President Trump Announces Tariff Order, Declares “Economic Independence” for America

US President Donald Trump holds up a document from the Office of the United States Trade Representative as he announces reciprocal tariffs against US trading partners.

US President Donald Trump holds up a document from the Office of the United States Trade Representative as he announces “reciprocal” tariffs against US trading partners. Apr 2nd, 2025


April 2, 2025 Hour: 4:42 pm

While President Trump frames his new tariffs as a bold defense of American workers, such policies could trigger costly retaliation, raise consumer prices, and disrupt global supply chains.

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U.S. President Donald Trump Announces 25% Tariff on All Auto Imports

U.S President Donald Trump announced today that he will sign a so-called “reciprocal” tariff order targeting countries around the world, calling it “one of the most important days in America’s history” and a “declaration of economic independence.”

“With today’s actions, we are finally going to make America great again—greater than before,” Trump declared. “Jobs and factories will come back into our country. We will supercharge our domestic industrial base, prioritize our farms and markets, and restore fair trade. More production will mean lower prices. This will be the golden age of America.”

The President criticized decades of U.S. trade policies, accusing other nations of exploiting low American tariffs while imposing massive duties on U.S. goods. “For decades, the United States slashed our trade barriers while other countries placed massive tariffs on our products,” he said. “They stole our intellectual property, adopted unfair rules, and then accused us of violations, demanding we pay the price. But those days are over.”

Trump highlighted several examples of what he called “vicious attacks” on American workers:

  • The U.S. charges only a 2.4% tariff on foreign motorcycles, while countries like Thailand impose rates as high as 60% or 70%.
  • Similarly, the U.S. has levied just a 2.5% tariff on foreign-made automobiles for decades, while other nations enforce far higher barriers.

“Such horrendous imbalances have devastated our industrial base and put our national security at risk,” Trump said, blaming past leaders for allowing the disparities.

In response, the administration will impose a 25% tariff on all foreign-made automobiles, effective at midnight. “The era of American weakness is over,” Trump vowed.

While President Trump frames his new tariffs as a bold defense of American workers, such policies could trigger costly retaliation, raise consumer prices, and disrupt global supply chains.

President Donald Trump declared in his speech, “With today’s action, we are also standing up for our great farmers, who have been brutalized by nations all over the world.”

He emphasized a shift in U.S. trade policy, stating, “The U.S. can no longer continue with the policy of unilateral economic surrender. We cannot pay the deficits of Canada or Mexico. We take care of countries all over the world—we take care of their military, we pay for everything they have to pay. And then, when you want to cut back a little bit, they get upset. We have to take care of our people.”

“Today, we are standing up for the American worker, and we are putting America first,” Trump added.

Alongside the previously announced 25% tariff on foreign-made automobiles, the administration unveiled a series of new “reciprocal” tariffs targeting specific nations:

  • 10% on Brazilian and Singaporean products
  • 20% on goods from the European Union
  • 34% on Chinese imports
  • 32% on products from Taiwan (China’s territory)
  • 31% on Swiss goods
  • 30% on South African imports
  • 49% on Cambodian products
  • 74% on Bangladeshi goods
  • 58% on Pakistani imports
  • 88% on Sri Lankan products
  • 24% on Japanese goods

“The numbers are disproportionate, so unfair,” Trump said, referring to existing trade imbalances. “At the same time, we will establish a minimum baseline tariff of 10%.”

Autor: MLM

Fuente: Telesur English