America looted, raped, pillaged: Explosive quotes from Trump's tariff talk

United States President Donald Trump took the world by surprise after he announced the 'kind' and 'discounted' reciprocal tariffs on as many as 180 countries, triggering fears of a full-scale trade war.

The billionaire businessman, in a much-awaited speech at the White House, said that April 2, 2025 would "forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn", asserting that domestic manufacturing would experience a resurgence, with companies rushing to the United States to produce their goods.

Trump announced steep new tariffs on Chinese imports, raising the total levy to 54 per cent — a sharp escalation from the 20 per cent rate imposed during the Trump administration. Even close allies have not been exempted as the European Union faced a 20 per cent tariff, Japan 24 per cent, and India 26 per cent.

A base tariff of 10 per cent takes effect on April 5, with the higher retaliatory rates kicking in on April 9.

Trump reaffirmed his hardline trade stance, declaring that he would block imports into the United States unless they faced what he deemed an "appropriate tariff". He also asked other countries to embrace "a little tough love".

TRUMP'S LIBERATION DAY SPEECH: TOP QUOTES

At an event in the White House Rose Garden, Trump declared: "For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike".Trump promised an economic resurgence, asserting, "Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country, and you see it happening already. We will supercharge our domestic industrial base. We will pry open foreign markets and break down foreign trade barriers, and ultimately, more production at home will mean stronger competition and lower prices for consumers".Even as he introduced "minimum baseline" tariffs of 10 per cent on trade partners, Trump framed the move as beneficial for global commerce. "We are being very kind," he said. "We will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us".Referring to India, Trump recounted his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi: "The Prime Minister just left. He's a great friend of mine. But I said, 'You're a friend of mine, but you haven't been treating us right'. They charge us 52 per cent, but we charge them almost nothing for years and decades. It was only seven years ago when I came in".Holding up a list of tariff measures, Trump highlighted China's position as the primary target, stating, "We're going to be charging a discounted reciprocal tariff of 34 per cent" on Chinese imports.Explaining his approach, he said, "They charge us, we charge them, we charge them less. So how can anybody be upset? They will be, because we never charged anybody anything. But now we’re going to charge".Trump made it clear that the US would no longer accept what he described as an economic submission: "The United States can no longer continue with the policy of unilateral economic surrender. We cannot pay the deficits of Canada, Mexico and so many other countries. We used to do it. We can't do it any more".He further accused past administrations of enabling financial exploitation: "US taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years. But it is not going to happen any more."Reflecting on the origins of the income tax, Trump commented, "In 1913, for reasons unknown to mankind, they established the income tax so that citizens, rather than foreign countries, would start paying the money necessary to run our government."