European Socialists mobilize against Trump’s trade deal
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The biggest challenge to the trade accord struck between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump is not coming from Washington, but from Brussels. The European Socialists, the second-largest group in the European Parliament, have come out firmly against the deal, casting doubt on von der Leyen’s ability to secure the majority needed to ratify it.
“We firmly oppose the agreement,” declared Iratxe García Pérez, leader of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D). Their rejection not only threatens to derail the tariff truce but also undermines EU efforts to portray the pact as a show of transatlantic unity against Moscow. It also strains relations with von der Leyen’s centre-right European People’s Party, which backs the deal and has previously worked with the S&D on key compromises.
The Socialists argue Brussels gave away too much at the negotiating table and failed to leverage the EU’s economic clout. García Pérez warned that Trump “will exploit any sign of weakness to escalate the trade war” and urged the EU to deploy its Anti-Coercion Instrument to counter U.S. threats.
With prominent Socialists inside the Commission and national governments voicing similar doubts, von der Leyen faces an uphill battle.
