Trump Says 50-50 Odds of Trade Deal With European Union (1)

President Donald Trump put the odds of striking a trade deal with Europe to reduce the tariff rate on their imports at 50-50, even as diplomats from the trading bloc have expressed optimism in recent days that an agreement could be near.

“I would say that we have a 50-50 chance, maybe less than that, but a 50-50 chance of making a deal with the EU,” Trump told reporters Friday before departing for a golf trip to Scotland.

But, in a signal of how quickly fortunes can turn in the trade negotiations, Trump then said US and EU negotiators were ...