According to BlockBeats, on May 23, Trump stated in a post on TruthSocial that the European Union has imposed trade barriers, value-added taxes, and other measures that are detrimental to the United States, resulting in an annual trade deficit of over $250 million. He suggested imposing a 50% tariff on EU products starting June 1, 2025, and that products manufactured in the United States would be exempt from tariffs.