‘America First’: Donald Trump threatens tariffs on China, India

The United States will impose tariffs on countries that “harm” America, President Donald Trump announced, naming China, India, and Brazil as examples of high-tariff nations. Speaking to House Republicans at a retreat in Florida, Trump said, “We’re going to put tariffs on outside countries and outside people that really mean harm to us. Well, they mean us harm, but they basically want to make their country good.”

America First: A shift in trade priorities

Highlighting his administration’s trade vision, Trump declared that the US would prioritise domestic prosperity over foreign benefits. “Look at what others do. China is a tremendous tariff maker, and India and Brazil and so many other countries. So we’re not going to let that happen any longer because we’re going to put America first,” he asserted.

Trump emphasised the urgency of returning to a system that made the US “richer and more powerful than ever before.”

Fair system and economic growth

Promising a “very fair system,” Trump projected that new tariffs would lead to economic gains for the US. “Money is going to come into our coffers, and America is going to be very rich again,” he said, adding that this would happen “very quickly”.

He also highlighted his administration’s goal to lower domestic taxes by increasing tariffs on foreign nations. “Under the America First economic model, as tariffs on other countries go up, taxes on American workers and businesses will come down, and massive numbers of jobs and factories will come home,” Trump said.

Call to build in America

Trump urged companies to set up manufacturing units within the US to avoid paying tariffs. “If you want to stop paying the taxes or the tariffs, you have to build your plant right here in America,” he said, adding, “We’re going to have more plants built in the next short period of time than anybody ever envisioned before because they have no tariff whatsoever.”

Support for key industries

The President pledged government support for industries such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and steel, while promising tariffs on materials critical for national defense. “We have to bring production back to our country. There was a time when we made one ship a day, and now we can’t build a ship. We don't know what the hell we're doing. It's all gone to other locations and other lands,” he lamented.

Rare earth production to expand

Trump also announced plans to ease environmental restrictions to tap into the country’s rare earth reserves. “We have some of the best rare earth anywhere in the world, but we’re not allowed to use it because the environmentalists got there first,” he said, underscoring the need for resource independence.

Tariffs on BRICS countries

Trump reiterated his earlier stance on potentially slapping “100 percent tariffs” on the BRICS grouping, which includes India.

By prioritising tariffs and domestic production, the administration aims to reshape global trade dynamics in favour of American workers and industries.