Trump Declares 'Liberation Day' as Sweeping Tariffs Take Effect

[Social Media]

 

Donald Trump, addressing a crowd met with applause, opened his remarks by announcing what he called "very good news." He declared that today marks "Liberation Day," a moment the United States had long awaited. According to Trump, this day will be remembered as the rebirth of American industry and the moment when the country was "made wealthy again."

 

 

He turned his focus to foreign trade policies, calling out the European Union and several Asian nations for what he described as unfair automobile tariffs. "Those days are over," he stated firmly. He pointed out that while the U.S. charges only a 2.4% tariff on imported motorcycles, other nations impose significantly higher tariffs. "Meanwhile, Thailand and others are charging much higher prices, like 60%. India charges 70% and Vietnam charges 75%," he explained. Trump further criticized the EU and Asian countries for imposing tariffs on American-made automobiles and stated that some of these trade barriers were "non-monetary" in nature.

 

 

In response, Trump announced a sweeping policy change: "That's why, effective at midnight, we will impose a 25% tariff on all foreign-made automobiles." He framed this move as a necessary correction to what he described as an imbalance that has "decimated" U.S. industries.

 

 

Trump expanded on the issue, emphasizing that the U.S. trade deficit posed "a national emergency that threatens our security and threatens our way of life." He cited America's heavy reliance on imported goods such as antibiotics, electronics, and shipbuilding as evidence of this crisis. "We import virtually all of our computers, phones, TVs, and electronics," he noted, adding that a single shipyard in China outproduces all American shipyards combined in a given year.

Trump slaps 10% baseline tariffs on all imports, will levy 'discounted' reciprocal tariffs for nations with higher duties https://t.co/hdAgiZ1xrO pic.twitter.com/XWeEZZRf1m

— New York Post (@nypost) April 2, 2025

 

To counteract these economic imbalances, Trump announced that the U.S. would begin implementing reciprocal tariffs on other nations starting the next day. He also introduced a "minimum baseline tariff" of 10% on all imports to "help rebuild" the American economy. However, he clarified that tariffs would not be entirely reciprocal. "So, the tariffs will not be a full reciprocal. I could have done that, yes, but it would have been tough for a lot of countries," he admitted. "We didn’t want to do that." He reassured American manufacturers, stating, "There’s no tariff if you build your product right here in America."

 

The former president then turned his attention to investments in the U.S., touting a list of companies that he claimed were committing significant funds to domestic development. Among them, he named Apple, which he said had pledged $500 billion, along with Nvidia, Johnson & Johnson, and Meta. "That’s going to be much higher by the end of the year," Trump predicted, claiming the total investment figure was already at $6 trillion.

 

Despite his firm stance on tariffs, Trump expressed respect for China and President Xi Jinping, though he accused them of "taking tremendous advantage" of the U.S. He acknowledged that other world leaders prioritize their own nations by imposing high tariffs on American imports, vowing that the U.S. would now do the same. "We have to start taking care of our country now," he asserted.

 

Trump also reflected on his first term, noting that he had planned to introduce reciprocal tariffs at that time. However, he said those plans were derailed after what he called a "bad election" in 2020, which resulted in his loss to Joe Biden. He emphasized his victory last November, calling it a "monumental win," and promised sweeping changes. "This will be an entirely different country in a short period of time. The whole world will be talking about it," he declared.

 

The newly announced tariffs include a universal 10% duty on all imports beginning Friday night. Additionally, dozens of "worst offenders" will face further penalties, accounting for their trade surpluses, tariffs, and various trade barriers, including VAT and food standards regulations. A White House official underscored the severity of the new policy, stating, "This is not a negotiation, it’s a national emergency." They clarified that the focus should not be solely on tariffs but also on broader trade barriers harming U.S. exports. The ultimate goal, according to Trump's advisers, is to eliminate trade deficits entirely.

 

Shifting gears, Trump briefly touched on immigration policy, acknowledging that labor shortages might impact his economic strategy. "We need more people," he said, referring to the workforce required to support the anticipated industrial boom. He introduced Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem and "border czar" Tom Homan, praising them for their efforts. "Now we have a border that’s the best border that we’ve ever had," he claimed.

 

Trump emphasized that while he supports legal immigration, he wants newcomers who "have the capability of loving our country, not people that hate our country." He stated that the U.S. needs workers for its factories, auto industry, and other sectors, emphasizing that the new policies were designed to ensure that these industries thrive once more.

