President Donald Trump prides himself on being a dealmaker, but his negotiating style is more ultimatum than compromise. In the last week, Trump has slapped trading partnerswith tariffs rather than slog through prolonged talks to reach agreements.

The EU has been a frequent target of Trump's criticism. On 2 April, he proposed a 20% tariff for goods from the bloc, as well as dozens of other trade partners. He then threatened to raise the EU import taxes to 50% as trade talks stalled.