April 2 is the date that makes Europe tremble.
It's the "Liberation Day," the day when U.S. tariffs on foreign goods will take effect.
Donald Trump has already targeted Mexico, Canada, and China; now it's the Union's turn.
Talk is of a 25% tariff on the automotive sector, and the president has now suggested similar measures for the pharmaceutical and timber industries.
Trump has, however, left the door open for potential agreements, but only after April 2.
"It’s possible, if we can get something out of it, but, you know, they’ve exploited us for 40 years, maybe more. It won’t happen again. We never want to depend on other countries, like we did during COVID. But yes, I’m certainly open to dialogue. They have to be willing to give us something substantial, otherwise I won’t negotiate," said the U.S. president in an interview with CNN.
Meanwhile, several analysts point out that the country most affected by Trump's strategy is Germany.
Berlin exports to the U.S. mainly cars, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, engines, and car accessories. And Donald Trump has imposed tariffs precisely on these sectors.
Among the most affected companies are BMW, Bayer, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and BioNTech.
This precise targeting of Germany has led many to suspect that the goal is to cripple the country and end its commercial prosperity, potentially causing a domino effect throughout the Eurozone.
The European Union has stated that it will delay implementing its first countermeasures until mid-April, including a 50% tariff on American bourbon.
In response, Trump has threatened to impose a 200% tariff on all wines and other alcoholic products from the EU.
A back-and-forth of threats that doesn’t seem to lead anywhere concretely, but we will have to wait until April 2 to find out what Donald Trump truly wants from the Union.