US President Donald Trump has confirmed that the tariffs he plans to impose in the coming days will apply to all countries, rather than being limited to those with significant trade imbalances with the United States.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump stated that the anticipated tariff measures, set to begin on April 2, would be implemented across the board.
“You’d start with all countries, so let’s see what happens,” Trump said, dismissing speculation that the tariffs might be adjusted or targeted at a select group of nations.
When asked if specific countries would be affected, Trump responded, “Essentially all of the countries that we’re talking about. We’ve been talking about all countries, not a cutoff.”
Initially, the tariffs were expected to focus on a group of nations with persistent trade imbalances, sometimes referred to as the “Dirty 15” by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
However, Trump clarified that the scope would be broader, while insisting that the measures would still be relatively fair.
“The tariffs will be far more generous than those countries were to us, meaning they will be kinder than those countries were to the United States over the decades,” he said.
Trump has previously imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, as well as additional levies on goods from China. Further tariffs on imported automobiles are set to take effect on April 3.
According to Trump’s trade advisor, Peter Navarro, tariffs on auto imports alone could generate $100 billion annually, while additional tariffs are projected to bring in approximately $600 billion per year, amounting to around $6 trillion over a decade.