President Trump has called the word tariff “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” He imposed hefty tariffs during his first term and promised expansive new ones as he pursued his second. On his first day back in the White House in January, he issued an executive order directing his cabinet picks to prepare even more tariffs.
In the first 50 days of his second term, those sweeping actions have upended diplomatic ties, shaken markets and confounded entire industries. But so has President Trump’s whipsawing commitment to his tariffs, which he has paused, reversed or withdrawn — at times almost as soon as they took effect.
Here’s a timeline of President Trump’s widening — and constantly shifting — tariffs, which as of Thursday included a threat to impose 200 percent levies on alcohol from the European Union.
Jan. 20 🇨🇦 🇲🇽
Hours after he was sworn in, Mr. Trump announced that he would implement additional 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico starting on Feb. 1, accusing both countries of not doing enough to stop the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. Read more ›
Jan. 26 🇨🇴
Surprising even some of his own staff members, Mr. Trump announced on social media that he would immediately impose 25 percent tariffs on all goods from Colombia — and would raise them to 50 percent in one week — after its government turned back planes carrying deported immigrants. Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, briefly threatened tariffs of his own. But he quickly backed down, and soon so did Mr. Trump. That evening, the White House released a statement saying the government of Colombia had “agreed to all of President Trump’s terms” and the “tariffs and sanctions will be held in reserve.” Read more ›
Feb. 1 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇨🇳
Mr. Trump signed an executive order imposing 25 percent tariffs on nearly all goods from Canada and Mexico, and a 10 percent tariff on China. The president said the tariffs were levied in response to his concerns about fentanyl smuggling and illegal immigration. Canada and Mexico said they would retaliate with tariffs of their own. China threatened “countermeasures.” Read more ›
Feb. 2 🌎
Facing widespread criticism over his tariff threats and their possible consequences for the economy, Mr. Trump acknowledged the possible negative consequences of the tariffs on social media. “WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!),” he said.
Feb. 3 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇪🇺
Mr. Trump agreed to a 30-day pause of his tariffs on Mexico and Canada while at the same time threatening new tariffs against the European Union. Read more ›
Feb. 4 🇨🇳
Mr. Trump’s 10 percent tariffs on Chinese imports went into effect, and China responded with a series of retaliatory steps, including additional tariffs on products from the United States. Read more ›
Feb. 7 🌎
Mr. Trump said he would broaden his trade war and introduce reciprocal tariffs on other countries but did not specify which countries would be affected. Read more ›
Feb. 10 🌎
Mr. Trump resurrected a 25 percent tariff on all foreign steel and aluminum, restarting an old fight from his first term. Read more ›
Feb. 13 🌎
Mr. Trump describes a plan for broad reciprocal tariffs on America’s trading partners, moves that would represent a dramatic overhaul of the global trading system. The goal, he said, was to force companies to bring manufacturing back to the United States. Read more ›
Feb. 14 🌎
Mr. Trump said he would proceed with a plan to impose unspecified tariffs on foreign cars on April 2. He said he had planned to announce the tariffs April 1, which is April Fools’ Day, but pushed it because he was “a little superstitious.” Read more ›
Feb. 25 🌎
An executive order directed Mr. Trump’s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, to investigate whether foreign production of copper posed a risk to national security, raising the prospects of tariffs on the material. White House officials did not share how much those tariffs would be, or when the inquiry could conclude. Read more ›
Feb. 27 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇨🇳
The president said the tariffs against Canada and Mexico — and an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods — would go into effect on March 4 “as scheduled.” He said on social media that the action was necessary because “Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels,” a claim not always supported by U.S. government reports. Read more ›
March 1 🇨🇦
Mr. Trump directed Mr. Lutnick to investigate whether imports of lumber threaten American national security. The results of the inquiry could lead to more tariffs on Canada, the largest exporter of wood to the United States. Read more ›
March 4 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇨🇳
Tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China go into effect. The nations are the largest trading partners of the United States. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada responded with tariffs of 25 percent on $155 billion of American goods. Read more ›
March 5 🇨🇦 🇲🇽
Under fire from U.S. automakers, Mr. Trump said he would pause tariffs on cars coming into the United States from Canada and Mexico for one month. The announcement came after he hosted a call with the representatives from General Motors, the Ford Motor Company and Stellantis.
In a news conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said that if tariffs remained in place, the Mexican government would announce retaliatory measures on March 9.
March 6 🇨🇦 🇲🇽
Just as they were in Mr. Trump’s first term, many of the tariffs placed on Canadian and Mexican products are suspended. Mr. Trump said that his reversal on tariffs he had framed as vital to America’s security had “nothing to do with the market” after the tariff news sent shock waves through the economy. He said he would still impose 25 percent tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum on March 12, and that reciprocal tariffs on all U.S. trading partners were still on track for April 2. Read more ›
March 10 🇨🇳 🇨🇦
The Chinese government began imposing tariffs on many farm products from the United States. The tariffs included an additional 15 percent on American farm products like chicken and corn, and a 10 percent on products like soybeans and fruit.
Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, announces its own tariffs, including a 25 percent surcharge on the electricity exported to Michigan, Minnesota and New York. Read more ›
March 11 🇨🇦
Furious at what he labels an “abusive threat from Canada,” Mr. Trump threatens to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports in response to the electricity surcharge. Both sides backed down after several hours. Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, said he would suspend the electricity surcharge, and Mr. Trump said he would “probably” reduce the tariff on Canadian metals. Read more ›
March 12 🇨🇦 🇪🇺
The European Union and Canada announced billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, but European leaders said they would hold back on their tariffs until April 1 — making it clear that they would prefer not to enact them, and would like to negotiate with Mr. Trump instead. “Tariffs are taxes,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, said. Read more ›
March 13 🇪🇺
Citing the European Union’s plans for 50 percent tariffs on U.S. whiskey and several other American products, set to kick in on April 1, Mr. Trump floats one of his largest tariff threats to date: a 200 percent charge on all wines, Champagnes and alcoholic products from the E.U.’s member nations. Read more ›