Donald Trump Imposes 25% Protective Tariff on Imported Autos

UAW President Shawn Fain, who endorsed Kamala & said ‘Donald Trump is a scab’:

“We are ECSTATIC to see an administration finally address the unfair trade laws in this country. These laws have destroyed the American working class.”

¯_(?)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/kn3x6jarvk

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 27, 2025

“Trump isn’t doing anything.”

No, he is unilaterally making sweeping, radical changes across a wide range of policy fronts, especially on trade and foreign policy, where he destabilizing the postwar liberal order.

AP:

“WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing but could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains.

“This will continue to spur growth,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “We’ll effectively be charging a 25% tariff.”

The tariffs, which the White House expects to raise $100 billion in revenue annually, could be complicated as even U.S. automakers source their components from around the world. The tax hike starting in April means automakers could face higher costs and lower sales, though Trump argues that the tariffs will lead to more factories opening in the United States and the end of what he judges to be a “ridiculous” supply chain in which auto parts and finished vehicles are manufactured across the United States, Canada and Mexico. …”

New York Times:

“Automakers can respond to President Trump’s new 25 percent tariffs on imported cars and parts in several ways. But all of them cost money and will lead to higher car prices, analysts say.

Manufacturers can try to move production from countries like Mexico to the United States. They can try to increase the number of cars they already make here. They can stop selling imported models, especially ones that are less profitable.

But whatever carmakers decide, car buyers can expect to pay more for new and used vehicles. Estimates vary widely and depend on the model, but the increase could range from around $3,000 for a car made in the United States to well over $10,000 for imported models.

Those figures do not take into account additional tariffs that Mr. Trump said he would announce next week to punish countries that impose tariffs on U.S. goods. He has also said he would increase tariffs further if trading partners like Canada and the European Union raise tariffs in response to his auto tariffs, leading to an escalating tit-for-tat trade war. …

“It is now on the automakers, from the Big Three to Volkswagen and beyond, to bring back good union jobs to the U.S.,” Shawn Fain, the U.A.W. president, said in a statement Wednesday, referring to General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis, owner of Chrysler, Jeep and Ram. …”