Advances President Trump's next major trade move, his administration invited businesses to overwhelm the economic barriers they faced overseas.
The list of complaints was vast and specific. In hundreds of letters submitted to the administration in recent weeks, producers of uranium, shrimp, t-shirts and steel highlighted the unfair trade treatment they faced, hoping to bend the president's trade agenda in favor of it. The complaints ranged from high tariffs on Brazilian ethanol and pet food, high Indian taxes on almonds and pecans, and long-standing Japanese barriers to American potatoes.
Trump pledged to overhaul the global trading system on April 2nd. He plans to impose what America calls “mutual tariffs” that are consistent with the taxation and other policies it places on American exports. The president calls this “liberation day” and claims that the years of other countries will “retreat us.”
“It's a day of liberation for our country, because we'll reclaim many of the wealth that we've foolishly given up on other countries,” Trump said last week.
The president had the idea that on the same day he would announce sector-specific tariffs on automobiles, medicines and semiconductors. On Monday, White House officials said these additional tariffs have not yet been set for April 2, but the situation remains in high flow.
One official said on April 2 there could still be separate tariffs on cars. Another official said that if tariffs on cars and other sectors were not incurred on April 2, it could still be imposed at a later date.
The market opened high on Monday after the White House reported that it was unlikely to announce industry-specific tariffs on April 2.
Still, prices for imported cars, drugs and semiconductors will likely rise through Trump's mutual tariff plans. While many details of that plan remain unknown, administrative authorities have indicated that mutual tariffs will add additional charges in addition to most or all products imported from a particular country.
It's not clear how many countries will be attacked, but Trump officials have mentioned “Dirty 15,” a reference to a group of countries that carry tariffs on American products and run a trade surplus with the United States, including perhaps most of America's biggest trading partners.
Mutual tariff planning has produced tricky calculations for many companies. Many companies want to erase trade barriers, but they fear that they are at the heart of the trade war, which could make it worse. That's because Trump's high-stakes approach can create efforts to do business with the US from other countries and drop their own tariffs. Or because it could invite retaliation that would result in American products closing foreign markets.
Some American companies see opportunities in Trump's agenda. Many of the letters that companies have submitted to US trade representatives in recent weeks have asked authorities to fight for lower trade barriers on behalf of authorities, highlighting high collections, troubling testing, or other complications, and are facing American exporters in foreign markets.
However, others seem hesitant to place themselves on the president's cross. Representatives from some industry say they have personally said that companies can put their hands at the heart of trade spats, where they are raising their hands, and could disrupt the export markets they rely on and target retaliation.
Publicly, many of America's biggest exporters have softened their applications with word of caution about harm that could disrupt the export market, such as the trade group representing pork, soy and oil exporters. Also, major business groups continued to urge managers to reduce trade barriers rather than raise trade barriers, focusing on attacks on new trade agreements that open up foreign markets.
“The administration's work on interaction should bring about elimination rather than creating trade barriers,” the Consumer Technology Association, representing technology companies, said in a letter to trade representatives. The group said the threat of tariffs on Europe is “deeply concerned” as it “will increase global barriers to dismantling the global trading system as trade.”
Other groups appeared to recognize that information they were passing on the Trump administration could become ammunition in a trade war where they could become victims. The US Chamber of Commerce said the information it submitted to the trade barrier “is not intended to justify widespread tariff application, but should be useful for negotiators who focus on issues that are important to American companies of all sizes.”
It remains to be seen whether these submissions will have a major impact on Trump, who has a history of building trade policies based on his impulses and intuition. But the volume and diversity of responses highlight a major challenge for the Trump administration as they try to find ways to imprint their own uniquely into the global trading system in just a few weeks of preparation. And when it unveils details of trade policies that are ultimately still defined, it suggests a controversy that may be waiting for administration.
Trump suggests that his future tariffs could be drastic and influential. But for now, even the fundamental question of whether the administration's efforts will result in a higher or lower barrier to trade remains unanswered.
