The U.S. will implement 30% tariffs on imports from the European Union and Mexico, effective Aug. 1, according to letters President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday morning.
The announcements come amid a rush of country-specific duty proclamations from Trump, covering many of the country’s top trading partners, including Canada, Brazil, Japan and South Korea. All tariffs are slated to start Aug. 1.
In his letter to Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump echoed much of the language of his previous missives, including threatening to raise tariffs higher should Mexico retaliate. He also called attention to security topics, like cartel activity within Mexico and its link to U.S. fentanyl trafficking within the letter.
Since early March, imports from Mexico, like those from Canada, have been subject to a 25% tariff unless they qualify for United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement treatment.
The Saturday letter to Mexico does not clarify whether the USMCA exemption will continue under the new tariff rate, nor whether the 35% duty will replace the original 25% levy.
Since the country-specific tariffs were first announced, officials from Mexico have often sought to strengthen the bilateral relationship and secure preferential treatment on tariffs, rather than retaliate. To that end, officials from Mexico met with U.S. counterparts on Friday to establish a permanent working group that would allow the countries to consistently discuss key issues, including flashpoints like security, migration, water management and the economy, according to a press release Saturday.
During that meeting, the U.S. informed Mexico it would send a letter setting new tariffs on Aug. 1, according to the press release, which was issued jointly by Mexico’s economy and foreign affairs ministries. Mexico’s officials called the action unfair and said they did not agree, but established that one of the working group’s first goals would be to seek an alternative prior to the implementation date, according to the release.
“It is highly relevant to have established, since July 11, the necessary channels and space to resolve any possibility of new tariffs going into effect on August 1,” the release says in Spanish. “In other words, Mexico is already in negotiations.”
Trump’s missive to EU President Ursula von der Leyen is also mostly identical to other versions he has shared this week but features a line not included in any previously posted version.
“The European Union will allow complete, open Market Access to the United States, with no Tariff being charged to us, in an attempt to reduce the large trade deficit,” the letter says. It is unclear if this is a provision to which the EU has agreed or a request from the president.
EU imports currently face a 10% baseline duty for entering the U.S. The bloc is one of many U.S. trading partners attempting to navigate Trump’s tariff-heavy trade policy and negotiate with the White House for reduced duties.
“A 30% tariff on EU exports would hurt businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic. We will continue working towards an agreement by August 1,” von der Leyen said in a post on X Saturday. “At the same time, we are ready to safeguard EU interests on the basis of proportionate countermeasures.”
In May, Trump said talks with the EU „are going nowhere“ and recommended a 50% tariff on imports from the bloc starting July 9. The president has also threatened tariffs on specific EU-origin products — including wine and champagne — and levied duties targeting major sectors like steel, aluminum and the automotive industry.
Since February, the barrage of U.S.-imposed tariffs have impacted 70% of total EU trade with the U.S., European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech Tuesday.
„The scale and the scope of these measures is unprecedented,“ von der Leyen said. „Our line has been clear. We will be firm. We do prefer a negotiated solution. This is why we are working closely with the US administration to get an agreement.“
The EU has been preparing its own countermeasures if ongoing tariff negotiations fall short of the bloc’s goals. The retaliatory actions would impact more than $100 billion worth of imports and apply to a range of industrial and agricultural products.
The U.S. had a $236 billion trade deficit with the EU and a $172 billion shortfall with Mexico in 2024, per data from the United States International Trade Commission.
Edwin Lopez contributed to this article.
