World Leaders React to Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs

World leaders are reacting to President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, which noticed the US imposing a ten% baseline tariff on all international locations.

“April 2, 2025, will ceaselessly be remembered because the day American business was reborn, the day America’s future was reclaimed, and the day that we started to make America rich once more,” Trump mentioned in his tariff announcement on Wednesday.

Some international locations have been hit more durable than others. The US imposed a 46% tariff on Vietnam, a 20% tariff on the European Union, and a 32% tariff on Taiwan.

Trump didn’t enhance tariffs on Canada and Mexico, preserving them constant at 25%. China, nonetheless, was hit with an extra 34% tariff, bringing its whole to 54%.

World leaders have known as the tariffs unwarranted and regrettable and are urging Trump to rethink or present exemptions.

In the meantime, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, mentioned international locations ought to chorus from imposing retaliatory tariffs. He instructed Bloomberg on Wednesday that with out retaliatory measures, the April 2 tariffs would stay “the excessive finish of the quantity.”

Chatting with CNN, Bessent mentioned his recommendation for different international locations is to “sit again” and “take a deep breath.”

“Let’s examine the place this goes as a result of in case you retaliate, that is how we get escalation,” Bessent mentioned.

Australia

Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, mentioned the tariffs weren’t sudden however “completely unwarranted.” Australia was hit with a ten% tariff.

“The administration’s tariffs don’t have any foundation in logic they usually go towards the premise of our two nations’ partnership. This isn’t the act of a good friend,” Albanese mentioned in a video on X.

Nevertheless, he added that Australia wouldn’t impose reciprocal tariffs.

“We won’t be a part of a race to the underside that results in increased costs and slower progress,” Albanese mentioned.

Canada

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, responded to the tariffs in a Wednesday publish on X, saying Canada would “combat these tariffs with countermeasures.”

“We’re going to defend our staff, and we’re going to construct the strongest economic system within the G7. In a disaster, it is necessary to return collectively, and it is important to behave with objective and with power, and that is what we are going to do,” Carney mentioned.

China

China’s commerce ministry has responded to Trump’s further 34% tariffs, which piled onto the present 20% levy imposed in earlier months.

The ministry mentioned China will “resolutely take countermeasures to safeguard its personal rights and pursuits” — however as of press time, China has not unleashed retaliatory tariffs.

“Historic proof exhibits that rising tariffs doesn’t clear up America’s issues. They as an alternative hurt America’s pursuits and threaten international financial improvement and provide chain stability,” the commerce ministry’s assertion learn.

“Commerce wars don’t have any winners, and protectionism has no manner out. The Chinese language facet urges the US to instantly raise its unilateral tariff measures and correctly resolve variations with buying and selling companions by equal dialogue,” it added.

Trump first imposed a ten% tariff on Chinese language items in February earlier than doubling them to twenty% final month. Whereas on the marketing campaign path, Trump mentioned he would impose tariffs of greater than 60% on Chinese language items if elected.

On each events, China was fast to answer Trump’s tariffs. In February, China imposed a ten% tariff on crude oil and agricultural tools and a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied pure fuel. Then, in March, China launched a ten% tariff on US soybeans, pork, and beef imports, in addition to a 15% tariff on rooster and cotton imports.

European Union

The European Fee’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, mentioned in a Wednesday assertion on X that Trump’s tariffs are a “main blow to the world economic system” with “dire” penalties for thousands and thousands of individuals.

“On the identical time, we’re ready to reply. We’re already finalizing the primary package deal of countermeasures in response to tariffs on metal, and we’re now making ready for additional countermeasures to guard our pursuits and our companies,” she added.

Italy

Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, mentioned in a Fb publish on Wednesday that US tariffs on the European Union have been improper and don’t “go well with any get together.”

“We are going to do the whole lot we will to work a cope with america, aiming to forestall a commerce warfare that will inevitably weaken the West in favor of different international actors,” Meloni mentioned.

However Italy will “act within the pursuits of Italy and its economic system,” she added.

Japan

Japan was hit with a 24% tariff — and its commerce minister, Yoji Muto, known as the measure “extraordinarily regrettable.'”

Muto mentioned at a press convention in Tokyo that the nation will “proceed to induce the US to exempt Japan from these tariffs.”

Muto mentioned he spoke to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick earlier than the tariffs have been introduced, the place he defined how Trump’s measures would “adversely have an effect on the US economic system by undermining the power of Japanese corporations to speculate.”

“We mentioned frankly the way to pursue cooperation within the curiosity of each Japan and america in a manner that doesn’t depend on tariffs,” Muto mentioned.

Japan’s chief cupboard secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, mentioned the federal government will proceed to look at “the content material of those measures and their influence on Japan.”

“We consider that the current measures and different broad commerce restrictions imposed by the US authorities may have a big influence on financial relations between Japan and the US, and finally on the worldwide economic system and the multilateral buying and selling system as a complete,” Hayashi mentioned.