It has been another week of whiplash updates on tariff orders from Washington after the month-long delay on President DonaldTrump’s previous order for tariffs against imports from Canada and Mexico expired.
Back in February, Trump announced a 25% tariff on goods from top trade partners Mexico and Canada. After talks with their respective leaders, who promised to help more with border security, he delayed their start for a month. China, however, has had 10% tariffs in place since then.
But the 30-day delay lapsed and the tariffs went into effect shortly after midnight Tuesday. Stock markets slipped, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs, and Trump slowly walked back some of the regulations throughout the week.
Tariffs are essentially taxes on imports, and economists generally agree that the cost gets passed onto consumers, resulting in a slower economy.
Here is where the tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China stand as of Friday:
Trump announced Monday that the 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada would go into effect first thing Tuesday.
“No room left for Mexico or Canada,” Trump said Monday. “The tariffs – they are all set. They’re going into effect tomorrow.”
But Canada ordered swift retaliatory tariffs, and the head of Ontario said he was prepared to cut off the electricity it exports to three U.S. states if the tariffs persist.
Thursday, Trump announced that a subset of goods covered in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement would not face new tariffs for at least another month. That exemption applies to about 38% of imports from Canada and 50% from Mexico. Canadian energy and a fertilizer ingredient potash will face a lower rate of 10%.
While speaking in the Oval Office Friday, Trump threatened reciprocal tariffs on lumber and dairy imports from Canada, saying they could be ordered as early as Friday, Monday or Tuesday, according to Reuters.
The White House announced Wednesday that automobiles would be exempt from the newly imposed tariffs after General Motors, Ford and Stellantis strongly opposed them.
The tariffs, along with those covered under the other exemptions, will go into effect on April 2, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Trump imposed 10% tariffs on Chinese imports, which took effect in February, and earlier this week, he announced that it would be doubled to 20%.
He has argued the tariffs are for leveraging power to get China to help with the flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl into the U.S.
China’s commerce secretary urged the U.S. to stop the tariffs Friday, according to Reuters.
“The U.S. imposition of 20% tariffs on Chinese products on the basis of fentanyl is groundless and a typical act of protectionism, unilateralism and bullying,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters, and added the U.S. should stop “shifting blame” for the fentanyl issue.
Contributing: USA TODAY’s Joey Garrison and Reuters
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com, and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.
