Trump Slaps Tariffs on Penguin Islands in ‘Liberation Day’ Speech
Donald Trump took to the White House Rose Garden on April 2 to announce his much-hyped ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs introducing a series of new trade levies aimed at countries around the world. But in a bizarre twist, the tariff list included islands that are home to… only penguins.
During his speech, the 78-year-old former president declared: “This is Liberation Day. We’ve been waiting for a long time. April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to ‘Make America Wealthy Again.’”
To prove his point, Trump pulled out a ‘Reciprocal Tariffs’ chart, outlining which countries would be hit with trade levies.
Major Tariffs Around the World
The UK got off with a 10% tariff, while China, which Trump claimed had imposed a 67% tariff on the U.S., will now face a 34% tariff in return. The EU will be taxed at 20%, while countries like Brazil and Singapore were also hit with 10% tariffs.
Other notable tariff rates:
– Switzerland – 31%
– South Africa – 30%
– Indonesia – 32%
– Vietnam – 46%
– Cambodia – 49%
Even Penguins Aren’t Safe
The real head-scratcher? Trump also imposed a 10% tariff on goods from Heard Island and McDonald Islands remote, glacier-covered volcanic islands near Antarctica that belong to Australia. These islands are uninhabited by humans, but they are home to penguins and other wildlife.
The islands, which require a two-week boat journey from Australia’s west coast to reach, haven’t even had a human visitor in nearly a decade. Still, they somehow landed on Trump’s tariff list under ‘external territories,’ separate from Australia itself, which is also getting a 10% tariff.
Reacting to the news, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese quipped: “Nowhere on earth is safe.”
It’s unclear what kind of goods (if any) come from the penguin-filled islands, but one thing’s for sure this tariff announcement was anything but ordinary.
New Tariffs Take Flight—Even Penguins Aren’t Safe from Trump’s Trade War
