Trump gears up to unveil ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs
The president reportedly was still working on his tariff policy plans late Tuesday evening
President Trump | Joshua Sukoff/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks
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President Trump is slated to reveal his long-promised reciprocal tariff policies at 4 pm ET from the White House Rose Garden.
Just hours from the event, we still know very little. Trump and his team were working on the plans late into Tuesday evening, according to people familiar.
We do know, though, that Trump in the past has floated imposing additional levies on copper, lumber and pharmaceuticals. I wrote yesterday about why I’m personally most interested in hearing about a copper tariff — the US currently imports about 50% of the amount we use, and the metal is in just about everything.
Trump has also said he plans to slap tariffs greater than or equal to all foreign levies placed on goods other countries import from the US.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday that whatever is announced on Wednesday afternoon will go into effect “immediately.”
In addition to the new policies, Trump’s 25% tariff on imported cars will start just after midnight tonight. Imported auto parts will be taxed at the same rate starting in May. S&P Global estimates that roughly 46% of cars sold in the US in 2024 were imported.
Ahead of the auto tariffs, General Motors on Tuesday announced that its Q1 sales were more than 16% higher than last year, a signal Americans may be planning their car purchases before prices increase.
It’s worth noting that while the discourse around tariffs has unsurprisingly revolved around the potential impact on consumer prices, the policies could also have a significant effect on growth.
Goldman Sachs this week upped its odds of a recession in the next year from 20% to 35%. Analysts said tariffs are expected to lead to a slowdown in business expansion and investments.
To be fair, the Trump administration has admitted that tariff policies are going to cause some “short-term pain.” But they still maintain that these levies are the way to bring back domestic manufacturing. Those against the plan argue that it could take years for businesses to bring operations back onshore and the impact on consumer spending may have long-term effects on the economy.
Liberation Day comes after Republicans held on to two open Florida House seats in Tuesday’s special elections, although the party won with a much narrower margin than they had in November. This could present some challenges for the GOP come midterms.
As Americans (and the world) await what Trump will say, several lawmakers on Capitol Hill are already playing defense. Former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell has joined Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine’s efforts to block Trump’s tariffs on Canada.
In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump called McConnell and other Republicans who have said they’ll back Kaine’s resolution “disloyal.” The president added that those supporting the effort to block his Canadian tariffs are “playing with the lives of the American people” as the levies are aimed at curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Alongside McConnell are fellow Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul. We’ll be watching for any additional Congressional efforts to block tariffs after Trump’s announcement today.
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