude an agreement or that we are treated unjustly.”
