Harley Davidson profit slumps

Trump tweets retaliation threat

Markus

26.04.2019

Photo: Harley Davidson

The customs dispute with the EU has once again weighed on the balance sheet of motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson (Harley-Davidson share) - which infuriates US President Donald Trump. In the first quarter, net income fell by more than a quarteryear-on-year to 127.9 million dollars (113.7 million euros), Harley-Davidson announced on Tuesday. Revenues fell 12 percent to 1.2 billion U.S. dollars.

Trump vented his anger on Twitter that the U.S. traditional company was suffering from increased tariffs imposed in the wake of the trade dispute. "So unfair to the US," Trump wrote, threatening retaliation. However, Harley sales fell even more sharply in the US, where the manufacturer suffers from an ageing conservative clientele, than abroad.

Despite Trump's recent tweet, the relationship between the US president and Harley-Davidson has been rather tense recently. Trump has repeatedly sharply criticized the US cult company, even supporting calls for boycotts by his supporters last year. He was angered by Harley-Davidson's announcement that it would move some of its production abroad because of punitive tariffs.