Tariff timeline: Major developments in Trump's trade war
Donald Trump
Wednesday signed an executive order imposing an additional 25%
tariff
on India for its imports from Russia. A look at all his announcements related to tariffs on various countries:
Aug 6- U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff decisions since he took office on January 20 have shocked financial markets and sent a wave of uncertainty through the global economy.
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Here is a timeline of the major developments:
February 1 -
Trump
imposes 25% tariffs on Mexican and most Canadian imports and 10% on goods from China, demanding they curb the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigrants into the U.S.
February 3 - Trump agrees to a 30-day pause in his tariff threat on Mexico and Canada in return for concessions on border and crime enforcement. The U.S. does not reach such a deal with China.
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February 10 - Trump raises tariffs on steel and aluminum to a flat 25%.
March 3 - Trump says 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada will take effect from March 4 and doubles fentanyl-related tariffs on all Chinese imports to 20%.
March 6 - Trump exempts goods from Canada and Mexico under a North American trade pact for a month.
March 26 - Trump unveils a 25% tariff on imported cars and light trucks.
April 2 - Trump announces global tariffs with a baseline of 10% across all imports and significantly higher duties on some countries.
April 9 - Trump pauses for 90 days most of his country-specific tariffs that kicked in less than 24 hours earlier and caused an upheaval in financial markets. The 10% blanket duty on almost all U.S. imports stays in place.
Trump says he will raise the tariff on Chinese imports to 125% from the 104% level that took effect a day earlier, pushing the extra duties on Chinese goods to 145%.
May 9 - Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announce a limited bilateral trade agreement that leaves in place 10% tariffs on British exports and lowers duties on British car exports.
May 12 - The U.S. and China agree to temporarily slash tariffs. Under the 90-day truce, the U.S. will cut the extra tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports to 30%, while China's duties on U.S. imports will be slashed to 10% from 125%. May 23 - Trump warns Apple it would face a 25% tariff if phones it sold in the U.S. were manufactured outside of the country.
May 29 - A federal appeals court temporarily reinstates the most sweeping of Trump's tariffs, pausing an earlier lower court's ruling to consider the government's appeal.
June 3 - Trump signs an executive proclamation activating a hike in the steel and aluminum tariffs to 50% from 25%.
July 3 - Trump says the U.S. will place a 20% tariff on many Vietnamese exports, with trans-shipments from third countries through Vietnam facing a 40% levy.
July 6 - Trump says on Truth Social that countries aligning themselves with the "Anti-American policies" of BRICS will be charged an additional 10% tariff.
July 7 - Trump says on Truth Social the additional higher duties announced previously will kick in on August 1. In letters sent to 14 countries including Japan, South Korea and Serbia, he says that will include tariffs between 25% and 40%.
July 10 - Trump says the U.S. will impose a 35% tariff on imports from Canada in August and plans to impose blanket tariffs of 15% or 20% on most other trading partners. July 15 - Trump says the U.S. will impose a 19% tariff on goods from Indonesia under a new agreement. July 22 - Trump strikes a trade deal with Japan that includes lowering tariffs on auto imports to 15%.
July 27 - The U.S. reaches a trade agreement with the European Union, imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods.
July 28 - Trump says most trading partners that do not negotiate separate trade deals would soon face tariffs of 15% to 20%.
July 30 - Trump says the U.S. will impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from India, and places a 50% tariff on most Brazilian goods, with softer quotas for sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice.
The U.S. reaches a deal with South Korea, reducing the planned levies to 15%.
He says a 50% tariff on copper pipes and wiring would also kick in on August 1.
July 31 - Trump signs an executive order imposing import tariffs ranging from 10% to 41% on 69 trading partners ahead of the trade deal deadline.
He issues a separate order raising duties on Canadian goods subject to fentanyl-related tariffs to 35%, from 25% previously.
He grants Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs of 30% on many goods to allow time to negotiate a broader trade pact.
August 6 - Trump imposes an additional 25% tariff on goods from India, saying the country directly or indirectly imported Russian oil.