 

UK's 10% could have been worse. "It is lower than it could have been," a senior government source tells me. The tone was still sombre - a 10% tariff is big and they’d rather not have them at all - it is considerably less than some others and less than some thought it would be. Ministers hope this announcement is a reasonable basis for carrying on with negotiations over a trade deal that could lead to them falling or being dropped entirely.

 

As Trump's bold new trade policy takes effect, the global response remains uncertain. With his sweeping tariffs and economic restructuring, the world will now watch to see how other nations react and whether the U.S. achieves the economic transformation he envisions.

 

 

Based on a report by BBC  2025-04-03

 

 

[Tug]

Here we go….say goodbye to your 401k batten down the hatches get ready for the trump tax it’s gonna sting!

[flyingtlger]

[Harrisfan]

Seems more than fair

[hotsun]

How dare he stop selling americans out. An outrage

[Harrisfan]

So many nations 40%+. 

[hotsun]

Business will be not so good for countries who dont drop their tariffs against the US. Dont <deleted> around when it comes to losing the american consumer

[zakalwe]

There is going to be a lot of boycott "American".

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

The newly announced tariffs include a universal 10% duty on all imports beginning Friday night.

The prices of fruit, veg and meats up on Saturday, eggs up higher.

 

Who are Trump’s supporters, both foreign and domestic, going to blame I wonder?

[Jingthing]

His tarriff policy is about as elegant and refined as his YMCA double jerk dance.

[Jingthing]

11 minutes ago, zakalwe said:

There is going to be a lot of boycott "American".

It had already started but yes now it will be on steroids.,

Travel bookings to the U.S. already way down. 

Expatriation FROM the U.S. is also a real trend now.

It's not only the moronic economics policy but also the fascism. 

[ukrules]

About time some reciprocity was introduced here.

People simply don't purchase goods from the US due to local import taxes and this addresses this problem - because somehow over the decades and we're going back to the 1940s and 1950's here the morons running the US decided it would be better to buy foreign which decimated their domestic supply chains.

US gonna be busy building.

So when you old guys lived the boom times over in the US - this is why - it hadn't got out of hand back then.

[JonnyF]

Great news, it's about time people stopped treating the US like a stupid rich Uncle that hands out money hand over fist. The party is over. 

 

Also great to see the UK get much lower tariffs than the EU. Yet another benefit of Brexit. 

 

 

[candide]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Great news, it's about time people stopped treating the US like a stupid rich Uncle that hands out money hand over fist. The party is over. 

 

Also great to see the UK get much lower tariffs than the EU. Yet another benefit of Brexit. 

 

 

And , luckily, it's not like the automotive sector would represent 14% of UK exports to the U.S.!

Oh wait! 😆

[sharot724]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-set-to-announce-biggest-tax-increase-on-americans-in-decades/ar-AA1C9cdF?ocid=winp2fptaskbar&cvid=2171f45bb35b4dd4d06fcb3ad2ba2b51&ei=14

 

Taxing the supporters helps America a lot.

It is a First step.

That is what they voted for. I support tax hikes for the wealthy too

[JonnyF]

40 minutes ago, candide said:

And , luckily, it's not like the automotive sector would represent 14% of UK exports to the U.S.!

Oh wait! 😆

 

So you mean for 86% of our exports to the US, we get half the tariff rate that we would have done if we remained in the EU?

 

Sounds like a pretty good deal. 

 

I mean, imagine paying the EU billions of pounds every year to get their massive tariff rates on exports to the US. That would really suck.

 

Thank goodness we left.  

 

 

[stevenl]

Let's see what happens. I expect some retaliation, Canada and China especially. Europe will imo respond calmly, they don't want a trade war.

One more step away from the US for the rest of the world.

[Chomper Higgot]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Great news, it's about time people stopped treating the US like a stupid rich Uncle that hands out money hand over fist. The party is over. 

 

Also great to see the UK get much lower tariffs than the EU. Yet another benefit of Brexit. 

 

 

The UK bought off some tariffs by giving a tax break to US tech and online businesses, including those that are viscerating the UK high street and small businesses.

 

The UK now having its tax laws dictated by Washington is little more than a vassal state.

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

40 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Let's see what happens. I expect some retaliation, Canada and China especially. Europe will imo respond calmly, they don't want a trade war.

