President Trump made the damning swipe while his country was embroiled in a trade war with China, highlighting just how furious he had been during negotiations with the EU a year earlier. He said in November that Brussels has imposed “terrible” trade barriers that are “in many ways worse than China”. He added: “Many countries charge us extraordinarily high tariffs or create impossible trade barriers. I’ll be honest, the European Union – very very difficult.”

President Trump made the damning swipe while his country was embroiled in a trade war with China, highlighting just how furious he had been during negotiations with the EU a year earlier.

He said in November that Brussels has imposed “terrible” trade barriers that are “in many ways worse than China”.

He added: “Many countries charge us extraordinarily high tariffs or create impossible trade barriers. I’ll be honest, the European Union – very very difficult.”

No such resolution has been found between Mr Trump and Brussels, however, as their trade deal collapsed amid their own disagreement.

In March 2018, the President announced he would hike tariffs on steel and aluminium coming from the EU.

The White House chief fanned the flames when he responded to widespread anger by jibing that “trade wars are good”.

Then European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker promised a firm reaction as Brussels prepared for hefty economic hits.

He said: “We will not sit idly while our industry is hit with unfair measures that put thousands of European jobs at risk.”

Mr Juncker also threatened retaliatory tariffs, stating that: “We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans – Levi’s.”

The economic conflict marred already stalling trade talks between Brussels and Washington, which ultimately ended in humiliation for the EU.

Trade talks between Washington and Brussels started in February 2014, and were supposed to be the biggest in the world, forming a market that boosted the EU economy by £101billion, the US economy by £76billion and the rest of the world by £85billion.

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The European Commission published a document in April 2019 stating that negotiations have been declared “obsolete and no longer relevant”.

Since then, Mr Trump has also drawn upon his experience of dealing with the EU as he defended the UK amid Brexit talks.

In April last year, the US President said: “Too bad that the European Union is being so tough on the United Kingdom and Brexit.

“The EU is likewise a brutal trading partner with the United States, which will change.

“Sometimes in life you have to let people breathe before it all comes back to bite you!”

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