Donald Trump has raised tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico, and China, as well as imposed duties on steel and aluminum imports from all U.S. trading partners, including the European Union. In response, the European Commission imposed tariffs on American products worth a total of 26 billion euros. It is expected that the U.S. will retaliate with further tariffs, escalating the trade war. “If we keep imposing tariffs on each other, both we and America will suffer. There has never been any other outcome in the history of trade wars,” emphasized MEP Janusz Lewandowski.
In response to the U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel from the EU, introduced on March 12, the European Commission announced retaliatory measures. On April 1, the suspension of tariffs previously imposed by the EU in response to Trump’s first-term tariffs in 2018 and 2020, worth 8 billion euros, will expire. Additionally, on April 13, new tariffs worth 18 billion euros will take effect. The products that could be subject to these tariffs include steel and aluminum goods, poultry, beef, nuts, and sugar.
Other countries will also respond to the tariffs. Canada, for example, has announced a 25% tax on American products worth nearly 30 billion Canadian dollars (20 billion USD), including steel, computers, and sporting equipment.
“We reluctantly enter trade wars because they always end badly for both sides. I do not know of any winners in trade wars. President Trump is incurable in this regard. He should remember the failure of tariffs that worsened the crisis in 1930, the failures of George W. Bush, and even his own from his first term. It has always ended poorly for the American people, and it will be the same this time,” Janusz Lewandowski said in an interview with Newseria.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU’s response will be strong but proportionate. The final list of goods subject to EU tariffs will be confirmed after consultations with member states. However, she added that the EU is ready for constructive dialogue.
“Knowing Trump, we try to assess whether we can meet halfway, or if tomorrow might be different from yesterday, which is typical of his presidency. He announces something, then suspends it, then reinstates it, then implements it or doesn’t. So, we hope for some level of agreement, especially when his advisors point out that this is detrimental to the American economy,” Lewandowski explained.
Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that if EU tariffs are not immediately lifted, the U.S. will soon impose a 200% tariff on all wines, champagnes, and alcoholic products from EU countries. At the beginning of April, he plans to introduce additional tariffs to equalize the rates imposed by other countries. The European Commission’s Vice President for Industrial Strategy, Stephane Sejourne, stated that the EU will always extend a hand for dialogue but is ready to defend European businesses if necessary.
“Tariffs are a form of tax that ultimately falls on consumers. If an importer has to pay a tariff, they either reduce their margin, which they are reluctant to do, or they pass the cost onto customers. Tariffs always have an inflationary effect, and the same will happen as in the previous presidency. But this is Trump’s obsession, and his circle of advisors has turned into a group of sycophants rather than critical evaluators of his decisions,” explained MEP Lewandowski.
According to the Tax Foundation, Trump’s first administration imposed tariffs on thousands of products worth approximately 380 billion USD in 2018 and 2019. The tariffs under Trump’s second administration currently affect imports worth over 1 trillion USD. When temporary exemptions for Canada and Mexico expire in April, tariffs will cover imports exceeding 1.4 trillion USD.
During the last trade war, U.S. trade partners responded to American tariffs with targeted retaliatory measures, hitting agricultural producers and iconic American goods such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Levi’s jeans, Kentucky bourbon, and Tennessee whiskey. This harmed American exporters and made them less competitive globally. History is likely to repeat itself in 2025, as U.S. trade partners have already announced and implemented retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports worth 190 billion USD, including agricultural products and American whiskey.
According to the MEP, the trade war could become a double-edged sword.
“Trump is an incurable proponent of tariffs and trade wars. He points to the trade deficit with the EU, which is over 250 billion USD, but this is because Europeans, including Poles, are not particularly interested in buying American cars. Tariffs won’t change that. He simply sees Europe as a competitor that doesn’t buy enough from the U.S., but that is dictated by market demand, not by Trump or Ursula von der Leyen. If we keep imposing tariffs, both we and America will suffer. There has never been any other outcome in the history of trade wars,” emphasized Janusz Lewandowski.
