That doesn’t mean the three countries got off scot-free though…
Donald Trump’s latest list of tariffs for ‘Liberation Day’ left three countries off the list but that doesn’t mean they got off lucky.
On April 2, Trump unveiled major new tariffs inflicted on goods across the globe, dubbing the day ‘Liberation Day’ for America.
As of midnight last night, a 25 percent tariff has been slapped on all foreign-made automobiles. Trump has slammed countries such as Thailand for charging ‘higher prices like 60 percent,’ India charging ’70 percent,’ Vietnam ’75 percent’, and ‘others even higher than that’, when the US used to only charge 2.5 percent.
As for other goods, Trump revealed a baseline 10 percent tariff which will be applied to all countries as of Saturday (April 9) at 12.01am ET – except those compliant with the USMCA free trade agreement between Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
Non-compliant countries will be charged at a 25 percent rate, while UK imports have a 10 percent tariff, and EU goods will have a 20 percent tariff.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned countries against ‘rash’ retaliation. However, several countries have been spared in Trump’s declaration for American Liberation: Canada, Mexico, and Russia. But why?
Well, just because Canada has avoided the latest list of tariffs doesn’t mean it’s got off scot-free by any means.
The country has already seen a 25 percent tariff slapped on all of its goods coming into the US not compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement – Canada hitting back with Ontario Premier Doug Ford warning he’ll inflict ‘as much pain as possible to the American people’ alongside the country installing billboards.
And the same goes for Mexico too.
Trump unveiled more tariffs (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Mexico
Similarly to Canada, Mexico has already been hit by severe tariffs by the US.
In a bid to ‘hold China, Mexico, and Canada accountable for their promises to halt the flood of poisonous drugs into the US,’ Trump declared 25 percent tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico and 10 percent on China – later doubled to 20 percent after China retaliated.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has previously announced plans for the country to respond with its own retaliatory tariffs on US goods, however yesterday, she said Mexico will ‘announce a comprehensive program, not a tit-for-tat on tariffs’ today (Thursday, April 3).
And a third major country with significant ties to the US to have been left off Trump’s latest tariff list is Russia.
The three major countries didn’t exactly get off scot free ( Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Russia
Despite Trump being ‘p****d off’ with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments about Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the pair are reportedly still in comms.
And as to why Russia has been kept off the latest list?
Well, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted to Fox news Russia is ‘sanctioned’ as a result of it invading Ukraine and so the US doesn’t ‘trade with’ it or Belarus.
Countries such as Cuba, Belarus, and North Korea didn’t make Trump’s list either, because the US already has harsh measures in place for them too.
A White House official told The New York Times: “These countries already face extremely high tariffs and our previously imposed sanctions preclude any meaningful trade with them.”
