Trump Announces 100% โTariffs on Imported Drugs Not Made in U.S.
WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump is moving to impose a โ100% tariff on pharmaceutical products imported into the United States that โคare not manufactured within theโค country, escalating a trade strategy focused on incentivizing domestic production. The move, signaled in posts โon his Truth Social platform, represents a important expansion of โฃhis administration’s โขprevious tariff actions and aims to reshape โtheโ pharmaceutical supply chain.
Trump has repeatedlyโ discussed tariffs on imported goods since returning to the political spotlight, with medicines being a key focus. Heโฃ hasโค stated an exception will be made for drugsโข produced by companies “building a plant in theโข United states.”
This โaction builds upon tariffs already in place. This โsummer, the Trump โadministration imposed a 15% tariff on most pharmaceutical products from the European Union, part of a broaderโค effort to address trade โimbalances. Initially, Trump suggested these rates would begin low, perhaps rising to 150% and 250% in the following year, but the initial implementation hasโฃ been higher than anticipated.
The new tariffs place pharmaceuticals alongside otherโข sectors previously targeted by trump’s trade policies, including automobiles, aluminum, steel, and copper, all โsubject to a 50% tariff. He has โขalso implemented what heโ terms “reciprocal” tariffs, levied against countries he believes have historically taken advantage โคof the United States in trade.
These “reciprocal” tariffs vary considerably by country. Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Ecuador faceโ a 15% tariff, while Taiwan and sri Lanka are subject to โค20%. Iraq โฃand Switzerland โคface 35% and 39% tariffs respectively, with Myanmar โฃand Laos at 40% and Syria at 41%. Brazil currently faces the highest tariff, at 50%, in response to the conviction of former president Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, on charges related to an attemptedโ coup.