Surprise, Surprise! Trump delays 50% EU tariffs

by Rod Williams, May 37, 2025- Who would have guessed it? President Trump on Friday of last week, in a Truth Social post, announced 50% tariffs on imports from EU nations starting June 1. He said the EU was had been slow to offer trade concessions during a 90-day window to reach a deal that satisfies the administration, and he was fed up. For some reason, the stock market hardly budged on the news. Could it be, that no one believes Trump's bark anymore? Could it be that everyone knows anything he says is subject to change and should be taken with a grain of salt? Not that he will not do terrible things and foolish things, but he is just as likely to not follow through as to follow through. 

 On Sunday Trump said that he would delay imposing the 50 percent tariffs on all imports from the European Union until July 9 to allow more time for trade negotiations.

I am not going to be surprised if July 9th rolls around and Trumps delays them again. June 1st was an impossible deadline. There are 27 nations in the EU and the EU cannot make an agreement on tariffs without consultation with the member states. June 1 and July 9 are both impossible timelines to meet. So, when July 9 rolls around, I expect one of three things to happen: one, Trumps says he is making progress and delays the tariffs again; two, the EU passes some insignificant resolution on trade, Trump declares victory and does not impose the tariffs; or three, Trump imposes the Tariffs, the stock market reacts negatively, and after one, two, or three days, Trump lifts the tariffs.  We'll see.

Here is what I wrote last week.

A Timeline of Trumps Tariffs and another Three-year-old's Temper Tantrum

by Rod Williams, May 24, 2025- Yesterday President Trump announced he was imposing tariffs of 50% on imports from the EU. It is almost ho-hum, here we go again. Tariffs have been on again-off again so often it is hard to keep up. I am not going to be surprised when he drops them back down. 

I don't doubt that Trump is sincerely ignorant of economics and lacks an understanding of tariffs and really believes high tariffs are a good thing, and he may be so ignorant that he really believes that when he imposes tariffs on the EU it is EU countries or exporters that pay the tariffs, but I also have a suspicion that there may be a little market manipulation going on.  He is by far the most corrupt person to ever serve as president, so I am not going to be surprised if there is not a little insider trading to time the on and off to benefit his friends and family and his blind trust. 

Trump supporters do not get whiplash trying to follow Trumps tariffs and tariffs threats. They do not see a changing of his mind about a tariff as a backing down. They do not say Trump blinked. They say he is right when he is announcing a tariff and say how brilliant he is when he takes off a tariff. To his supporters he is exercising the art of the deal and playing three-dimensional chess and the rest of us are just too dumb to recognize his brilliance.  

When I look at Trump's tariff policy, I do not see a brilliant strategist playing three-dimensional chess; I see a three-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. 

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