Trump: Trading partners to face ‘more than reciprocity’ if trade ‘barriers and tariffs’ are not removed

President Trump on Sunday again issued a warning to the United States’ trading partners over the issue of trade tariffs.

“The United States is insisting that all countries that have placed artificial Trade Barriers and Tariffs on goods going into their country, remove those Barriers & Tariffs or be met with more than Reciprocity by the U.S.A. Trade must be fair and no longer a one way street!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

The tweet comes days after he threatened to impose new tariffs on the European Union.

“Based on the Tariffs and Trade Barriers long placed on the U.S. & its great companies and workers by the European Union, if these Tariffs and Barriers are not soon broken down and removed, we will be placing a 20% Tariff on all of their cars coming into the U.S. Build them here!” Trump tweeted on Friday.

CNN notes such an action would actually hurt many American jobs.

“German automakers Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen all have plants in southern states and directly employ more than 20,000 US workers between them, primarily at those factories,” the outlet stated. “Volvo is just starting production at its first US plant in South Carolina.”

Trump has long called for a change to the trade structure the U.S. has in place with its partners.

“Because of the fact that the United States’ leaders of the past didn’t do a good job on trade…it’s going to change,” Trump said at a recent press conference. “It’s not a question of ‘I hope it changes.’ It’s going to change, a hundred percent.”

“We’re like the piggy bank that everybody is robbing,” Trump added.