President Donald Trump speaks to supporters and local politicians at an event at Manchester Community College on 19 March in Manchester, New Hampshire.

On 7 March, senior negotiators from the G7 group of the world's leading industrial nations were due to meet in Canada for a preparatory meeting ahead of the annual summit in June. So concerned were the German, French, Italian, and British officials about the prospect of President Trump slapping tariffs on steel and aluminium imports that they had taken the highly unusual step of meeting in advance to agree a common position, a European diplomat who was present at the meeting told BuzzFeed News.



But the Europeans' strategising turned out to be all for nothing. No sooner had the senior US negotiator landed in British Columbia than he learned his boss, Gary Cohn, had quit his job as Trump’s chief economic adviser because the president was about to announce he was going ahead with the tariffs. The official turned around and flew back to Washington, DC.

The next day, Trump signed two proclamations to apply additional tariffs of 10% and 25% respectively on certain imports of aluminium and steel into the US.


“The meeting was basically useless,” the European diplomat said. “We were all waiting to hear from the US, and along came Trump’s proclamation. A significant, unequivocal signal.”



The episode – the latest twist in a fraught set of tense and often bizarre EU-US encounters – reveals just how worried the Europeans are about Trump's apparent willingness to start a trade war, and the challenge of resolving this while dealing with a US administration in chaos and a president they see as erratic.

This latest standoff tees up a crucial week for transatlantic trade as the EU tries to maintain a strong, united front that pushes back against Trump but doesn't provoke further escalation – a task made even harder by recent election results, especially in Italy, that demonstrate the rise of populism in Europe too.

The tariffs, which are due to take effect from Friday, are likely to feature in Thursday's European Council meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, and European officials are due in Washington for talks this week.



The White House argues that the tariff measures address threats to national security caused by the imports of aluminium and steel from certain countries.



The European Union describes the move as unjustified, and has rubbished the national security argument, believing it is simply a disguise to introduce new tariffs.

While the EU has publicly said it is ready to retaliate if Trump includes European imports in the tariffs, government officials on this side of the Atlantic have told BuzzFeed News that they fear the president will try to divide and conquer by offering deals to individual EU nations in an attempt to isolate his real target: Germany.




“He talks about Europe, but Germany is the target,” the diplomat said.

Any move by Trump to carve out exemptions or specifically target any individual EU states would be technically illegal – and unthinkable under any previous US president – because trade is a competence of the EU as a whole. The worry, however, is that Trump, in his disregard for international norms, could try to drive a wedge between the EU’s 28 member states by offering bilateral arrangements and sweeteners.

“I am very worried about this possibility. It’s a big risk. It would be really important to remain united because it would be very, very serious. In effect, Trump would not be recognising the EU,” the diplomat said.

“There is solidarity between member states. France would stick by Germany. The UK is on side too for now. But who knows if it comes to it? Officials are all in agreement, but they respond to governments of course, and you have the business lobby, public opinion, populists…” the diplomat said.

They specifically mentioned Matteo Salvini – the far-right, anti-EU, pro-Trump politician who was among the big winners of Italy’s 4 March election and could become the country’s next prime minister.