“If we don’t make the deal [with the EU] we’ll do the [auto] tariffs,” Trump said during a press briefing alongside Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at the White House. Trump also said the EU has been difficult to negotiate with.
Trade disagreements between the United States and the EU intensified after Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent on aluminium imports from the 28-nation bloc and a handful of other countries in March 2018.
Although Trump said in July he would refrain from slapping new tariffs on EU goods, he has repeatedly threatened to hit the bloc with 25 percent tariffs on autos.
READ MORE: EU Commission Imposes Protective Measures on Steel Imports Amid US Tariffs
On Sunday, the US Commerce Department said it submitted a report to Trump on its investigation into whether to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on automobiles. The report's findings have not yet been made public.