“It’s a bottomless pit,” said Lange. Many officials here see the tariffs as part of broader concerns they have over Trump’s “America First” agenda and what it means for the continent that has so far relied more on U.S. partnership than other blocs or countries.

In Europe, there also appears to be a growing assumption that diplomacy alone is not working in dealing with the current U.S. administration. The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, called the Trump proposal “a blatant intervention to protect U.S. domestic industry,” and threatened to take countermeasures.

“We will not sit idly while our industry is hit with unfair measures that put thousands of European jobs at risk.”