(Reuters) -A U.S. trade court on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s tariffs from going into effect, ruling the president overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports from nations that sell more to the United States than they buy. The Trump administration said it would appeal the ruling.
In April, Trump imposed a 10% tariff on most countries and suspended higher levies on many trading partners for 90 days. The duties are now scheduled to kick in on July 8.
Trump in recent months has also imposed 25% tariffs on autos, steel and aluminium, 25% levies on imports from Canada and Mexico.
In another move, Trump had imposed a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the United States and sent into the country.
Here is a roundup of Trump’s trade-related steps and threats so far.
BROAD TARIFFS
A cornerstone of Trump’s vision includes a phased rollout of universal tariffs on all U.S. imports.
Trump had tasked his economics team with devising plans for reciprocal tariffs on every country that taxes U.S. imports and to counteract non-tariff barriers such as vehicle safety rules that exclude U.S. autos, as well as value-added taxes that increase their cost.
SPECIFIC COUNTRIES
Trump’s tariff proposals target several key trade partners; some are listed below.
MEXICO AND CANADA: The two countries were the largest trade partners of the U.S. in 2024 through November, with Mexico ranked first. Trump’s new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect on March 4 as a retaliation for migration and fentanyl trafficking.
The tariffs included a 25% levy on most goods from Mexico and Canada, along with a 10% duty on Canada’s energy imports. Canada primarily exports crude oil and other energy goods, as well as cars and auto parts within the North American auto manufacturing chain. Mexico also exports various goods to the U.S. in the industrial and auto sectors.
Canada hit back with 25% tariffs on C$30 billion ($22 billion) worth of U.S. imports, including orange juice, peanut butter, beer, coffee, appliances and motorcycles.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said U.S. officials might still work out a partial resolution with the two neighbors, adding that they needed to do more on the fentanyl front.
On March 12, Canada said it would impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imported goods worth C$29.8 billion ($20 billion) in response to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs.
While the two countries are currently exempt from the "Liberation Day" tariffs announced on April 2, they do face a separate set of 25% tariffs on auto imports.
Canada has requested WTO dispute consultations with the U.S. over its imposition of import duties on certain steel and aluminium products, as well as the levies on cars and car parts from Canada.
CHINA: Trump levied 10% tariffs across all Chinese imports into the U.S., effective on February 4, following repeated warnings to Beijing about insufficient measures to halt the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S.
He followed that up with another 10% duty on Chinese goods, effective March 4.
China responded by announcing additional tariffs of 10% to 15% on certain U.S. imports from March 10 and a series of new export restrictions for designated U.S. entities. Later it raised complaints about the U.S. tariffs with the WTO.
On April 2, Trump imposed an additional 34% tariff on China, bringing the total new levy to 54%, which prompted the world’s second-biggest economy to retaliate with a duty of 34% on all U.S. goods.
Trump responded that the U.S. would impose an additional 50% tariff on China if Beijing does not withdraw its retaliatory tariffs on the U.S., and said "all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated."
Washington’s fresh round of tariffs lifted duties on China to an eye-watering 145%, prompting Beijing to jack up levies on U.S. goods by 125% in an intensifying trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.
On May 12 in Geneva, both countries agreed to temporarily slash reciprocal tariffs. The U.S. lowered tariffs on China placed in April to 30% from 145% and Chinese duties on U.S. imports fell to 10% from 125%. The new measures are effective for 90 days.
EUROPE: Trump said the EU and other countries have troubling trade surpluses with the U.S. He has said the countries’ products will either be subject to tariffs or he will demand they buy more oil and gas from the U.S., even though U.S. gas export capacity is near its limits.
The 27-nation bloc faces 25% import tariffs on steel, aluminium, and cars, as well as broader tariffs of 20% from April 9 for almost all other goods. Among vulnerable industries is pharmaceuticals, as U.S. firms such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ ) and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE ) have large plants in Ireland, which is also a major exporter of medical devices.
The European Union said on April 7 it had offered a "zero-for-zero" tariff deal to avert a trade war, with EU ministers agreeing to prioritize negotiations while striking back with targeted countermeasures next week.
The EU on March 12 said it would impose counter-tariffs on 26 billion euros ($28 billion) worth of U.S. goods from April in response to Trump’s metals tariffs.
Trump ratcheted up pressure on May 23, pushing for a 50% tariff on European Union goods starting June 1 and warning Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) he may slap a 25% levy on all iPhones bought by U.S. consumers.
On Sunday, Trump backed away from that threat, restoring a July 9 deadline to allow for talks between Washington and Brussels to produce a deal.
BRITAIN: Trump and British Prime Minister Starmer in May announced a limited bilateral trade agreement that leaves in place Trump’s 10% tariffs on British exports and modestly expands agricultural access for both countries as well as lowers prohibitive U.S. duties on British car exports.
In April, Trump imposed reciprocal duties of up to 50% on goods from 57 trading partners including the European Union, pausing them days later to allow time for negotiations until July 9.
The UK and the U.S. said this deal lowers average British tariffs on U.S. goods to 1.8% from 5.1% but keeps in place the 10% tariff on British goods.
A UK official noted that the deal did not include Washington’s demand for restructuring of Britain’s digital services tax, levied at 2% of UK revenue for online marketplaces.
PRODUCTS: Specific products and sectors have also been targeted or exempted, notably metals, autos, semiconductors, lumber, pharmaceuticals and electronics.
($1 = 1.3849 Canadian dollars)