Trump Says EU Plans ‘Emergency Meeting’ on U.S. Trade Tensions

(Bloomberg) --

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the EU plans what he called an “emergency meeting” to prepare for trade negotiations with the U.S.

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on European-made cars unless the European Union agrees to a trade deal, though he hasn’t given a public deadline for an accord. He discussed trade with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual conference in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday.

“They want to have an emergency meeting,” Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network recorded in Davos on Wednesday. The claim could not be immediately confirmed with the EU.

“I met with them yesterday. I wanted to wait till I finished China, to be honest with you,” Trump said in a separate interview on CNBC. “Now China’s done, and I met with the new head of the European Commission, who’s terrific. And had a great talk. But I said, ‘Look, if we don’t get something, I’m going to have to take action,’ and the action will be a very high tariffs on their cars and other things that come into our country.”

He expressed confidence the EU would agree to a trade deal before he feels compelled to impose tariffs. “I don’t want your audience to get nervous,” he said in the CNBC interview.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Wayne in Washington at awayne3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman

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