During his first address of his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump firmly defended his strict tariff policies. He emphasized that the U.S. has long faced high tariffs from several countries, including India. Therefore, he asserted that it was time for America to take action.
U.S. Will Enforce Strict Tariffs
Trump warned that companies manufacturing outside the U.S. will now face heavy tariffs. According to him, other countries have imposed tariffs on America for years. As a result, the U.S. will now respond with similar measures.
“If you don’t make your product in America under the Trump administration, you will pay a tariff, and in some cases, a rather large one. Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries,” Trump said.
Trump Calls India’s Tariffs Unfair
To support his argument, Trump listed several countries that impose high tariffs on U.S. goods. Specifically, he mentioned India, China, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the European Union.
“On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Canada … have you heard of them? And countless other nations charge us tremendously high tariffs than we charge them,” he said.
Furthermore, he singled out India, criticizing its auto tariffs. “India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100 percent,” he stated. Additionally, he pointed out that China’s tariffs on U.S. products are twice as high as U.S. tariffs on China. Meanwhile, he added, South Korea imposes tariffs that are four times higher than what the U.S. charges.
U.S. Will Impose Reciprocal Tariffs on April 2
In response, Trump announced that new reciprocal tariffs will take effect on April 2. Initially, he had considered April 1, but he decided against it to avoid confusion with April Fools’ Day.
“On April 2nd, I wanted to make it April 1st but didn’t want it to be accused of April Fools’ Day… it’s a lot of money… April 2nd reciprocal tariffs kick in, whatever they tariff us, we will tariff them, a reciprocal back and forth… if they do non-monetary tariffs to keep us out of their market, we will do non-monetary barriers to keep them out of our market,” Trump said.
As soon as he made this announcement, his supporters in Congress gave him a standing ovation.
Higher Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China
Moreover, the U.S. will enforce a 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico. At the same time, Trump also doubled tariffs on Chinese goods, raising them from 10 percent to 20 percent. This decision, he explained, came after China failed to take action against its alleged role in fentanyl production.