Europe gets "a historic chance to unite and become stronger" due to US President Donald Trump, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Financial Times on Tuesday. He added that the France-Germany "motor" remained vital at a time when Trump sought to "weaken Europe."
On Monday, the French minister warned that the EU would strike back if POTUS carried out his threat to impose more tariffs on imports from Europe.
Le Maire made the remark after Trump tweeted a threat to slap a 20 percent tariff on all European-made cars if the EU "doesn't break down and remove" the tariffs and trade barriers it has placed on American companies.
The warning came shortly after the bloc started charging 25 percent import duties on $3.2 billion in American goods, including bourbon and Harley Davidsons.
READ MORE: Trump's EU Car Tariffs Threat Risks 'Absolute Spiraling' Retaliation — Analyst
Europe made the move in a tit-for-tat response to Washington's decision to impose metal tariffs on the EU, Canada, and Mexico, citing "national security concerns." Washington's unilateral decision was slammed by its allies and put the trans-Atlantic partners on the brink of a full-scale trade war.
In addition to the tariffs row, tensions between the long-standing trading partners have escalated after the US scrapped the Iran nuclear deal and said it would re-impose economic sanctions on Iran and target European companies doing business with the Islamic Republic. The move lead to a backlash from other signatories, including Germany, France, and the UK, who reaffirmed their commitment to the agreement, which saw Iran curb its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.