The White House has reaffirmed that the United States will roll out reciprocal tariffs for all its trading partners on Wednesday.
When asked on Monday about the possibility of the U.S. granting exemptions, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that other countries have been ripping off the United States for far too long.
Leavitt then cited cases of what she called unfair trade practices, such as the European Union’s 50 percent tariff on American dairy products, Japan’s 700 percent tariff on American rice, India’s 100 percent tariff on American agricultural products, and Canada’s 300 percent tariff on American butter and cheese.
The spokesperson said this makes it virtually impossible for American products to be imported into those markets and that the tariffs have put many Americans out of business over the past several decades.
Leavitt did not elaborate on the details of the reciprocal tariffs, saying President Donald Trump will make the announcement Wednesday.
She added that Wednesday’s goal is to implement country-based tariffs, but that President Trump has said he’s committed to implementing sectoral tariffs too.