Trump Raises Tariffs to 15%: The View From Berlin and Paris

The view from Berlin and Paris this weekend was one of a transatlantic relationship under strain — and of European leaders determined to meet that strain with a coordinated, principled response. President Trump’s decision to raise tariffs on all US imports to 15%, made in defiance of the Supreme Court’s ruling, prompted sharp reactions from both Germany and France, whose governments have been among the most vocal critics of Trump’s trade agenda.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was direct in his assessment. He announced plans to travel to Washington with a coordinated European position, expressing hope that the Supreme Court ruling would ease the burden on German businesses while warning that the constant uncertainty over US tariffs was acting as economic “poison.” Germany, as Europe’s largest economy and one of the world’s leading exporters, has enormous stakes in the trajectory of US trade policy, and Merz’s language reflected the depth of German concern.
French President Emmanuel Macron took a broader and more philosophical approach. Framing the Supreme Court’s ruling as a validation of democratic governance and the importance of judicial checks on executive power, Macron used the occasion to make a statement not just about trade but about the values that underpin the transatlantic relationship. His call for “reciprocity” in trade relations — as opposed to “unilateral decisions” — was a direct challenge to the Trump administration’s approach.
Both leaders signaled that Europe would not passively absorb each new tariff announcement without consequence. The EU has established retaliatory tariff frameworks in the past and has the capacity to target US exports in politically sensitive sectors. Whether the bloc chooses to escalate its own measures in response to the new 15% rate will depend in part on whether diplomatic engagement yields results.
For European businesses, the weekend’s developments added another layer of complexity to an already challenging trade environment. Supply chains have been disrupted, planning horizons have been shortened, and the confidence needed for long-term investment in transatlantic business has been eroded. The coordinated European response, while important diplomatically, cannot by itself resolve the practical damage that tariff uncertainty causes day by day.