US President, Donald Trump has announced a new round of tariffs, stating that the US will impose a 100% tariffs on imported branded drugs, 25% tariff on imports of all heavy-duty trucks and 50% tariffs on kitchen cabinets.
Trump also said that he would start charging a 50% tariff on bathroom vanities and a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture next week, with all the new duties to take effect from October 1, 2025.
Trump noted on his Truth Social platform that the reason for this is the large scale “FLOODING of these products into the United States by other outside Countries,” citing the need to protect US manufacturers.
He asserted that the tariffs on heavy trucks would protect US manufacturers from “unfair outside competition” and that the duties would help lift American companies such as Peterbilt and Mack Trucks. He iterated that these firms “will be protected from the onslaught of outside interruptions.”
“We need our Truckers to be financially healthy and strong, for many reasons, but above all else, for National Security purposes!”
Donald Trump
Trump added that the new levies on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, as well as some other furniture, were in response to high levels of imports, which hurt local manufacturers.
The US President said on Truth Social that the pharmaceutical tariffs would not apply to companies that are building manufacturing plants in the United States, which he defined as either “breaking ground” or being “under construction.” It was unclear how the tariffs would apply to companies that already have factories in the US.
The new duties came as Trump expands his tariff policies, which have been a key feature of his second term in the White House.Trump’s sweeping tariffs on more than 90 countries came into effect in early August, as part of his policies aimed at boosting jobs and manufacturing in the US, among other political goals.
He previously imposed sector-specific tariffs on steel, copper, aluminium, cars and vehicle components.
Earlier this year, the US Chamber of Commerce urged the White House to not introduce new tariffs, arguing that many parts used in truck production are sourced “overwhelmingly” from countries like Mexico, Canada, Germany, Finland and Japan.
The organisation added that these countries are “allies or close partners of the United States posing no threat to US national security.” The Chamber said that Mexico and Canada are among the biggest suppliers of parts for medium and heavy-duty trucks, accounting for more than half of total US imports in the sector last year.
It warned that it was “impractical” to expect many of these parts to be sourced domestically, resulting in higher costs for the industry.
Tariff On Drugs To Put Americans’ Health In Peril
Pascal Chan, Vice President for strategic policy and supply chains at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, warned that the tariffs could harm Americans’ health with “immediate price hikes, strained insurance systems, hospital shortages, and the real risk of patients rationing or foregoing essential medicines.”
314 Action, a US advocacy group that tries to elect scientists to office, said in a statement, “We are already being crushed by the highest prescription drug costs in the world and this will cause them to skyrocket further.” It added that if Trump goes through with these tariffs, “people across the country will die.”
The new tariffs could impact major producers of branded pharmaceuticals – including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.
Trump had previously suggested that pharmaceutical tariffs would be phased in over time so that companies had time to build factories and relocate production, making the sudden announcement of a 100% tariff more of a shock.
Several major pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Roche, Novartis, Eli Lilly, and Johnson & Johnson, had already announced plans to invest in or increase manufacturing of their drugs in the US in an attempt to prepare for potential tariffs.
Drug companies warned earlier this year that Americans would suffer the most if Trump decided to impose tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
According to the Census Bureau, the US imported nearly $233bn in pharmaceutical and medicinal products in 2024.
The prospect of prices doubling for some medicines could send shock waves to voters as healthcare expenses, as well as the costs of Medicare and Medicaid, potentially increase.
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