Trump’s economic advisor explains why they have put tariffs on islands inhabited by penguins
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, Money, World News
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, Money, World News
Donald Trump's economic advisor has explained the 'loophole' that prompted the president to impose tariffs on islands where humans don't even reside.
Speaking from the Rose Garden of the White House, the president announced on 2 April that every country in the world would face tariffs from the US - including islands where only penguins exist.
The 78-year-old made a patriotic speech to the people of America, claiming it was a day that would be remembered in decades to come.
He said: "This is Liberation Day. We've been waiting for a long time, April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America's destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to 'Make America Wealthy Again'."
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The president whipped out his 'Reciprocal Tariffs' chart to show the audience which countries would be facing what.
Amongst major key players like China, Europe, India and more, was also totally uninhabited volcanic islands near Antarctica. And his economic advisor, Howard Lutnick, has now revealed the reason why.
Speaking to CBS, he explained that Trump's tariffs will remain in place for 'days and weeks'.
Lutnick said: "There is no postponing, they are definitely going to stay in place."
Revealing why uninhabited islands have also been struck by the tariffs, he said: "What happens is, if you leave anything off the list, the countries that try to basically arbitrage America go through those countries to us."
Some of the islands include Heard Island and McDonald Islands, which form an external territory of Australia.
To put in perspective just how remote they are, the islands are only accessible via a two-week boat voyage from Perth on Australia’s west coast.
"Nowhere on earth is safe," Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said on Thursday (3 April).
But what does the rest of the world face?
Trump revealed that the United Kingdom will face tariffs of 10 percent as he said levies will not be fully reciprocal rate, but will instead be half the tariff rate.
He also said that China was imposing tariffs of 67 percent and declared that the US would impose a 34 percent tariff back.
The EU faces also faces 20 percent tariffs, while Brazil and Singapore were hit with 10 percent tariffs - the same level as Britain while rates ranged from 10 percent to 49 percent on the chart he held up.
Switzerland faces levies of 31 percent, South Africa 30 percent, Indonesia 32 percent, Vietnam 46 percent and Cambodia 49 percent.