The ceremony was not expected until April 2 – renamed "liberation day" by Donald Trump, who plans to impose his reciprocal tariffs on the world. The US president decided to give a foretaste on Wednesday, March 26, after Wall Street closed, announcing from the Oval Office a 25% tariff for car imports. "We'll effectively be charging a 25% tariff on all cars that are not made in the United States," he said.
The measure will start on April 3 for automobiles and no later than May 3 for key automotive parts (engines, transmissions, electrical components), reflecting a major trade escalation. "We're going to charge countries (...) for taking our jobs and our wealth. They've taken so much out of our country, friend and foe. And frankly, friends have oftentimes been worse than foes," said Trump, who is counting on a massive relocation of industry to the US. "If you build your car in the United States, there is no tariff. What that means is that a lot of companies are going to be in great shape because they've already built their plant, but their plants are under-utilized (...) But others will come into our country and build here and are already looking for sites."
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