President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Thursday directing an assessment of reciprocal trade tariffs on all major U.S. trading partners. The directive aims to ensure balanced trade and prevent other nations from imposing higher tariffs on American goods without facing equal measures in return.
The memorandum instructs Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of existing tariffs and propose necessary “remedies” within 180 days. The goal is to level the playing field and eliminate trade imbalances that Trump has long criticized as unfair to American industries.
Speaking about the new trade directive, Trump stated: “On trade, I have decided, for the purpose of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff. Meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them—no more, no less. In almost all cases, they charge us vastly more than we charge them. Those days are over.”
BREAKING: President Trump officially announces reciprocal tariffs on countries taking advantage of the US.pic.twitter.com/80sGMihG7s
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The president emphasized that many U.S. trading partners impose significantly higher tariffs on American goods than the U.S. imposes on theirs. Under the new