President Trump Announces Plans to Impose Tariffs on Imported Cars

U.S. President Donald Trump declared on Friday his intentions to implement tariffs on imported cars, with the target date set around April 2. The announcement was made during a press briefing in the Oval Office, where Trump responded to questions regarding his previous statements on auto tariffs.

Trump revealed, “Over the next — sometime, maybe, around April 2, I would have done them on April 1, believe it or not. I’m a little superstitious. No, literally, we had it planned for April 1. I said, ‘let’s make it April 2.'”

Expressing his concerns about the financial implications of delaying the tariffs, Trump emphasized, “Do you know how much money that costs? That costs a lot of money just that one day, but we’re going to do it on April 2,” while verifying the date with an individual off-camera.

The specific details of the tariffs, including the percentage rates and affected countries, remain ambiguous. Earlier in the week, Trump hinted at imposing tariffs ranging from 50 to 100 percent on imported cars, attributing the need for such measures to Canada allegedly “stealing” the automotive industry from the United States and advocating for the production of vehicles in Detroit.

Despite a temporary halt on imposing 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian exports until early March, Trump recently signed an executive order for tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum, which includes products from Canada.

As the automotive industry braces for potential disruptions and economic repercussions, the looming implementation of car tariffs underscores the administration’s ongoing efforts to bolster domestic manufacturing and address trade imbalances.