How the World Is Reacting to Trump’s New ‘Reciprocal’ Tariffs

President Donald Trump called the punishing tariffs he announced on Wednesday “reciprocal,” claiming that the new levies on imports from pretty much every nation—including some that are longtime allies and others that are literally uninhabited—are in response to foreign tariffs levied against imports from the U.S. “and other forms of cheating.”

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[EllaSaint-zo]

It’s wild how these trade wars can really shake up the global economy. Like, these tariffs the U.S. imposed, and now Canada retaliating, it could mean higher prices for everyday goods for people on both sides. I mean, the President was right when he said it’s the people who suffer the most. Imagine paying more for things like cars, electronics, or even groceries. It's crazy how politics impacts personal finances.

[charlest]

I'm going to come back and read these comments 1 year from now. LOL.

[abender]

"China urges the US to correct it's wrong practices"... Where do I even start with that one??

[angeldreamzzz]

If only trump would handle US literacy problem. And fentanyl problem. And housing crisis. And school shootings. Healthcare problem.

[tommylucas]

Wouldn't it be great if democrats loved America and wanted it to do good?

[fridayhrs]

Tariffs can help certain industries and promote self-sufficiency, but they’re a blunt tool. They usually result in higher prices and trade tensions, and their benefits are unevenly distributed. A smarter approach feel like investments, subsidies, and trade policy reforms rather than broad tariffs alone. I've seen some pretty odd arguments in this section.

Countries don’t “charge” the U.S. directly—tariffs are paid by importers, which are often American businesses. So high foreign tariffs hurt our exporters, not "us" paying fees to other governments.

Trump's tariffs are unilateral, and they bypassed the World Trade Organization rules in many cases. When the U.S. raises tariffs, other countries have the right to respond in kind—and they did.

Countries like China, Mexico, and Germany have diversified their trade over the years and don’t rely solely on the U.S. anymore.

Also, trade wars are not one-sided victories. The 2018–2019 U.S.–China trade war led to lost jobs in American agriculture and higher prices for U.S. consumers. Both sides suffered.

Military alliances (like NATO) are not charity—they advance U.S. strategic interests by deterring threats and giving us influence abroad. Foreign aid is a tiny part of the U.S. budget (~1%) and often benefits the U.S. economically and politically long-term.

U.S. consumerism is a market choice—no one is "forcing" Americans to buy imported goods. If we choose cheaper foreign products, it’s because they’re competitive.

The Marshall Plan after WW2 was about rebuilding Europe, not loaning money to be repaid. It helped stabilize allies and prevent Soviet expansion—benefiting the U.S.

Lastly, Global trade in U.S. dollars does benefit the U.S.—our currency being dominant gives us privileges, not burdens (like cheaper borrowing and stronger global influence).

No one is winning, we, the American people, are not winning.

[X.X..]

If the tariffs don’t show progress in 90 days it’ll be time to begin “Operation Dump Trump”

[georgeritmeester]

I'm really worried about the penguins retaliating. Does Trump have a plan to minimize the damage?

[OO-nbkt]

Just remember to thank anyone who voted for trump 🤡🫵

[rfreitas]

It is always the consumer... but I lived in Brazil and there is a 50% tariff for imported goods... it didn't help to boost economical and industrial manufacturing.

[ajashton]

Everyone laughing at this how much of your items in your house say made in America

[hannacarter]

Tariffs are fair because the other countries have tariffs on the USA. Goes both ways. Only fair.

[MultiMyNickName]

The whole idea is making things more expensive quite obviously and the reason is that US and Western GREED cannot compete at FAIR HONEST PRICES. China doesn't have vast swathes of shareholders and vulture funds and parasites at every stage of its supply chain and therefore it can produce things at honest prices. THE SAME PRICES the US and WEST have been producing at when they USED CHINA to produce their goods, which they then sold at hugely inflated costs to their own Western consumers. There's no "healthy profitability" the huge corporates which have put every small business out of operation and bought up everything in the West were not built on honest practices or healthy profits they were built on greed and now they cannot compete with a nation which doesn't have that issue, so because they cannot allow FAIR prices, they invent the lie of tariffs in order to force all prices higher, denying Americans and Western people access to fair prices.
The West subsidizes many things, the tech sector, intel and chip production, farming, it just uses another name. In china there is no need for the idea of subsidies because in China the resources are owned by the nation. Access to raw materials isnt controlled by lunatics like BlackRock and BlackStone and the other vast parasite corporations of the USA, in China everyone has access to production at fair prices and there is a freedom of competition which doesnt exist in the USA at all and never has.
These people FEAR CHINA because they are providing honest prices and high quality goods to the US consumers, these companies LIVE from sucking the Western consumers dry and dont want to lose their customers, so this TARRIF war, prevents honest goods from being sold and protects the customer base of the US parasites. They are FORCING US people to be their customers and pay their prices by denying them the freedom to buy cheaper anywhere else.
For years they took your jobs and produced cheap goods worldwide in the third world, thy bled you dry for high prices of those goods, they took over all the markets and outlets and now they want to OWN YOU as consumers, forcing you to continue to buy from people HATE you....at some point you will be smart enough to figure that out.
The CONSUMER pays Tarrifs, the CORPORATES gain from are being screwed.

[richatlarge]

I can tell you the world's reaction: they blow off the legit rationale that these are reciprocal measures. The world had no problem with the status quo of their imposing tariffs on us, and didn't claim it would hurt their own citizens.

[RichardMohabeer]

Cost of living is already high in the US. There hasn't been a striving middle class since the early 2000's. Scott Galloway says the middle class is the foundation, and without it. Society crumbles. Only poor, the high end of the middle class, and upper middle classes only exist.

[Aeelanis]

Y’all need to read about wealth inequality and realize whats gonna happen…

[CVLTR]

What ever hurts the globalists. The rest of us are poor anyway.

[davidtorres]

Does anyone read history? Does anyone remember the great depression? No and no.

[checkurwalls]

Thank you president Trump America will no longer be dependent on foreign products and this shows the world this administration is not to be stepped on.

[RL-Rankorr]

*Promises to lower prices on Day 1*
*Drastically raises prices on Day 72*

And his supporters are thanking him for it 😂 He did infamously say “I love the poorly educated”. Well done America. We’re about to see a rerun of Herbert Hoover’s Smoot-Hawley tariffs.