Why did Trump suddenly go on a tirade against the European Union?

The Trump administration suddenly increased pressure on the European Union and stated that there was "no progress in negotiations between the United States and the EU." According to CCTV news, on Friday, May 23, local time, U.S. President Trump suggested on social media that a 50% tariff be imposed on the European Union starting from June 1. After Trump's announcement, the probability of the United States falling into recession by 2025 increased to 43%. In fact, Trump's dissatisfaction with Europe has been long-standing. According to media reports, Trump's economic team has been privately complaining to European officials that the differences among EU member states on trade priorities have hindered the negotiation process. They believe that Europe is too cautious in negotiations and is not willing to propose specific solutions to issues that the United States is concerned about, such as streaming service fees, value-added tax, automobile regulations, and anti-trust fines imposed on U.S. companies. Analysis shows that there are fundamental differences in the way trade negotiations are conducted between the U.S. and the EU. Trump is eager to quickly announce agreements, while EU leaders take a more cautious and procedural approach to negotiations. EU officials have been trying to find a middle ground to deal with the U.S., neither as aggressive as China, nor as passive as the UK. White House ultimatum: patience exhausted, striking hard Late on Friday night, tensions between the U.S. and the EU finally escalated. The U.S. believes that Europe is too cautious in negotiations and is not willing to propose specific measures to address core issues of concern to the U.S. In the Oval Office that afternoon, Trump said he is "not seeking an agreement with the EU" and hinted at actually implementing the threat. Trump has been expressing anger towards Europe for years. Early in his first term, he publicly or privately criticized NATO member countries for inadequate defense spending and referred to EU anti-trust fines as "taxes on American companies." In February this year, he even bluntly stated that the EU was "set up to take advantage of the United States." U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox News that he hopes the threat of a 50% tariff will "light a fire under the EU" and make them take the negotiations seriously. Hours after Trump issued the threat, EU Trade Commissioner Maro efovi immediately had a call with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. efovi said after the call that the EU is fully engaged in trade negotiations with the United States but is prepared to defend its own interests. He emphasized that U.S.-EU trade relations "must be guided by mutual respect, not threats." Analysts point out that EU officials have been seeking to find a middle ground in responding to the U.S., neither as aggressive as China nor as passive as the UK. EU's "Zen" negotiation, angering Trump In stark contrast to Trump's tough negotiation strategy, EU leaders have taken a more cautious and procedural approach to negotiations, including frequent consultations with the 27 member states. This consensus-based approach is seen by the Trump administration as the main cause of delaying negotiations. Bessent expressed concerns about the slow progress in trade negotiations at a finance ministers meeting in Canada last week. Despite the U.S. pressing on, the EU continues to maintain its position on some issues. Officials have stated that they do not intend to change the EU's value-added tax system or health and digital regulations, which are seen by the Trump administration as trade barriers. The stock market has already reacted to the new tension in trade, showing a decline on Friday. An EU diplomat said it is difficult to determine whether Trump intends to follow through on the tariff threat based on a Truth Social post: "You can't formulate policy based on a Truth Social post." Previously, the EU had approved tariffs on $210 billion worth of U.S. imports, but these tariffs were suspended after the U.S. temporarily halted part of the tariffs for 90 days. If negotiations with the U.S. fail, the EU has proposed tariffs on a second batch of goods worth up to 950 billion.