The U.S. president said von der Leyen asked her to extend the June 1st date and he agreed.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would pause the 50% tariffs on the European Union until July 9th, after a “very nice call” with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Trump had threatened on Friday, May 23rd to impose the steep tariffs as soon as June 1st, saying talks with the European Union over his previous levies were “going nowhere.”
Von der Leyen “just called me … and she asked for an extension on the June 1st date, and she said she wants to get down to serious negotiation,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey.
“And I agreed to do that,” he added.
Von der Leyen had earlier said on X that she held a “good call” with Trump, but that “to reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9.”
“Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively,” the Commission chief stated.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil on Sunday called for “serious negotiations” with Washington, saying he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart Scott Bessent about the matter.
Brussels has earlier said it would levy nearly 100 billion euros ($113 billion) worth of tariffs on U.S. goods if negotiations fail to produce a deal.
The U.S. trade deficit in goods with the European Union was $236 billion in 2024 but when taking account of services, where American firms are dominant, the European Commission calculates that the U.S. trade deficit stood at 50 billion euros ($57 billion).
