A little earlier we heard Donald Trump’s press secretary blast Amazon as «hostile» and «political» over its reported decision to display the cost of tariffs on its website.
If you need a reminder about where this row originates, here are the various tariff announcements that have been made since Trump’s inauguration:
Higher tariffs announced and paused
- Tariffs on roughly 60 countries, which were described by the US president as the «worst offenders», were introduced on 9 April. Trump then announced a 90-day pause, during which the 10% «baseline» rate will be paid, excluding China
- You can find the lists of those countries in this piece
China
- A 10% tariff on goods from China to the US was unveiled in February and tariffs for China have since increased to 125%
- However, for some Chinese products taxes will be set at 145%, due to a previous 20% levy for those producing the drug fentanyl. The White House said the combination of different tariffs could mean some goods will face a 245% levy
- China put tariffs on US imports at 125% from 12 April and has said it will not respond to any further US increases because they will become a «joke»
Smartphones and computers
- An exemption for some electronic devices including smartphones and computers, backdated to 5 April, was announced on 12 April. Trump later said exemptions for technology from China could be short lived
Steel and aluminium, and cars
- A 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the US, including products made from these metals took effect on 12 March
- The White House announced in March that 25% duties on cars would apply from 2 April – a similar 25% levy on car parts is due to come in by 3 May
April 30th at 16:21