The president said that his guiding principle is reciprocity. He said that if other countries charge high US tariffs or set up other economic barriers, the US reflects treatment for its exports. Trump often mentions India's high tariffs on motorcycles, European tariffs and value added taxes on automobiles, and Canada's protections against the dairy market.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent said last week that the administration planned to come up with a country's tariff number to impose on April 2.
Becent said some countries could negotiate transactions in advance and could not face additional tariffs. Officials from the UK, India, Mexico and the European Union are fishing for such outcomes, but have also compiled a list of retaliatory tariffs if Trump moves forward.
It also remains uncertain exactly that the President hopes to achieve mutual tariffs. Trump's administration cited many of his tariff reasons, including making trade fairer for American exporters, eliminating trade deficits with other countries and generating more tariff revenue to fund his tax cuts.
These goals are still unknown, so some companies are trying to shape the agenda. Many of the submissions to trade representatives point to China as a major threat, with companies highlighting the risks that cheap Chinese imports pose to a variety of US industries.
The American flag and jacuzzi makers complained that competition with China is threatening to let them go out of business. American Christmas tree growers claimed that customs on artificial Christmas trees from China would help our farm. The poultry industry has criticized China's barrier to the sale of US chicken parts, including chicken legs and wing tips.
But many other countries were mentioned as well. Catfish and prunes makers have called for trade barriers in Vietnam. Corn producers cited the recent ban on genetically modified corn in Mexico. JM Smucker called for European tariffs on jams and jellies, but Chobani criticized Canadian barriers to yogurt imports.
Almost 20 entries highlighted the dire situation in the American shrimp industry. The Louisiana Shrimp Association called for quotas or other restrictions on shrimp imports, saying that the shrimp could not even afford to burn boats because prices for foreign shrimp had fallen.
“The cheap, polluted amount of shrimp put the country's shrimp industry in a downward spiral,” wrote George Balizic, 69-year-old shrimp from Louisiana. “Last year I received a third of the shrimp price I got in the 1980s.”
Some people have asked the US government to distinguish between different parts of the world. The healthcare manufacturer has advocated protection from China, but noted that it will hit America's closest allies, saying it could have unintended negative consequences.
Tool maker Stanley Black & Decker said he was working to tie imports from China to around 15% in 2025 from around 40% in 2018, and should not be punished for moving the supply chain to Mexico.
“Companies like us who have left China doing the right thing should be recognized,” the company said.
Many industry groups have also sent letters against tariffs on products not made in the US, saying import taxes on spices, coffee and Christmas decorations will only raise prices for American consumers.
Major American export industries such as corn, pork, oil and soybeans highlighted several global barriers, but urged the Trump administration not to damage the export markets it relies on for sales.
Tyson Foods said the National Federation of Milk Producers puts dairy exporters at a disadvantage against foreign competitors as the US did not remain in the European Union and New Zealand when it launched new trade deals, while negotiating a new trade deal is important.
The submission also included reminders that the legacy of the trade war could last for a long time. Some of the barriers businesses complained about were the result of Trump's first trade war, like China's high tariffs on cranberries and European tariffs on peanut butter, and the country retaliated against the tariffs he imposed on them.
Even Tesla, which has helped CEO Elon Musk to promote many of the president's strategy, warned of the negative impacts that tariffs and retaliation could have on its businesses. The company said past US trade actions have prompted an increase in taxation on US electric vehicles.
“U.S. exporters are inherently exposed to disproportionate effects when other countries respond to US trading behavior,” Tesla said.
Motorcycle maker Harley Davidson, whom Trump frequently cited while talking about interaction, said he is currently facing a 25% retaliation tariff that Canada imposed in response to US taxes. It also warned that European tariffs on motorcycles that were suspended but could return to their position at around 50%.
“Harley-Davison has become a political target,” the company said. “Using the brand in trade wars that are not related to this sector is unacceptable.”
