The American president has threatened to hit imports from the bloc with 25% tariffs

US President Donald Trump has claimed that the EU was designed to weaken America and has issued new threats of 25% tariffs on all imports from the bloc.

Trump made the remarks on Wednesday at the White House during his first Cabinet meeting of his second term as president. The trade row between the US and the EU has been escalating since Trump announced plans to introduce a wide range of import duties in an effort to tackle what he describes as a trade imbalance.

"Look, let's be honest, the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States, that's the purpose of it," Trump told the meeting. "And they've done a good job of it. But now I'm president." 

He reiterated that his administration plans to impose tariffs on EU imports "very soon." 

"It will be 25%, generally speaking, and that will be on cars and all other things," Trump said, describing the EU as "a different case than Canada... they've really taken advantage of us in a different way." 

The US and EU similarly found themselves locked in a trade dispute during Trump's first term, when he introduced tariffs of 25% on European steel imports and 10% on aluminum, to which the EU responded with countermeasures. Trump also threatened tariffs on European cars, though those never came to pass. In total, the two sides exchanged duties on goods worth over $10 billion.

As part of his current tariff push, Trump has imposed 25% duties on all steel and aluminum imports from the EU starting March 4, adding to existing tariffs. He has also directed Howard Lutnick, his nominee for US trade representative and commerce secretary, to propose new levies on a country-by-country basis by April 1 in a bid to rebalance trade.

Since taking office on January 20, Trump has slapped a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% on Chinese goods, citing concerns over illegal immigration and drug trafficking. However, following talks with the Mexican and Canadian leaders, those tariffs have been postponed for 30 days after both nations agreed to bolster border security.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the latest US tariffs, expressing "deep regret" over the decision. She said earlier this month that the levies on steel and aluminum "will not go unanswered." 

Asked on Wednesday, whether EU countries would retaliate in-kind to any US tariffs, Trump replied: "They can't, I mean they can try, but they can't."