<p>President Trump met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday to talk about trade. At the end of the meeting, the two leaders announced a plan to work towards the elimination of all tariffs and trade barriers between the EU and the US. ;</p>
<p>Trump had proposed the complete elimination of barriers the day before, suggesting on Twitter that the US was ready but the EU wasn&rsquo;t. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;This was a very big day for free and fair trade,&rdquo; said Trump as the deal was announced to reporters. &ldquo;We agreed today, first of all, to work together toward zero tariffs, zero, non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods.&rdquo; The two sides also agreed ;to reduce industrial tariffs on both sides and to increase the sale of natural gas and soybeans to the EU. ;</p>
<p>The soybean agreement benefits US farmers suffering from Chinese taxes, while the fuel agreement benefits the EU by reducing the bloc&#8217;s dependence on Russian energy. ;</p>
<p>Both sides agreed that no new tariffs would go into effect during negotiations, a decision Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) described as &#8220;smart&#8221; and the &#8220;best way to achieve a win-win solution.&#8221;</p>
<p>The EU also unexpectedly agreed to join the US in pursuit of reforms at the World Trade Organization &#8211; an organization Trump believes is biased against the US.</p>
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<p>The trade dispute between the US and EU began in March when ;Trump announced plans to impose a 25% tax on steel and a 10% tax on aluminum. The tariffs went into effect, and the EU responded by taxing $3.25 billion worth of American products including motorcycles, whiskey, and peanut butter. ;</p>
<p>Trump then threatened to impose a 25% tariff on European-made cars &#8211; a change that would have increased the price of a single vehicle ;by more than $11,000. The EU currently charges a 10% tax on US-made cars. The US charges a 2.5% tax on European-made cars.</p>
<p>While Juncker had initially sought to hit the US with more tariffs, German automakers pressured him to consider Trump&rsquo;s zero-tariff idea. ;</p>
<p>After the meeting, Trump and Juncker confirmed they would try to ;&#8220;resolve&#8221; ;the steel and aluminum tariffs as well as the duties the EU imposed in response. ;More details on that effort are expected to be released after the November elections. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The United States and the EU together count for more than 830 million citizens and more than 50% of the global GDP,&rdquo; said Trump. &ldquo;In other words, we&rsquo;re more than 50% of trade. If we team up, we can make our planet a better, more secure and more prosperous place.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note:</strong> It is likely the mainstream media will not recognize the maneuverings of President Trump as true negotiating capability. But here is is.</p>