Donald Trump has responded after China announced that it would be putting a 34% tariff on American goods in retaliation for Trump’s announcement.
Just two days after the former president stood in the White House Rose Garden to declare April 2 as “Liberation Day,” China has responded with serious firepower of its own.
Trump’s massive tariff blitz — a move he called the most significant trade action since 1947 — placed a blanket 10% tariff on imports from dozens of countries, with steeper penalties of up to 54% for what he labeled the “worst offenders.”
China was hit hardest, with a 54% tariff on its goods entering the U.S.
“This is Liberation Day,” Trump declared in his April 2 speech.
“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’.”
He accused other nations of long-standing economic exploitation, stating: “For decades our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered from nations, near and far, from both friend and foe alike.”
“They do it to us, and we do it to them. Doesn’t get much simpler than that.”
China announced today (April 4) it will impose a 34% tariff on all U.S. products starting April 10 — and Trump wasted no time clapping back on social media.
“CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG,” he wrote on Truth Social. “THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!”
The new 34% tariff affects all U.S. imports and follows earlier measures including a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas, and 10% on crude oil, agricultural machinery, and large-engine vehicles.
Beijing’s finance ministry accused the U.S. of violating global trade rules, blasting Trump’s tariffs as “not in line with international trade rules,” according to BBC News.
The commerce ministry added: “The United States’ imposition of so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ seriously violates WTO rules, seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, and seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order.
“It is a typical unilateral bullying practice that endangers the stability of the global economic and trade order. China firmly opposes this.”
China has also filed an official lawsuit with the World Trade Organization and announced new export controls on rare earth materials — crucial for manufacturing smartphones, electric vehicle batteries, and semiconductors.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the move a “major blow to the world economy,” saying: “The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe.”
“This is hurting, in particular, the most vulnerable citizens,” she said, pointing to increases in the cost of groceries, transportation, and medicine.
Amid the economic storm, Trump doubled down on his broader plan to revive American wealth. He used Truth Social to hype up his new policies and urge investors to seize the moment.
He wrote: “TO THE MANY INVESTORS COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES AND INVESTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE. THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET RICH, RICHER THAN EVER BEFORE!!!”
He also celebrated recent job figures, writing: “GREAT JOB NUMBERS, FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED. IT’S ALREADY WORKING. HANG TOUGH, WE CAN’T LOSE!!!”
Economists, however, warn that Americans will likely see an increase in the cost of living due to Trump’s tariffs.
