Trump said the United States will impose reciprocal tariffs on trading partners on April 2.
President Donald Trump said on March 16 that he has no intention of granting exemptions from the steel and aluminum tariffs that went into effect last week.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump
said that the United States will begin imposing sectoral and reciprocal tariffs on trading partners on April 2.
“It’s going to be reciprocal; in other words, whatever they’re charging, we’re charging,” he said. “Then in addition to that, on autos, on steel, on aluminum, we’re going to have some additional tariffs.”
When asked whether he would consider making exceptions to steel and aluminum tariffs, Trump said, “No, I have no intention of it.”
Trump
imposed 25 percent tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum to the United States on March 12 to protect U.S. industry from unfair trade, sparking retaliatory measures from Canada and the European Union.
The Trump administration also lifted previous exemptions for countries and regions—such as Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, the European Union, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom—that it
said had “inadvertently” created loopholes exploited by China and other countries with excess steel and aluminum capacity.
Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell
said on March 16 that he had spoken with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last week following Trump’s decision to impose tariffs.
Farrell said that their discussion was not pessimistic but stated that Lutnick provided “no assurances about what might happen in the next round of negotiations.”
The Australian government wants to offer a deal to the U.S. government in hopes of securing a tariff exemption but has not been able to determine what the United States seeks.
Farrell stated that he will have another discussion with U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer on March 18.
“What we need to do is find out what it is that the Americans want in terms of this relationship between Australia and the United States and then make President Trump an offer he can’t refuse,” he said in an
interview with Sky News.
Farrell stated that Australia will not impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States, noting that there have been no positive outcomes for other countries that have taken such an approach.
“We are continuing the discussions with the United States,” he said. “We’re not going down the track of some countries in applying retaliatory tariffs. I don’t think that will work.”
Canada on March 13
implemented a 25 percent surtax on nearly CA$30 billion ($20 billion) of U.S. steel products and other goods such as computers and sports equipment. The European Union also
announced counter-tariffs targeting up to 26 billion euros ($28.3 billion), which will take effect in April.
In 2024, Canada was the
top country from which the United States imported steel; imports totaled about 6 million tons. This was followed by Brazil (4.1 million), Mexico (3.2 million), and South Korea (2.5 million). Last year, Canada accounted for more than 50 percent of aluminum shipped to the United States.
Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies concluded in a report last month that levies “will raise prices, cost American jobs, and strain alliances.”
They suggested that the United States should collaborate with trading partners to stop China.
“The real solution lies in working with partners to shut down avenues for China’s dumping and create a level playing field in global trade,” they stated in the report.
Earlier this month, the United States
imposed 25 percent tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada to pressure both countries into stepping up efforts to curb the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigrants into the United States.
Trump also
imposed a 20 percent tariff on Chinese imports, citing the Chinese communist regime’s failure to tackle fentanyl trafficking into the United States, which also triggered retaliatory measures from Beijing.
Andrew Moran contributed to this report.