One more step away from the US for the rest of the world.

We’ll see what happens when the stock markets open later today.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

 

So you mean for 86% of our exports to the US, we get half the tariff rate that we would have done if we remained in the EU?

 

Sounds like a pretty good deal. 

 

I mean, imagine paying the EU billions of pounds every year to get their massive tariff rates on exports to the US. That would really suck.

 

Thank goodness we left.  

 

 

What fail to grasp, despite your oft self proclaimed business acumen, is many of the exports from the UK to the U.S. are in goods and services by U.S. corporations trading within the UK, many of which have just been handed a huge tax break in order to reduce the tariffs.

 

 

[Harrisfan]

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

We’ll see what happens when the stock markets open later today.

Futures down 2%. So like that. No big deal.

[JonnyF]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

What fail to grasp, despite your oft self proclaimed business acumen, is many of the exports from the UK to the U.S. are in goods and services by U.S. corporations trading within the UK, many of which have just been handed a huge tax break in order to reduce the tariffs.

 

 

 

Yes, it's much easier to do such deals with the US now we have left the EU. Great to see the special relationship continue. 

 

Those lower tariffs are really going to help as well. 

 

 

I know it's hard to take Chomps, but this is down to Brexit. 

 

[Tug]

3 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Futures down 2%. So like that. No big deal.

On top of all the losses since he took office?ouch!and the ball is just getting started!we shal see how it plays out,we are in reality just along for the ride.that being said with trumps track record of epic failure it’s obviously very concerning to say the least.

[Harrisfan]

Just now, Tug said:

On top of all the losses since he took office?ouch!and the ball is just getting started!we shal see how it plays out,we are in reality just along for the ride.that being said with trumps track record of epic failure it’s obviously very concerning to say the least.

Awesome

[Chomper Higgot]

4 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Yes, it's much easier to do such deals with the US now we have left the EU. Great to see the special relationship continue. 

 

Those lower tariffs are really going to help as well. 

 

 

I know it's hard to take Chomps, but this is down to Brexit. 

 

It’s always easy for a vassal state to hand tax breaks to its master in Washington.

 

The tariffs won’t last, the tax breaks will remain.

Doff your hat and tug your forelocks  to Washington as U.S. businesses plunder the UK.

 

 

[gargamon]

Trump has destroyed every business he ever ran and drove them into bankruptcy. Expect the same for the US/world economy. The only success he has had is in selling his name because there are way too many suckers that believe his nonsense.

[bkk6060]

Just look at past market problems much worse then this it always recovers and goes to all time highs. Some people are kind of uneducated about the historical markets.  For me, tomorrow may be a great buying opportunity if it goes down 4 or 5 % I will be buying big time.

 

In a year, most of this Tariff paranoia will be an after thought and I bet markets will be at all time highs.  Wait for it and see.

[JonnyF]

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s always easy for a vassal state to hand tax breaks to its master in Washington.

 

The tariffs won’t last, the tax breaks will remain.

Doff your hat and tug your forelocks  to Washington as U.S. businesses plunder the UK.

 

 

 

So the US giving us a better deal than the EU while investing in the UK makes us a "Vassal state" of the US?

 

Right-O Chomps 😄.

 

Thank goodness we hadn't remained in the corrupt protectionist EU or we'd have double the tariffs.

 

Win Win.  

 

I know it's tough to see, only a few months after Trump defeated Harris as well. Hope you're doing OK...

 

 

[FritsSikkink]

5 hours ago, hotsun said:

How dare he stop selling americans out. An outrage

Seems like you still don't understand that these tariffs will be paid by USA citizens. A huge increase in tax for them.

[Chomper Higgot]

Just now, JonnyF said:

 

So the US giving us a better deal than the EU while investing in the UK makes us a "Vassal state" of the US?

 

Right-O Chomps 😄.

 

Thank goodness we hadn't remained in the corrupt protectionist EU or we'd have double the tariffs.

 

Win Win.  

 

I know it's tough to see, only a few months after Trump defeated Harris as well. Hope you're doing OK...

 

 

Yes it does, the US is dictating UK tax laws.

 

It was widely reported over the last two weeks that the Starmer Government was negotiating with the U.S. for a reduced tariffs rate, offering tax breaks being part of the offer.

 

Do you think Starmer and the Labour Government deserve any praise for negotiating a lower tariff rate?