US President Donald Trump announced his intention to impose new, retaliatory tariffs on imported goods starting April 2. He announced this while speaking to the House of Representatives and the Senate of the US Congress with a speech on the situation in the country and priorities of domestic and foreign policy.
“If you do not make your product in America, then under the Trump administration you will pay tariffs, and in some cases, quite significant ones. Other countries have been using tariffs against us for decades, and now it is our turn to use them against them. On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Canada are charging us much higher tariffs than we are charging them. It is extremely unfair,” Trump said.
The president emphasized that he initially wanted to set the date for the introduction of tariffs for April 1, but decided to move it to April 2 to avoid associations with April Fools’ Day. “I am a very superstitious person. On April 2, reciprocal tariffs go into effect. Whatever they impose on us, we impose on them. It will be a reciprocal action: whatever they do, we will respond in kind,” the American president concluded.
“India charges us auto tariffs above 100%. China’s average tariff on our goods is twice as high as ours, and South Korea’s is four times as high. Think about it: four times as high! And yet we give South Korea enormous military and other aid. But that’s what they do to us,” the president added.