Amid much suspense over what is going to unfold on April 2, the big Liberation Day for the United States, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt Monday shed some light as she confirmed that there will be no exemption on reciprocal tariffs. Neither the countries nor the industries in the US have been informed of anything beforehand, and all eyes are on the big announcements Donald Trump will make on April 2. “The goal of Wednesday is a country-based tariff but certainly sectoral tariffs. The President has said he’s committed to implementing them and I would leave it to him when he makes that announcement,” Leavitt said adding that there would be no exemption this time.
“These countries have been ripping off our country for far too long. I think their disdain for the American worker is quite clear. Look at these unfair trade practices that we have (shows a paper). 50% from the European Union on American dairy. You have a 700% tariff from Japan on American rice, you have a 100% tariff from India on American agricultural products, you have nearly a 300% tariff from Canada on American butter and American cheese,” Leavitt said.
“This makes it virtually impossible for American products to be imported into these markets. And it has put a lot of Americans out of business, out of work over the past several decades. So, it’s time for reciprocity, and it’s time for a president to take historic change to do what’s right for the American people, and now that’s going to take place on Wednesday,” the spokesperson said.
Liberation Day at Rose Garden
Leavitt said the sweeping announcements of reciprocal tariffs on other nations would be made at an event in the Rose Garden in the presence of the entire cabinet. Leavitt said it will be the first major Rose Garden event of Trump’s second term.
Very little has been disclosed about Trump’s tariffs, though he kept on announcing them since his inauguration. Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China; reciprocal tariffs on every country that taxes American products, secondary tariff on Venezuela, tariffs on automobile are what Trump spoke about without divulging any details. Once he said the reciprocal tariffs might be very lenient, giving major reprive to some countries but then he made a U-turn and said all countries will get them. According to experts, the details are being safeguarded so that the markets do not get spooked.
