Trump said Thursday that Japan bought down the 25% tariff rate set to go into effect Aug. 1 to 15% in part by committing to investing $550 billion in U.S. industries, with most of the profits going to the U.S. He suggested that others, including the EU, could strike similar deals.

President Donald Trump sees a 50-50 chance, or perhaps less, that the U.S. and European Union will reach a trade agreement, he said on Friday, according to media reports, adding that Brussels wants to "make a deal very badly.

In the tariff dispute with the European Union, US President Donald Trump currently sees the chances of reaching an agreement at around 50%. "I would say that we have a 50-50 chance, maybe less than that,