THE WHITE HOUSE – President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Wednesday to impose a wave of reciprocal tariffs across the nation in what the White House has deemed “Liberation Day.”
Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on nations charging imports from the United States from the Rose Garden with various industry workers in crowd. Each of the reciprocal tariffs are roughly half of what they are charging the United States, an administration official told reporters, with a baseline of 10% for the tariffs. (RELATED: ‘Fixing Our Broken Trade Deals’: American Auto Workers Praise Trump’s Tariffs)
“My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day, April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said.
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled “Make America Wealthy Again” at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 2, 2025. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike. American steel workers, auto workers, farmers and skilled craftsmen. We have a lot of them here with us today. They really suffered gravely. They watched in anguish as foreign leaders have stolen our jobs,” the president said regarding the baseline tariffs that are set to go into effect on Thursday.
While the president was speaking, a White House official passed out a packet to reporters detailing about 60 countries and the tariffs being imposed on them. At the top of the list is China, who has a calculated 67% tariff on America. In return, America will impose a 34% tariff on the nation, Trump said.
While Trump is speaking, a WH official passes out a packet outlining how countries tariff the United States and what America will now charge them.
Each country is charged about 50% of what they charge the U.S. pic.twitter.com/wisNSTt7Ca
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) April 2, 2025
There is also a baseline tariff of 10% on each country, which is displayed deeper in the packet. pic.twitter.com/v2jeck4FRZ
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) April 2, 2025
Israel, the fact sheet reads, imposes a 33% tariff on the country and will receive a 17% tariff from America. Other countries on the list include the United Kingdom, Brazil, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan. The worst offenders in terms of tariffs on the United States will have additional charges imposed, and any tariffs greater than the baseline will go into effect on April 9.
“The National emergency calls for us to reindustrialize,” an administration official told reporters about the president’s action.
Mid speech, Trump tosses a MAGA hat to autoworkers in attendance. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/DlyLnPSNNq
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) April 2, 2025
The tariffs are set to remain in effect until the president has decided that the “threat posed by the trade deficit and underlying nonreciprocal treatment is satisfied, resolved or mitigated,” according to a White House fact sheet. The fact sheet adds that Trump’s tariff plan aims to emphasize economic and national security, in hopes that it will create “better-paying American jobs making beautiful American-made cars, appliances, and other goods.”
“I say that friend and foe, and in many cases, the friend is worse than the foe in terms of trade, but such horrendous imbalances have devastated our industrial base and put our national security at risk,” Trump said.
“I don’t blame these other countries at all for this calamity. I blame former presidents and past leaders who weren’t doing their job,” he added, announcing that the 25% tariff on all foreign made automobiles would go into effect at midnight.