President Donald Trump has announced that his administration will impose reciprocal tariffs on April 2, a move he says is necessary to address what he calls unfair trade practices by other countries. Speaking in his first address to a joint session of Congress since returning to the White House, Trump defended the decision as a crucial step to protect American industries and workers.
“This system is not fair to the United States and never was,” Trump said. “Whatever they tariff us, we will tariff them. If they do non-monetary barriers to keep us out of their market, we will do the same.”
Joking about the timing of the imposition, Trump said that the tariffs were originally planned to be enforced on April 1, but moved a day forward to avoid accusations of an April Fool’s stunt.
“And so on April 2, I wanted to make it April 1, but I didn’t want to be accused of April Fool’s Day. That’s what that’s not just one day was cost us a lot of money, but we’re going to do it in April. I’m a very superstitious person,” Trump said.
The new tariffs, which will target a wide range of imports from key trading partners including Canada, Mexico, China, the European Union, and India, are part of Trump’s broader push to overhaul US trade policies. He argued that countries have long imposed higher duties on American products while benefiting from lower US tariffs, creating an uneven playing field.
Trump insisted that while the move could cause some economic disruption, it was a necessary step to safeguard American industries. “There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much,” he said. He also promised that the tariffs would generate “trillions of dollars” and lead to job creation.
The announcement has already sent shockwaves through global markets, with some countries preparing retaliatory measures. Canada and Mexico have imposed counter-tariffs, while China has warned of significant consequences if US trade restrictions escalate. India, which has seen increased trade tensions with the US, is also expected to respond.
Trump’s push for reciprocal tariffs is in line with his long-standing belief that global trade rules disadvantage the US. During his first term, his administration considered similar measures but did not fully implement them. The new tariffs will be applied on a country-by-country basis, considering not just tariff rates but also non-tariff barriers like subsidies and regulatory hurdles.