When European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker sat down with President Trump for trade talks Wednesday, the atmosphere was tense. Trump had already levied harsh taxes on European imports and was threatening further tariffs on cars from the Continent, while the European Union had retaliated with tariffs on U.S. goods like Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Kentucky bourbon.
But when the two men emerged from their private trade talks, it was all smiles. "We agreed today to work toward zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods," Trump said, while Juncker added, "We have identified a number of areas on which to work together."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Strike a pose at these 7 fashionable hotelsThe Week Recommends Make these hotels in Macau, Italy and Washington, D.C., your personal runway
-
'Gen Z has been priced out of a future, so we invest in the present'instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of briberyspeed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutinySpeed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress codespeed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirementspeed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff displaySpeed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loomSpeed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panelsSpeed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
