By Tom Howell Jr. – The Washington Times – Wednesday, March 26, 2025

President Trump says his April tariffs on foreign goods will be “more lenient than reciprocal.”

Mr. Trump’s comment suggests the White House will be nuanced in how it taxes goods from an array of nations on April 2, instead of assigning a tariff number that corresponds directly to how nations tax U.S. goods.

“I’ll probably be more lenient than reciprocal, because if I was reciprocal, that would be very tough on people,” Mr. Trump told Newsmax’s “Greg Kelly Reports” late Tuesday.

At the same time, the president said his plan will not offer “too many exceptions” as key industrial sectors seek carveouts from the levies.

Mr. Trump says April 2 will be “liberation day” for the U.S. His team will outline tariff amounts for each nation’s goods based on tariffs and other trade barriers they impose on American products.

“We always were soft and weak,” he said. “This had to be done, we couldn’t let this continue.”

Tariffs are a tax or duty paid by importers on the goods they bring in from foreign markets. Mr. Trump says tariffs are a great way to force companies to return to America or keep their operations in the U.S., employ American workers and create revenue to fund domestic programs.

His latest threat adds to a bevy of tariff-related moves since he took office in January. Mr. Trump imposed new tariffs of 20% on Chinese goods and a 25% levy on steel and aluminum imports, and he has threatened 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico but exempted most goods for now.

His threat to impose reciprocal tariffs may force other countries to make concessions. However, Wall Street investors and business leaders are leery and fear the levies will cause higher costs and consumer prices.

In many cases, U.S. companies will pay the levies, though Mr. Trump frequently characterizes the tariffs as payments from foreign entities.

Mr. Trump says he is dead serious about moving forward with the levies.

“I think we’re going to have a tremendous success. I know some people say, ‘Oh, do you think it’s too much?’” Mr. Trump said. “They’ve been doing this to us for many years.”