Trump tariffs live updates: Trump pushes for higher EU tariffs as Aug. 1 barrage looms
July 18, 2025

President Trump is reportedly pushing for higher blanket tariffs on imports from the European Union, throwing a wrench in negotiations ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline for sweeping duties to take effect.

The Financial Times reported that Trump wants a minimum of a 15% to 20% tariff on EU goods as part of any deal. Trump has threatened the bloc with 30% duties beginning Aug. 1. That is the date he is also set to impose tariffs on an array of other trading partners, as well as potential sectoral levies on copper, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors.

The EU has left the latest discussions disappointed, according to the report, and considering options in negotiations and in potential retaliation.

"We don’t want a trade war, but we don’t know if the US will leave us a choice," the report quoted a senior EU diplomat as saying.

Earlier this week, Trump said he would soon send letters to over 150 smaller US trade partners, setting blanket tariff rates for that large group.

Trump has already sent letters to over 20 trade partners outlining tariffs on goods imported from their countries. The letters set new baseline tariff levels at 20% to 40% — except for a 50% levy on goods from Brazil in a move that waded into the country's domestic politics.
Last week, Trump announced a 35% tariff on Canadian goods and followed that up with promises of 30% duties on Mexico and the EU. The letters have at times upended months of careful negotiations, with Trump saying he is both open to reaching different deals but also touting his letters as "the deals" themselves.

As markets focus on US talks, here is where things stand with other key partners:

Vietnam: Trump said a deal with Vietnam is "pretty well set." Two weeks ago, Trump said the pact would see the country's imports face a 20% tariff — lower than the 46% Trump threatened in April. In addition, there's a higher 40% tariff "on any transshipping" — when goods shipped from Vietnam originate elsewhere, like China.

India: Trump's tariffs on Brazil have raised the stakes for India, another member of the BRICS coalition. Bloomberg reported that the countries are working toward a framework deal that could see US tariffs on goods from India drop below 20%.