US President Donald Trump said he was surprised by Harley-Davidson's decision to shift manufacturing of motorcycles to Europe and claimed the company used the issue of tariffs as an excuse, Sputnik reported.

"Surprised that Harley-Davidson, of all companies, would be the first to wave the White Flag.," Trump said via Twitter on Monday. "I fought hard for them and ultimately they will not pay tariffs selling into the EU, which has hurt us badly on trade, down $151 Billion. Taxes just a Harley excuse — be patient!"

​Earlier on Monday, Harley-Davidson announced that the new tariffs imposed by the European Union on US goods forced the company’s executives to shift production of some motorcycles to Europe.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a briefing that the European Union is trying to punish US workers, but assured the public that Trump is going to keep pushing for free and fair trade practices.

In March, the United States imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports, but suspended the tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union as well as several other states. However, on May 31, the United States removed the exemption from Canadian, Mexican and EU imports.

Trump said in a statement on Friday that if the European Union does not remove tariffs and trade barriers against the United States soon, his administration will place a 20 percent tariff on all cars coming to the United States from the bloc.

Icmal.Az