Trump and EU’s von der Leyen announce trade deal
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, after the announcement of a trade deal between the U.S. and EU, in Turnberry, Scotland, on July 27, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. reached a trade deal with the European Union, following a pivotal discussion with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen days before the Aug. 1 tariff deadline.
Trump said that the deal imposes a 15% tariff on most European goods to the U.S., which is lower than the 30% rate he had threatened in a letter earlier this month as part of his “reciprocal tariffs.”
Trump also said that the 27-member bloc has agreed to purchase $750 billion worth of U.S. energy and $600 billion worth of investments into the U.S.
“It’s a very powerful deal, it’s a very big deal, it’s the biggest of all the deals,” Trump said alongside von der Leyen.
The announcement comes after Trump during a press conference before his meeting with the EU leader said that there was a 50-50 chance they would reach a framework of a deal, following weeks of painstaking negotiations.
“I’d like to make a deal, I think it’s good for both, but I’d say “50-50,” Trump told reporters during a press conference in Scotland.
Trump said during that press conference that he had “three or four sticking points,” without disclosing specific details on his concerns.
The Sunday announcement marks a pivotal moment for Trump, as the 27-member bloc is the U.S.’s largest trading partner.
It also comes after weeks of uncertainty surrounding U.S.-EU trade talks.
In response to Trump’s letter threatening 30% tariffs, the EU said it was preparing to impose countermeasures if necessary, while maintaining that it worked towards a negotiated solution.
The bloc eyed retaliatory duties on a wide range of U.S. goods, and other measures, like the EU’s “Anti-Coercion Instrument.”
Brussels was seeking to negotiate exemptions or lower rates for certain key industries that had been particularly hard hit by sectoral tariffs. In exchange, the EU was widely expected to accept some level of blanket tariffs.
The U.S.-EU trade relationship was valued at 1.68 trillion euros ($1.97 trillion) when taking into account both services and goods trading in 2024, according to the European Council.
While the EU recorded a surplus on goods trading, it noted a deficit in the services realm. This left the EU with an overall trade surplus of around 50 billion euros with the U.S. last year.
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