The White House Says Trump’s Baseline 10% Tariff is Here to Stay
President Donald Trump’s trade policies have gone through many iterations over the past month, but his baseline 10% tariff on nearly all countries is here to stay, the White House said.
“The president is committed to the 10% baseline tariff — not just for the United Kingdom, but for his trade negotiations with all other countries as well,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a Friday briefing.
When asked if that will be permanent, Leavitt answered, “The president is determined to continue with that 10% baseline tariff. I just spoke to him earlier.”
Since they were first announced on April 2, Trump’s sweeping tariffs — including a 10% baseline tariff and significantly higher tariffs on certain countries — have roiled the markets, wreaked havoc on the supply chain, and worried global leaders. Trump’s subsequent moves to increase the tariff on China to 145%, pause many country-specific tariffs for 90 days, and exempt certain electronic products from tariffs have left companies concerned about an uncertain economic future with a distinct feeling of whiplash.
Earlier this week, Trump flatly said “no” when asked if he would consider lowering his tariffs on China to help ease trade talks this weekend between the dueling superpowers.
But on Friday, Trump appeared to contradict himself, suggesting in a Truth Social post that the Chinese tariff could be lowered to 80%. He has also recently said that the 145% tariff on China is “very high” and could “come down substantially.”
Trump made his first trade deal announcement with the UK on Thursday. The outline of the deal includes lowering tariffs on UK exports of cars and metals but keeping a 10% tariff on most goods.
The Trump administration has said it is involved in dozens of trade negotiations to hammer out tailor-made deals for each country that comes to the table, but Leavitt’s comments on Friday indicate that the 10% tariff will remain in place across the board.
