Trump Announces New Tariff Policy: U.S. to Unilaterally Set Import Duties Without Negotiations
In a bold move, the United States plans to set import tariffs unilaterally for a number of countries, bypassing traditional trade negotiations. President Donald Trump made the announcement during his recent visit to Abu Dhabi as part of his Middle East tour.
“We currently have around 150 countries looking to make a deal with us. But realistically, we can’t sit down with that many nations,” Trump stated while addressing a joint gathering of U.S. and UAE business leaders. “So, within the next two or three weeks, our Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Secretary Howard Lutnick will begin sending letters to our trading partners. These letters will essentially outline what it will cost to do business in the United States.”
Trump emphasized that these new tariffs would be fair and transparent:
“It’s about fairness. It’s essentially the cost of doing business in America.”
According to Trump, the new policy may allow room for appeal:
“I think we can say our partners will have an opportunity to contest these rates. But overall, I believe we’ll be very fair,” he added. “We just can’t meet with everyone who wants to see us.”
End of Trump’s International Trip
Abu Dhabi marked the final stop in President Trump’s overseas visit. After wrapping up his meetings in the UAE, he boarded Air Force One to return to Washington, with a brief refueling stop scheduled in the United Kingdom.
Universal and Individual Tariff Rates
On April 2, Trump formally announced the imposition of customs duties on imports from 185 countries and territories. Notably, Russia was not included in this list.
The policy introduced two key components:
A universal tariff of 10%, effective from April 5
Individualized tariff rates, starting April 9
However, shortly after, Trump suspended the additional retaliatory tariffs for 90 days for selected nations, allowing room for trade negotiations. During this pause, the 10% universal rate remains in effect.