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Crores were spent promoting a false narrative that undermines this institution's legacy,' he said, holding up a April 7, 1931 edition of Hindustan Times that reported on Gandhi's visit. 'Crores of rupees were spent on this false narrative. This is not just a waste of public money. It undermines the sanctity of this institution,' he said. Meanwhile, the AAP hit back, accusing the BJP government of using the Assembly as a platform for theatrics while neglecting urgent public issues. Leader of Opposition Atishi said, 'For three days, the BJP has hijacked Assembly proceedings to obsess over a staircase. Meanwhile, rising crime, illegal demolitions, inflated school fees, and vehicle deregistration are all being ignored.' She said the BJP government was deliberately avoiding accountability and turning the Assembly into a stage for political theatre. 'If the BJP is serious about history, they should form a committee of historians and archaeologists. 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Ukraine is approaching a capacity to make 4 million drones annually by this year. Mr. Balbon notes that even though Europe would like to be more independent from the U.S., it does not have the capabilities to be more autonomous or produce the weapons needed in Ukraine quickly enough. 'European decision makers are thinking about how to game the U.S. administration to support Ukraine, while also allowing Mr. Trump to sell it as a victory to his voter base. The NATO countries buying weapons from the U.S. to donate to Ukraine is one such way,' said Mr. Balbon. As per NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Britain, the Netherlands, and Canada are ready to buy weapons from the U.S. to be donated to Ukraine. The weapons include Patriot missile batteries and air defence systems, F-16 fighter jets, Howitzer artillery systems and more. Patriot is the world's most advanced air-defence system. In May, Mr. Merz had said that there would be no range restrictions for weapons that would be delivered to Ukraine. However, Defence Minister Mr. Pistorius has said that Germany won't be providing Kyiv with the long-range Taurus cruise missiles that can strike targets that are 500 km away. 'If one looks at the Patriot systems, the U.S. has 60 ready, whereas Germany just has 4-6. It is a question of scale and timing, as it takes months to build them. If Ukraine needs these systems now, the most effective way is to buy them from the U.S.,' said Mr. Keller, noting that despite all the challenges posed by the Trump government, Europe cannot give the impression that it wants the U.S. out – it's in no one's interest. Modern warfare While Germany has announced billions in aid for helping Ukraine build weapons, experts say that investments have to be made in the right capabilities, keeping in mind the nature of future warfare. 'The warfare of the future will rely a lot on unmanned drones, AI technology, space-based systems and so on, so you would need a smart combination of various factors to succeed,' said Mr. Keller, noting that a large part of defence spending has to go to nimble industries and startups over large defence contractors. German defence startups such as Helsing, Quantum Systems, Stark Defense have been at the forefront of providing drones to Ukraine alongside large defence players like Rheinmetall. 'It is important to keep in mind that the biggest innovator and driver in drone warfare is Ukraine. NATO countries are learning from this and playing catch-up. German military is also learning how Ukrainians are using drones, so there is a flow of knowledge in both directions,' said Mr. Balbon. Political challenges Even before the new government led by the coalition between the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) assumed office, Germany had agreed on a €500 billion budget to be spent on civilian, climate, economic and defence needs. This special budget is over and above Germany's annual budget. For sectors like infrastructure and defence spending, Germany also exempted the conservative 'debt brake' that only allowed it to borrow 0.35% of its GDP. 'The lifting of the debt brake allows the German government to balance defence spending with other forms of spending when it comes to lifting the economy, improving domestic infrastructure and so on. In the ruling coalition, the CDU also wants to reform social spending and lower expenditure, as they argue that the German government is spending too much money. For Social Democrats, that's not in their interest. This is the key tension,' said Mr. Balbon. 'The increased defence spending isn't just key for Germany, but also largely for Europe, as it is a deterrence against Russia in the mid-term. The capabilities that are being acquired with this money, in theory and practice, can be sent to Ukraine as well,' said Mr. Keller. But it does come with some political backlash from the far right and far left parties within Germany. According to Mr. Balbon, the far left parties are opposed to military spending in general, as they don't want Germany to invest in armed forces. 'The far right (namely, Alternative for Germany or AfD) are more interested and aligned ideologically with Russia. But there's a paradox – they want Germany to stop supporting Ukraine, but they also want a stronger German military whilst negating the very reason there is a need for larger German defence spending - namely, Russian aggression,' said Mr. Balbon. 'Given German history, there's an inherent criticism of militarisation and spending on military purposes as opposed to spending on social benefits, childcare, rent and so on. It will be important for defence planners and the industry representatives to get this mix right,' said Mr. Keller. Neighbours perception Given Germany's history, especially in the Second World War, it is generally wary of taking any leadership position within Europe. When it comes to Ukraine, Germany has been the second-largest supporter, after the US, in terms of weapons and aid. Germany's increased spending isn't scaring its neighbours but is being welcomed, noted Mr. Keller. 'Historically difficult neighbours, such as the Baltic countries, Poland, and the Czech Republic, feel that Germany is finally living up to its responsibility. It has prompted other wealthy EU countries, such as France, to increase their own defence spending,' said Mr. Keller. Mr. Balbon concurs. 'The predominant fear in Europe and Germany is that at some point in the future, Russia will attack the Baltic countries. It's not so much a fear of massive on-ground invasion, but that Russia will try out some smaller level attack to see how NATO responds – whether it will trigger Article 5 or which members will come to help,' said Mr. Balbon. Article 5 is a cornerstone of NATO, which states that an armed attack against any one NATO member is an attack against all. Meaning if any NATO member is attacked, other members are obligated to assist by 'such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force'. At the recent NATO Summit in The Hague on June 24-25, all 32 member countries agreed to increase their defence spending to 5% of their GDP by 2035. Germany now has a permanent brigade (to have 5,000 troops by 2027) in Lithuania, which is one of the three Baltic countries bordering Russia. Estonia and Latvia are also expected to get a European multinational battlegroup presence. Mr. Keller notes that there are no guarantees that all NATO members would fulfil the 5% target, given past record when many countries failed to fulfil the 2% target. 'Domestic political pressure and economic reasons may cause individual countries to lag behind. That should not happen, and it is the responsibility of wealthy countries to lead by example. This is why it is important for Germany to fulfil its obligations. There is a shared perception among the NATO members that they are stronger united,' said Mr. Keller. (Nimish Sawant is an independent journalist based in Berlin)
