2025
February 1st: Steep new United States tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China announced.
February 3rd: Mexico, Canada tariffs placed on hold for 30 days.
February 4th: Tariffs on China take effect, Beijing reveals retaliatory package.
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February 10th: US sets 25 per cent tariffs on aluminium and steel imports – expected to take effect March 12th.
March 4th: Delayed 25 per cent US tariffs on Mexico and Canada take effect, US announces additional 10 per cent levy on Chinese imports. Canada announces retaliatory package: 25 per cent tariffs on $155 billion (€133 billion) worth of imported goods, including an immediate list of goods worth $30 billion.
March 6th: New executive orders backtrack on sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
[ US supreme court not to issue ruling on Trump’s tariffsOpens in new window ]
March 11th: The US announces an additional 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium imports from Canada, which retaliates with new tariffs on almost $21 billion of US goods.
March 24th: The US announces tariffs against countries that buy Venezuelan oil.
Explainer
What are tariffs?
March 26th: US president Donald Trump announces the US will impose tariffs of 25 per cent on foreign-made car imports. Other nations plan reprisals.
April 2nd: Trump announces the US will impose tariffs ranging from 10 to 50 per cent on 185 countries. A universal 10 per cent tariff on all countries will start on April 5th, while other tariffs will begin on April 9th. Trump also announced that the 25 per cent tariff on foreign-made car imports will begin at midnight on April 3rd.
April 4th: China announces 34 per cent retaliatory tariffs.
April 8th: White House confirms plans to proceed with another 50 per cent tariff on Chinese goods with effect from Wednesday, April 9th.
April 9th: China announces additional retaliatory tariff of 50 per cent on US imports. Trump announces an increase of the US tariff rate on China to as high as 145 per cent and a 90-day pause on other countries, during which their tariff rates will be reduced to the baseline 10 per cent.
April 11th: China increases retaliatory tariffs on US imports to 125 per cent. The Trump administration announces that it will exempt smartphones and other consumer electronics from its steep reciprocal tariffs – but the president later signals that this reprieve would only be temporary.
April 29th: Trump executive order offers car manufacturers some relief from tariffs.
May 8th: First deal of trade war sees cuts to punitive tariffs on British car and steel exports but keeps 10 per cent American levies on other exports.
May 12th: China and the US agree to lower tariffs for the next 90 days.
May 25th: Trump agrees to delay a threatened 50 per cent tariffs on the European Union and extend trade negotiations until July 9th, after a conversation with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
May 28th: US trade court says Trump’s global tariffs are illegal.
May 30th: Trump says he will double steel and aluminium tariffs to 50 per cent with the new levies set to take effect from June 4th.
July 2nd: Trump announces a trade deal with Vietnam, with US imports from the Asian country subject to a 20 per cent levy.
July 7th: White House extends deadline for “reciprocal” tariffs from July 9th to August 1st.
July 10th: Trump sets a tariff on copper of 50 per cent, effective August 1st, and threatens a 200 per cent levy on pharmaceuticals.
July 12th: Trump announces a 30 per cent tariff on Mexico and the EU, effective August 1st.
August 1st: Tariff of 15 per cent applied to the majority of EU exports to the US.
2026
January 1st: US significantly reduces proposed tariffs on imported Italian pasta, due to take effect later in 2026.
