Washington — US President Donald Trump accused motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson on Tuesday of using the trade war as an excuse to move production for European customers overseas. "Early this year Harley-Davidson said they would move much of their plant operations in Kansas City to Thailand. That was long before Tariffs were announced. Hence, they were just using Tariffs/Trade War as an excuse," Trump said on Twitter. However, the company said it decided to build the Thailand plant after Trump pulled out from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have lowered import tariffs on its bikes in some of the fastest-growing motorcycle markets in Asia. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said Harley-Davidson’s EU move was a natural consequence of a protectionist US trade policy.

"We don’t want to punish, but that is the unfortunate consequence, that (US companies) will put pressure on the American administration to say hey, hold on a minute, this is not good for the American e...

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