We have always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution," said the president of the European Commission.

The European Union has decided to hold off on imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods that were set to begin Monday

“Trump is trying to divide and scare Europe, but if we raise our heads now, there will be division in the American camp, even among his most important supporters, because many companies in key electoral districts would be damaged by our response,” Benifei said in the interview.

The European Union has warned that its trade with the United States could be effectively wiped out if Washington makes good on its threat to slap a 30% tariff on goods imported from the bloc.

The European Commission describes the trade between the U.S. and the EU as "the most important commercial relationship in the world.” The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.