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Trump Says He Has Opened Europe Markets for US Farmers

by Steve Herman

   WHITE HOUSE --

   U.S. President Donald Trump, a day after reaching a truce in the
   escalating trade dispute with Europe, characterized his talks with
   European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker as a big economic
   victory.

   "We just opened up Europe for you farmers," Trump said at a roundtable
   event in Iowa. "You have just gotten yourself one big market."

   Iowa is among the midwestern farming states hit by retaliatory tariffs
   on soybeans and other products, imposed by China in response to tariffs
   imposed on Chinese goods by the U.S. president.

   Later in the day, Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks on trade at a
   steel-making facility in Granite City, Illinois.

   Besides a vague commitment for European purchases of "a lot of
   soybeans" -- as Trump characterized it Trump and Juncker on Wednesday
   committed to holding off on additional tariffs while trans-Atlantic
   negotiations are held.

   Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, speaking to reporters during the Air
   Force One flight to Iowa, credited Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs
   for the previous day's breakthrough at the White House.

   "To get there we had to take a route of trying to make it more painful
   for the other parties to continue bad practices than to drop them,"
   according to Ross. "This is a real vindication of the president's trade
   policy."

   While no auto tariffs will be imposed on the EU while talks continue,
   Ross said "we've been directed by the president to continue the
   investigation, get our material together but not actually implement
   anything pending the outcome of the negotiation."

   He said they would submit their report on auto tariffs some time in
   August. Imposing them "may not be necessary."

   In the meantime, he said, "steel and aluminum tariffs stay in place."

   The comments by Trump and Ross indicate the administration could be
   willing to negotiate a pact akin to the Transatlantic Trade and
   Investment Partnership (TTIP), on which negotiations have stopped

   Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Commerce on
   Thursday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told lawmakers
   that "it is certainly not our plan to have small business or
   agriculture or anyone else in America feel the brunt of a change in
   trade policy which is designed to make the U.S. stronger and richer,
   help our exports, and help all American businesses and farmers and
   ranchers."

   The tariffs imposed by the Trump administration came under criticism
   during the hearing, including from those who are members of Trump's
   party.

   Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander said the "tariff taxes that the
   administration had placed began to look like, 'I've got a problem, so
   I'll shoot myself in one foot; I've got [another] problem, so I'll
   shoot myself in the other foot.'"

   Another Republican senator, Jerry Moran of Kansas, said "trade and
   exports are how we earn a living in Kansas, and farmers, ranchers, and
   our nation's manufacturers cannot afford a prolonged trade war."

   Mike Bowman contributed to this report.

   Steve Herman is VOA's White House Bureau Chief.