Von der Leyen defends her US trade deal amid backlash from EU lawmakers who see the pact as a sign of European weakness under pressure from Trump

Von der Leyen trade deal controversy is expected to take center stage today as the European Commission President addresses a skeptical European Parliament.

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Ursula von der Leyen faces mounting backlash from lawmakers who say the US-EU trade pact she brokered with former President Donald Trump is not only unbalanced — but a humiliation for the bloc.

Set to defend the accord during her annual State of the Union speech, von der Leyen enters the chamber at a time when more than half of Europeans view the deal negatively, according to a Cluster17 poll across five nations.

The trade pact, agreed in July, cements 15% tariffs on most EU exports to the US, with only limited exemptions.

In exchange, the EU agreed to buy massive quantities of American energy, drop some tariffs, and open up agricultural markets — concessions many see as one-sided.

“Everyone agrees it’s a bad deal that reflects Europe’s weakness,” said Valerie Hayer, leader of Parliament’s centrist bloc Renew.

Even Socialist leader Iratxe Garcia Perez said, “To argue that having a bad deal is better than no deal is just totally unacceptable.”

While some member states like France and Germany supported negotiations, many MEPs — across political groups — feel the bloc caved in due to its continued security dependence on the US.

Von der Leyen trade deal is now tied to a legislative proposal lowering EU tariffs — legislation Parliament must vote on soon. But her allies are divided.

• Renew has not committed support
• Socialists threaten to vote against
• EPP (her own group) will back it — begrudgingly

“Obviously, 15-percent export tariffs to the US doesn’t make us happy,” said EPP chair Manfred Weber, adding that with a US president “who loves tariffs,” the EU got “the best we can get.”

The hard-right ECR group, including Italy’s ruling party, echoed that view, seeing the deal as a pragmatic, if painful, compromise.

Critics say the real test of the von der Leyen trade deal will be Trump’s future behavior.

Already, the former president has threatened Europe’s tech sector, criticizing EU antitrust actions — including the recent fine against Google.

“If he does not uphold the deal, we will have to be very tough,” an EU official said anonymously.

This statement has done little to reassure a Parliament wary of repeating past mistakes with Washington.

While trade dominates headlines, von der Leyen will also use today’s address to emphasize:

•  Support for Ukraine and a future “reassurance force”
•  A 19th EU sanctions package targeting Russian oil revenue
•  The need for competitiveness reforms within the single market

But she faces a fraught reception on foreign policy — especially over Gaza. Internal divisions have stalled EU action, with Commissioner Teresa Ribera calling the war a “genocide” and openly criticizing the bloc’s inaction.

Ultimately, the von der Leyen trade deal could define her second term — not as a triumph of diplomacy, but as a reluctant compromise with a volatile American partner.

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Whether Parliament swallows this “bitter pill” will shape not just EU trade, but the political future of its Commission President.