Trump’s Major Tariff Flip-Flops As Administration Rolls Back China Tariffs

Feb. 7 Trump made his first public comments about imposing sweeping tariffs on foreign imports—after already announcing separate tariffs on goods from China, Canada and Mexico—telling reporters he wanted reciprocal tariffs that match the duties countries levy on American goods, saying he wants to make sure “we’re treated evenly” and that “we don’t want any more, any less.” Feb. 13 Trump signed a memorandum directing his administration to fix its “non-reciprocal trade arrangements” with other countries by “determining the equivalent of a reciprocal tariff with respect to each foreign trading partner,” taking into account what tariffs a country levies on American goods, but also related costs like value-added taxes and nontariff trade barriers like regulations that make it harder for the U.S. to import their goods. March 26 The Trump administration announced 25% tariffs on imported cars to be imposed starting April 3, with an extension to imported auto parts starting May 3, as Trump suggested the levies would accelerate “tremendous growth in the automobile industry” as automakers build more U.S.-based plants. March 27 Trump indicated his auto tariffs would be “permanent” throughout his second term. March 31 White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters there would be “no exemptions at this time” to Trump’s impending tariffs on foreign goods. April 2 Trump rolled out his tariff policy at a “Liberation Day” event at the White House, releasing details of the plan that showed nearly all countries (even uninhabited ones) facing tariffs ranging from 10% and 50%—but the Trump administration appeared to calculate by just dividing a country’s trade surplus with the U.S. by its export value, rather than the more sophisticated formula the administration claimed (flip-flop No.1 ) . Contrary to Leavitt’s March 31 comments, the executive order imposing the tariffs exempted “copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles, certain critical minerals, and energy and energy products” (flip-flop No. 2) . Trump also backtracked on his previous commitment for the U.S. to charge reciprocal tariffs matching the ones other countries impose on American goods, saying in his speech the administration would instead “charge them approximately half of what ... [other countries] have been charging us, so the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal,” adding, “I could have done that, I guess, but it would have been tough for a lot of countries and we didn’t want to do that” (flip-flop No. 3). April 3, 4 p.m. EDT Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro denied to CNBC that Trump intended to negotiate his tariffs with other countries—saying, “This is not a negotiation. This is not that. This is a national emergency”—after Lutnick told CNN earlier that day Trump was “not going to back off” his tariffs. April 3, 5 p.m. EDT Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One he was open to negotiating the tariffs—less than an hour after Navarro’s comments—saying the U.S. has “great power to negotiate” because of the tariffs and he was open to making a deal “if somebody said that we’re going to give you something that’s so phenomenal, as long as they’re giving us something that’s good” (flip-flop No. 4). April 4, 8:44 a.m. EDT Trump insisted he wouldn’t back off his tariff policy, writing on Truth Social, “TO THE MANY INVESTORS COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES AND INVESTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE.” April 6, 9-11:30 a.m. EDT Multiple Trump advisers suggested on Sunday shows Trump will not back off his tariffs for the foreseeable future, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent telling “Meet the Press” the tariffs are “not the kind of thing you can negotiate away in days or weeks” and Lutnick telling CBS News “there is no postponing” the tariffs taking effect. Trump aides also suggested the president was open to negotiations, however, with White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett telling ABC News “more than 50 countries” have reached out about starting talks, while Bessent said negotiations were “gonna be a decision for President Trump, but ... he’s created maximum leverage for himself” (flip-flop No. 5) . Lutnick seemingly doubled down on tariffs being imposed on smartphone imports, despite the tariffs causing Apple’s stock price to decline, telling CBS, “The army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little, little screws to make iPhones, that kind of thing is going to come to America.” April 7, 11:14 a.m. EDT Trump threatened additional 50% tariffs on China in response to Beijing retaliating against his tariffs and said “all talks” with the country’s government “will be terminated,” but said his administration would begin tariff negotiations “immediately” with other countries that have reached out—with Bessent then confirming shortly after the president had directed him to begin negotiations with Japan. April 7, 3 p.m. EDT Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he was “not looking at” pausing his tariffs, and, when asked if his tariffs were permanent or if they could be negotiated, said, “Both can be true,” adding, “There can be permanent tariffs, and there can also be negotiations.” The president also insisted he would move forward with his tariff agenda despite them roiling the stock market, saying, “No other president would be willing to do what I’m doing,” but “I don’t mind going through it because I see a beautiful picture at the end.” April 8 Trump trade representative Jamieson Greer testified to the Senate Finance Committee the White House “will have the president’s plan go into effect” on April 9 as scheduled—denying there would be any delay—but the government was “coupling that with immediate negotiations.” April 8, 1 p.m. EDT Leavitt told reporters during a press briefing that Trump has directed his trade team to “have tailor-made trade deals with each and