Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs President Trump said in a middle-of-the-night social media post early Thursday that he would come after the European Union and Canada if they banded together to “do economic harm” to America, opening a new front in the unfolding trade war. Mr. Trump on Wednesday said that all cars and certain automobile parts that are shipped into the United States would be subject to a 25 percent tariff.“If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large scale Tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both in order to protect the best friend that each of those two countries has ever had!” Mr. Trump wrote.Mr. Trump’s post creates a new problem for the European Union, which is already trying to respond to his tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and potentially a broader array of goods and services.The United States is by far Europe’s most important trading partner, and the prospect of worse trading conditions has left the European Union scrambling to negotiate. But the Trump administration has showed little appetite to strike a deal so far.“In the end, as it is said, one hand cannot clap,” Maros Sefcovic, the trade commissioner for the European Union, has said.That has left Europeans seeking to strike new alliances and deepen existing trading relationships. And concerns about President Trump’s shifting stance on military support have driven partners like the European Union and Canada closer together. Canada is already working toward providing industrial support for Europe’s rearmament push.European Commission officials did not immediately comment on Mr. Trump’s post.Here’s what else to know about the fallout from Mr. Trump’s tariffs:The tariff details: The auto levies are set to go into effect on April 3 and will apply to cars and trucks as well as important parts like engines, transmissions and electrical components that are shipped into the United States. That includes vehicles from American brands whose automobiles are assembled outside of the country, including in Canada or Mexico.Supply chains scrambled: Nearly half of all vehicles sold in the United States are imported, as well as nearly 60 percent of the parts in vehicles assembled in the United States. That means the tariffs could have serious implications for the North American auto industry, which has become intertwined through decades of tariff-free trade.Auto stocks wobble: The stocks of major Detroit carmakers, which build some of their vehicles in Canada and Mexico, were rattled in early trading on Wall Street. Shares in General Motors, which imports many of its best-selling cars and trucks from Mexico, opened down more than 7 percent. Ford, which is less reliant on imported cars, fell about half a percent. Shares in Tesla, which is expected to suffer less from tariffs than its competitors because all the cars that it sells in the United States are made in California and Texas, rose about 1 percent.
