Trump promises tariffs over EU car

President Donald Trump said Tuesday night that he had threatened to slap a 25% tariff on every car imported into the U.S. from the European Union.

Speaking at a campaign rally in West Virginia, Trump reiterated earlier threats against the EU, and explained how he said he drove Europe to the negotiating table.

“We’re going to put a 25 percent tax on every car that comes into the United States from the European Union,” Trump said.

It is unclear when any tariffs may happen, though. Earlier Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was unlikely to impose any tariffs on autos in the immediate future because a Commerce Department study and recommendations are not ready yet. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told the Journal that ongoing negotiations with the EU as well as Mexico and Canada were another reason for the delay.

Ross told The Journal that it wasn’t clear that a report on potential tariffs would come out by the end of August. The Commerce secretary also declined to set a new timeline, according to the newspaper. He said the report was being delayed because of ongoing negotiations with Mexico, Canada, and the European Commission.

The president has said he could impose tariffs of 20 to 25 percent on auto imports. In May, he asked the Commerce Department to examine whether such imports are threats to national security. He used a similar argument to put tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

A White House spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.