every country that calls up this administration to strike a deal,” and emphasized Trump intended to bring manufacturing of tech products to the U.S., saying the president “absolutely” thinks iPhones and other products could be made in the U.S. and Trump “believes we have the labor, we have the workforce, we have the resources to do it.” April 9, 9:33 a.m. EDT Trump told Americans to “BE COOL” after the stock market plunged in response to his tariffs taking effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT, writing on Truth Social, “Everything is going to work out well,” and later urging Americans to buy stock and for companies to move their operations to the U.S. April 9, 1:18 p.m. EDT In a stunning about face, Trump announced on Truth Social he was pausing the worst of his tariffs on most countries for 90 days, though he would continue a baseline 10% tariff rate and raise his tariffs on most Chinese goods by 125%. (flip-flop No. 6) . Trump officials suggested immediately after his announcement the pause was part of the president’s negotiating strategy, with Bessent telling reporters, “This was his strategy all along” and Trump “goaded China into a bad position,” while Leavitt told reporters, “Many of you in the media clearly missed the art of the deal.” The president almost immediately contradicted those comments, telling reporters later Wednesday he had decided to pause the tariffs because “people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy,” also saying his plan to pause the tariffs “probably came together early this morning,” after the tariffs had taken effect (flip-flop No. 7). April 9, 3 p.m. EDT Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office he still intends to impose additional tariffs on pharmaceuticals as well as semiconductor chips, saying the U.S. will build a chips factory that “will be one of the largest plants in the world” and everything needed in order to approve it will be “done in a matter of months.” April 10, 11 a.m. EDT Trump stood by his tariff policy as markets went down again after an initial rally in response to the 90-day pause, saying at a Cabinet meeting, “We think we’re in very good shape. We think we’re doing very well. Again, there’ll be a transition cost and transition problems, but in the end, it’s going to be a beautiful thing.” April 11, 5 p.m. EDT Trump told reporters on Air Force One he thinks his 10% baseline tariff rate is likely “the floor,” though there “could be a couple of exceptions,” also saying he’s “very comfortable now” with at least 145% tariffs on Chinese imports while still leaving room for negotiations. April 11, 10:36 p.m. EDT U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued “Reciprocal Tariff Exclusion” guidance saying smartphones, computers and other electronic devices were now exempt from the tariffs, countering the previous statements from Trump and his officials suggesting they wanted to move such manufacturing to the U.S. (flip-flop No. 8). April 12 The White House said in response to the exemption on tech products the administration still wants to move manufacturing of those products to the U.S., with Leavitt saying in a statement, “President Trump has made it clear America cannot rely on China to manufacture critical technologies such as semiconductors, chips, smartphones, and laptops ... these companies are hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible.” April 13, 9 a.m. EDT Lutnick told ABC’s “This Week” the exemption on semiconductors and other goods is only temporary, claiming Trump is still crafting tariffs on tech goods and pharmaceuticals that will be rolled out “in probably a month or two.” April 13, 3:36 p.m. EDT Trump claimed on Truth Social that contrary to the customs announcement, there was “no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday” and the tariffs on smartphones and other goods are “just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket,’ adding his administration will be “taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations” (flip-flop No. 9) . Later in the day, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he would soon announce tariff rates for chips, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, also promising that tariffs would be restored for electronics “very soon,” but he would also “talk to companies,” arguing, “You have to show a certain flexibility. Nobody should be so rigid.” April 14 Trump told reporters he would consider pausing his tariffs on automobiles as he noted some automakers moved production to the U.S., saying, “I’m looking at something to help some of the car companies, where they’re shifting to parts that were made in Canada, Mexico and other places.” April 17, 4 p.m. EDT Trump told reporters his administration is “going to make a deal with everybody” on trade and he thinks the deals will be “concluded” “over the next three or four weeks,” adding, “At a certain point, if we don’t make a deal we’ll just set a limit, we’ll set a tariff ... and we’ll say, ‘Come in and shop.’” Trump also told reporters that day he’ll “make a very good deal with China” and he’s “100 percent” sure the U.S. can make a trade deal with the European Union, adding he’s “in no rush” to announce deals with specific countries. April 22, 4 p.m. EDT Trump told reporters he won’t play “hard ball” with China in their tariff negotiations and floated that he could lower his punishing 145% tariff rate on Chinese imports, saying it is “very high” and the rate will “come down substantially, but it won’t be zero”—contradicting his previous comments that he’s “comfortable” with where the tariffs now stand (flip-flop No. 10) . April 23, 11 a.m. EDT Bessent countered Trump’s comments about lowering China’s tariffs, telling reporters Trump had not made any offer to unilaterally lower the tariff rate on Chinese goods—though he added, “I don’t think either side believes that the current tariff levels are sustainable, so I would not be surprised if they went down in a mutual way.” The president and his treasury secretary also