Brussels to Trump: We’re not backing down on trade US president insists EU will drop its retaliatory tariffs. Brussels has no plans to do so.

In the escalating trade war with the U.S., Brussels has a clear message for Donald Trump: It's not backing down.

The U.S. president, under increasing pressure from members of his Republican party to de-escalate the conflict, on Tuesday sought to assuage concerns about the iconic American motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson moving some of its production abroad due to retaliatory tariffs imposed by the EU in response to U.S. duties on steel and aluminum.

Trump first tweeted on Monday that "Ultimately [Harley-Davidson] will not pay tariffs selling into the E.U.,” adding: “Taxes just a Harley excuse — be patient!”

On Tuesday, he doubled down on his assertion that he could “fix” the situation and Brussels would eventually drop its tariffs to avoid his threat of U.S. duties on cars, saying on Twitter that “We are finishing our study of tariffs on cars from the E.U. … In the end it will all even out — and it won’t take very long!”

This latest skirmish marks a continued escalation in the trade war between the U.S. and the rest of the world which began when Trump slapped a series of tariffs on some countries at the end of March, which were then extended to close allies such as the EU at the end of May. In the weeks since, the EU has repeatedly sought to show that the bloc will not give in to such bullying tactics: On the contrary, Brussels is increasingly convinced that its retaliation measures — in unison with many of its allies around the world — are bearing fruit.

"We've crossed the Rubicon" — US Senator Pat Toomey

"There are no [trade] talks planned," EU trade chief Cecilia Malmström said Tuesday, adding that Harley-Davidson's relocation decision was exactly the type of reaction Europe had been aiming for with its counter-tariffs.

"Of course, the consequences are that the American companies ... will react and they will put pressure on the American administration to say 'Hey, hold on a minute. This is not good for the American economy.' And that's what's happening," Malmström told reporters, adding "there has to be consequences if you do not respect international global rules."

In a similar vein, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Europe was ready for Round Two if Trump really wanted it. “If the United States hits us again with a 20 percent increase on cars, we will respond again. We don’t want an escalation, but we are the ones being attacked,” Le Maire told the Anglo-American Press Association.

The message, Le Maire's spokesperson said, was that "we do not respond to threats."

Even in Berlin, which Trump's Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has identified as the weak link in the EU because of its dependency on car exports, the view is now that there can't be any offer to Trump just as the conflict is peaking. "We will now wait for the U.S. decision on the car tariffs," an official in Germany's economy ministry said.

If Trump does impose tariffs on European cars — which he threatened to do if Brussels doesn't remove certain tariffs and trade barriers — the EU would likely debate further countermeasures.

Counting on Congress

The EU's hope is that the car tariffs will never become reality because pressure from businesses and lawmakers may force Trump to back down. A growing group of Congress members want to strip the president of his power to impose tariffs.

Republican Senators Pat Toomey, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake and Orrin Hatch are pushing legislation that would require Congress to approve of national security-related tariffs, such as those imposed on metals and those discussed for cars.

"We've crossed the Rubicon," Toomey told POLITICO. "It's going to do and is already doing real damage, so I think we've got a responsibility to stand up and push back."

Lawmakers in Brussels said they are talking to their colleagues across the pond to build on that momentum. “We want to intensify the dialogue with the U.S. House and the Senate,” said Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee.

Lange said U.S. lawmakers would hopefully “intervene and take back certain powers from the president, such as the competence to launch 232 national security investigations, and bring it back under control of the Congress.”

Lange added the strategy of confronting Trump "is also working quite well in the global context. Together with allies like Canada and Mexico, we’re showing Trump: You are isolated, your strategy of making deals doesn’t work.”

The White House claimed Monday that Europe's retaliatory tariffs were unfair. "The European Union is attempting to punish U.S. workers with unfair and discriminatory trade policies," said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

EU trade chief Malmström, however, argued Trump had been warned that his protectionist policies would backfire: "It was clear to the American administration all along that if they were to impose tariffs on aluminum and steel, we would consider them as illegal ... and there would be consequences."

Burgess Everett contributed reporting.