Trump Tariffs

A history of the tariffs under Trump.

First Administration

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Second Administration

Immediate actions taken by Trump upon election included:

• Set tariffs of 20% on all imports from Chinese

• Set tariffs of 25% on many specific imports from Canada and Mexico

  • Temporary exceptions were made for specific manufacturers, especially automotive manufacturers, for imports from Canada and Mexico that are compliant with USMCA.

  • The implementation of these tariffs was delayed for effectively a month.

• Ordered the USPS end the de minimis exemption on parcels from China.

  • The USPS and CBP were not prepared to process duties in this manner, so parcel services with China and Hong Kong were closed immediately. The fallout of this closure forced the administration to delay implementation for about a month.

The anticipation of a tariff war contributed to the downfall of the Trudeau government. Trudeau and Freeland disagreed on how to respond to the threat, and the latter's resignation triggered a loss of confidence. Trudeau resigned and announced a leadership contest, through which Carney emerged the winner.

In the meantime, provincial governments retaliated within their powers. Ontario announced export fees on energy and threatened to ban energy exports entirely. Several provinces, such as British Columbia, effectively banned importation of American alcohol through their control of alcohol distribution. In the context of these policies, the new Carney government announced retaliatory tariffs on American raw goods such as steel and aluminum.

By comparison, Sheinbaum approached the threat of tariffs diplomatically.

In the following month, the administration took these further steps:

• Set tariffs of 25% on all car imports.
• Set tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminum.

• Following the above delay, the USPS implemented ending the de minimis exemption on parcels from China

• The USPS additionally ended the de minimis exemption on parcels from Canada and Mexico.

Finally, the administration declared intent to set a 10% 'baseline' tariff on all imports, and to set supplemental 'reciprocal' tariffs. The latter are in fact calculated according to BOP. The net effect is that absurd tariffs are set on territories, such as the U.S. military base in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The tariffs already set on Mexico and Canada were adjusted by this. Carney announced reciprocal tariffs on car imports from the U.S., while Sheinbaum continued to exercise diplomacy.

Von Der Leyen announced reciprocal tariffs on steel and aluminum. Of the 27 member states, only Hungary voted against these measures.

Jinping announced retaliatory tariffs on American agriculture and export controls on specific manufacturers. Tensions escalated to the effect of 104% tariffs on all imports from China, and and reciprocal 84% tariffs on all imports from the U.S.

Many nations have attempted to negotiate exemptions or even reduce the pre-existing trade barriers. Starmer declined to formulate an immediate response to tariffs being set. Vietnam lowered tariffs preemptively.

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