Donald Trump has said he will impose tariffs of 30% on the European Union and Mexico from 1 August, threatening Europe that it would pay a price if it retaliated and telling Mexico it had not done enough to stop North America from turning into a “Narco-Trafficking Playground”.
“If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs and retaliate, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 30% that we charge,” he wrote in a letter to the EU.
EU trade ministers will meet on Monday for a pre-arranged summit and will be under pressure from some countries to show a tough reaction by implementing €21bn ($24.6bn) in retaliatory measures, which they had paused until midnight the same day.
Here are the key US politics stories at a glance:
Donald Trump announces 30% tariffs on goods from EU and Mexico
Donald Trump announced on Saturday that goods imported from both the European Union and Mexico will face a 30% US tariff rate starting 1 August, in letters posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The tariff assault on the EU came as a shock to European capitals as the European Commission and the US trade representative Jamieson Greer had spent months hammering out a deal they believed was acceptable to both sides.
Trump authorizes Ice agents to protect themselves using ‘whatever means’ necessary
Donald Trump has given “total authorization” to federal immigration agents to protect themselves after a series of clashes with protesters, including during enforcement raids on two California cannabis farms.
“I am giving Total Authorization for Ice to protect itself, just like they protect the Public,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday, adding that he was directing the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, and border czar, Tom Homan, to arrest anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) protesters who impede immigration enforcement operations.
Trump cuts to Fema questioned as Texas flood cleanup continues
Recently departed officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) say the organization is dangerously underresourced and overstretched in the event of further natural catastrophes, as the cleanup continues from this month’s torrential rain storms and flooding in Texas that left more than 120 dead.
Kash Patel denies rumors he’s quitting the FBI over DoJ ruling on Epstein files
FBI director Kash Patel has denied swirling resignation rumors over reported unhappiness at a justice department decision to close the book on Jeffrey Epstein after administration officials teased a big reveal earlier in the year.
In a Saturday social media post, the agency director said: “the conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been. It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States – and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.”
What else happened today:
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David Gergen, a veteran of Washington politics and an adviser to four presidents, Republican and Democrat, has died aged 83.
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As US regulators restrict Covid mRNA vaccines and as independent vaccine advisers re-examine the shots, scientists fear that an unlikely target could be next: cancer research.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on Friday 11 July.
