1 week ago
Last Updated:April 08, 2025, 13:54 IST
Donald Trump Tariffs: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defended the move as he said that the 10 per cent tariffs targeting the remote Heard and McDonald Islands are part of US' broader strategy.
US President Donald Trump pumps his fist after signing an executive order after delivering remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event at the White House (AFP Image)
Amid a global meltdown over Donald Trump’s tariffs, many mocked levies imposed on uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands- a group of uninhabited volcanic islands near Antarctica. The group of islands is only home to penguins and are an external territory of Australia.
One of the remotest areas on Earth, the islands can only be accessible via a two-week boat voyage from Perth. Despite this, the islands found a special mention in Trump’s tariff list.
Why Donald Trump Put Tariffs On Heard And McDonald Islands
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defended the move as he said that the 10 per cent tariffs targeting the remote Heard and McDonald Islands are part of a broader strategy to eliminate “ridiculous loopholes" in US trade policy.
He said, “The idea is that there are no countries left off. If you leave anything off the list, the countries that try to basically arbitrage America go through those countries to us."
He added, “The President knows that, he’s tired of it, and he’s going to fix that. These ridiculous loopholes. And now what he’s trying to say is, I’m going to fix the trade deficit of the United States of America. It’s a national security issue."
Stressing on how Donald Trump is “tired of getting ripped off by the rest of the world," Howard Lutnick said, “We need to make medicine. We need to make semiconductors. We need to make ships. We need to have steel and aluminum. Come on, we need the greatness of America to actually be built in America."
Location :Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
First Published:April 08, 2025, 13:54 IST
News world Why Donald Trump Imposed Tariffs On Uninhabited Antarctic Islands: ‘Ridiculous Loopholes…’
