“The European Union is very, very bad to us, they treat us very badly. They don’t take our cars, they don’t take our cars at all, they don’t take our farm products,” Trump said this week. “They are going to be in for tariffs… It’s the only way you’re going to get fairness,” he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to address a longstanding trade deficit with the European Union, saying he will reverse that by imposing tariffs or making the EU buy more U.S. oil and gas.

President Donald Trump widened his tariff threats to include China and the European Union on his second day back in office after day one saw Canada and Mexico in his sights.

The European Union is keen to partner with countries around the world and is "open for business," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday.

Mr. Puzder, a former fast food executive, was nominated in 2017 to be President Trump’s labor secretary, but he withdrew amid bipartisan scrutiny of his business record and character.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is nominating Andrew Puzder, a former CEO of CKE Restaurants, as his choice for U.S. ambassador to the European Union, a day after the new U.S. leader vowed to hit the EU with tariffs.