conflicted on whether the U.S. is already in trade negotiations with China: Trump told reporters his administration is “actively” talking with China, while Bessent told reporters in a separate appearance that “both sides are waiting to speak to the other,” adding when asked if that meant the two countries aren’t in trade discussions, “Not yet.” April 29 Trump signed an executive order exempting companies paying the 25% tariff on imported cars and auto parts from paying other tariffs, such as those on steel and aluminum (flip-flop No. 11) . Companies will also receive a reimbursement on tariffs for imported parts equal to up to 3.75% of the value of a new car in the first year and 2.5% of the car’s value in the second year before it’s phased out, multiple outlets reported. May 6, 12 p.m. EDT Trump tamped down hopes of imminent trade deals with other countries in comments to reporters, complaining about people asking, “How many deals are you signing this week?” and suggesting his officials were misspeaking about wanting to sign deals with every country who asks—despite previously saying he would make deals with “everybody.” (flip-flop No. 12) . “I think my people haven’t made it clear, we will sign some deals,” Trump told reporters, “but much bigger than that is we’re going to put down the price that people are going to have to pay to shop in the United States. Think of us as a super luxury store, a store that has the goods.” The president also suggested to reporters he did not feel any urgency to start negotiating with China, claiming the U.S. is “losing nothing” by not trading with Beijing and answering “no” when asked if he would bring the tariff rate on Chinese goods down in order to start negotiations. May 6, 7 p.m. EDT Shortly after Trump’s comments, however, Bessent and Greer said they would participate in discussions with Chinese officials in Switzerland over the weekend—which Beijing claims the Trump administration requested, though Trump later denied that (flip-flop No. 13) . May 8 Trump announced his administration’s first trade deal—or at least the framework for one—which was made with the United Kingdom, and still leaves the 10% baseline tariff on U.K. imports in place. May 9, 7:26 a.m. EDT Trump floated a potential 80% tariff rate on Chinese imports, writing on Truth Social, “80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B.”—after floating to reporters the day before he was now open to lowering tariffs on China, saying that if negotiations over the weekend went well, “You know [the tariff rate is] coming down” (flip-flop No. 14) . May 9, 1 p.m. EDT Leavitt told reporters Trump’s 10% tariffs on foreign goods will be permanent even after the Trump administration completes trade deals with other countries, saying the president is “determined to continue with that 10% baseline tariff.” May 12 After suggesting Sunday they had reached some kind of agreement, Bessent and Chinese officials announced Monday a 90-day pause on the worst of the two countries’ tariffs on the other’s goods, with the U.S. lowering its tariff rate on most Chinese goods to a combined 30%, which includes both the “Liberation Day” tariffs and the 20% tariffs the Trump administration had previously imposed—and is far below the 80% figure Trump floated (flip-flop No. 15) . Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . It’s still unclear what the tariff rates will look like when the 90-day pauses on Chinese and other tariffs lift, and whether more goods could be either tariffed or exempted from the tariffs. No tariffs have yet been imposed on critical imports like semiconductors, as Lutnick and Trump claimed would be implemented, but they still could impose them in the future. Democratic lawmakers have asked the Trump administration to exempt baby products from its tariffs, which Bessent testified was “under consideration.” It also remains to be seen how trade negotiations with dozens of countries will play out over the next few months during the 90-day pause on Trump’s tariffs, and if any countries will have the 10% baseline tariff rate lifted altogether despite Trump’s claims they won’t be. Lutnick claimed after the trade deal with the U.K. was announced that other countries could have tariff rates higher than 10% imposed even after they reach deals with the Trump administration, telling CNBC that for countries that have trade deficits with the U.S., “The best they can do is 10%—most likely they’ll be higher.” Democrats have decried the constant changes in Trump’s tariff policy, which they argue further harm the economy. “The White House has no idea what it’s doing on tariffs and keeps flip flopping. Lutnick now says the tariff exemptions on, for example iPhones, are temporary. Why even do an exemption if you’re going to reverse it soon?” Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said on X on April 13. The White House “has no strategy, and is rapidly losing credibility.” Trump has long touted tariffs as a cornerstone of his policy agenda, making them a centerpiece of his campaign and repeatedly pledging to put them in effect. His flip-flopping on the “Liberation Day” tariffs comes after Trump previously shifted his stance in how he handled tariffs on Mexico and Canada, initially announcing hours after his inauguration that he would impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Feb. 1, which briefly took effect before he ultimately paused them for 30 days on Feb. 3. The tariffs then took effect again on March 4, though Trump later paused tariffs on automobiles and exempted many products from the tariffs on March 6. Trump has charged forward with his tariff plans despite longstanding warnings from economists that doing so would raise prices for American consumers and harm the economy, which have played out as the tariffs have taken effect, roiling the stock market and leading economic experts to warn of a looming recession. Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/05/12/trump-offers-automakers-tariff-reprieve-latest-big-tariff-flip-flop-since-liberation-day/