US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump said the European Union was born to “screw” the United States, laying bare his hostility to the longtime US partner as he detailed new tariffs.

Trump’s month back in the White House has been marked by soaring friction within the Western bloc, with the United States abruptly shifting gears on support for Ukraine and Germany’s likely next leader urging Europe to seek defence independence from Washington.

“Look, let’s be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States,” Trump told reporters as he gathered his cabinet for the first time.

“That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it. But now I’m president,” Trump said.

The United States for decades cheered on European integration, seeing the formation of the European Union in 1993 as a historic achievement to end conflict on a continent ravaged by two world wars.

Trump applauded Britain when it left the European Union and has taken a strident “America First” policy, vowing to pursue self-interest above any abstract concepts of partnership.

Trump said at his cabinet meeting that the European Union has “really taken advantage of us.”

The United States had a trade deficit to the 27-nation bloc of $235.6 billion last year, according to official US figures.

Asked if he had made a decision on tariff levels for the European Union, Trump added: “We’ll be announcing it very soon and it’ll be 25%, generally speaking.”

He said that cars would be among the products to be hit – grim news for Germany whose export-driven economy has been in a slump.

Trump has also slapped tariffs on US neighbours Canada and Mexico as well as rival China, citing issues including illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling.

Tánaiste Simon Harris today chaired the first meeting of a trade body set up in response to fear that Trump could slap tariffs on Irish exports.

This body, officially called the Consultative Group on International Trade, was established two weeks ago.

At today’s meeting in Government Buildings, Harris emphasised the importance of being prepared in the event of any future US tariffs.

A government source noted that the government’s position is that tariffs are economically counterproductive for everyone, and drive inflation for consumers.

The source added that the EU has been planning for possible eventualities, and it’s understood it will work together to assess any potential impacts.

Government sources also note that the EU/US trading relationship is the biggest in the world and that the EU’s position is that the trade deficit is on the EU side, not the US side. 

EU meeting scrapped

Trump, who has made the deportation of mostly non-Western undocumented immigrants a top priority, acknowledged his origins in Europe, saying wryly: “I guess I’m from there at some point a long time ago, right?”

But whatever the common heritage, tensions have risen sharply with the European Union on a series of issues starting with Ukraine.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was visiting Washington today and had earlier announced that she would meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The meeting was cancelled, with a European Union spokesman citing “scheduling issues.”

Trump, however, saw French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday and meets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer tomorrow.

On Monday, the United States sided with Russia and against nearly all European allies at the United Nations in backing a resolution that called for a swift end to the war without insisting on Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Trump insisted today it was up to Europe, not the United States, to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, even as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to fly to Washington to sign an agreement giving US control of much of his country’s mineral wealth.

“We’re going to have Europe do that,” Trump said. “Europe is their next-door neighbour, but we’re going to make sure everything goes well.”

The winner of Germany’s election on Sunday, Friedrich Merz, is a longstanding supporter of the transatlantic alliance but has warned not to be under illusions about Trump.

Merz said that Europe must move quickly to “achieve independence” from the United States on defence matters.

Rubio, in an interview broadcast Wednesday with Fox News, said that the NATO alliance was “not in jeopardy” but that Europe needed to spend more on its own defence.

“We’re not saying do your own thing. We’re saying do more. It’s their continent, right?” he said.

- © AFP 2025 with reporting from Diarmuid Pepper