President Trump Implements Sweeping “Reciprocal” Tariffs on Imports of All Products from All Countries

In a public event at the White House on April 2, President Trump announced the imposition of “reciprocal” tariffs on virtually all goods imported into the United States from all countries. 

For certain countries the President specifically identified as “bad actors,” reciprocal tariffs are set at varying percentages that exceed a baseline of 10%. The 10% baseline additional tariff goes into effect on April 5, 2025, while the higher country-specific tariffs go into effect on April 9, 2025. (Goods loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transit before 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 5 or April 9, 2025, respectively, are exempted.) The new tariffs are in addition to any existing tariffs that apply to imports.

An Executive Order released by the White House shortly after the President’s announcement details the individual country reciprocal tariff rates applicable to 54 named countries, with some as high as 50%. The list includes tariffs on major U.S. trading partners such as the EU (20%), South Korea (26%), Japan (24%), China (34%), Taiwan (32%), and other major sources of imports from Southeast Asia and elsewhere. Russia is not included on the country-specific list. Canada and Mexico, which are already subject to 25% tariffs under earlier Presidential orders (except for certain articles eligible under the US-Canada-Mexico Agreement), are also not included. The Executive Order states that if the earlier Canada and Mexico tariffs are suspended or terminated, goods from these two countries will be subject to a 12% reciprocal tariff (while goods qualifying under the USMCA remain exempt). Annex I to the Executive Order, which lists the individual country rates, is available here.

Certain products already subject to additional tariffs under separate orders and ongoing import investigations are exempt from the new reciprocal tariffs. These include, among others, imports of steel, aluminum, automobiles and automotive parts, and certain other enumerated products including copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles, certain critical minerals, and energy and energy products. These are detailed in Annex II to the Executive Order, available here.

In imposing the broad reciprocal tariffs, President Trump invoked his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq) (IEEPA), declaring a “national emergency” arising from conditions reflected in large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits. IEEPA, a 1977 law, gives the President authority under certain circumstances to declare a “national emergency” and to impose economic sanctions. It is the same legal authority that President Trump used to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China in February, in connection with a declared national emergency related to the fentanyl crisis. Under IEEPA, Congress has the power to overturn a declared national emergency through a joint resolution, although no Congress has ever done so.