Trump Sets July 4 Tariff Ultimatum — EU Faces 'Much Higher' Duties if Trade Deal Not Ratified

US President Donald Trump issued a July 4 Independence Day deadline for the EU to ratify the trade deal agreed at his Scotland golf resort in 2025, threatening 'much higher' tariffs if the bloc fails to comply. Trump had already unilaterally raised EU automotive tariffs to 25% (from the agreed 15%), citing EU non-compliance. EU Trade Commissioner and EP trade committee chair Bernd Lange both described significant remaining gaps. The ultimatum dramatically escalated transatlantic trade tensions ahead of the summer and raised the prospect of the EU reactivating counter-measures targeting American agricultural products. The stand-off represented the most serious EU-US trade dispute since the 2018-2019 steel and aluminium tariff war.