Headline Roundup • March 12th, 2025
European Union, Canada Retaliate Against Trump Tariffs
Summary from the AllSides News Team
In reaction to President Donald Trump's 25% steel and aluminum tariff, the European Union (EU) announced “swift and proportionate” tariffs on US goods Wednesday.
The Details: On April 1, tariffs that were suspended during Trump's first term will go back into effect and a new package of retaliatory tariffs will be issued in mid-April. The counter tariffs will affect $28.33 billion in US goods, which include a range of products including leather, plastic, and agriculture. Affected products also include whiskey, Levi's jeans, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles as the EU targeted industries in red states for political impact.
Key Quotes: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “These tariffs are disrupting supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy. Jobs are at stake. Prices will go up. In Europe and in the United States.” She added that the EU is “ready to engage in meaningful dialogue.” In February, Trump said of Europe, “They’ve really taken advantage of us. They don’t accept our cars, they don’t accept, essentially, our farm products. They use all sorts of reasons why not. And we accept everything of them.”
For Context: Canada also implemented its own 25% retaliatory tariffs on $20.7 billion worth of US goods. Yesterday, Canada moved to add electricity tariffs as well, but Trump threatened to double steel and aluminum tariffs, and in the end, they both backed down on the increased tariffs.
How The Media Covered It: Axios (Lean Left bias) only quoted von der Leyen while the Washington Post (Lean Left) quoted EU and Canadian officials. Neither quoted the Trump administration. The Washington Times (Lean Right) quoted Trump and von der Leyen.
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The European Union announced economic countermeasures against the U.S. worth around $28 billion, shortly after President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports went into effect.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, criticized the “unjustified” U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum from the bloc and said it has launched “swift and proportionate countermeasures” that will go into effect starting April 1.
The European Union and Canada hit back Wednesday at President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs with their own levies, announcing tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of products, including bourbon and motorcycles, while warning of further retaliation.
The 27-nation bloc said its two-stage response would target roughly $28 billion in U.S. exports, while Canada announced 25 percent retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20.7 billion ($29.8 billion Canadian dollars) worth of American goods.
The European Union on Wednesday imposed “swift and proportionate” tariffs on U.S. goods after President Trump’s 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports went into effect.
The EU called the Trump-imposed tariffs unjustified and said it carefully calibrated its response. It will allow paused tariffs from Mr. Trump’s first term to go back into effect on April 1. It will also issue a new package of retaliatory tariffs by mid-April in response to Mr. Trump’s plan to impose new levies on EU goods.
Together, the measures will impact 26...
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