Donald Trump green-lights mass tariff rollout against China, Mexico and Canada in TRIPLE executive order
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Donald Trump has signed three executive orders green-lighting trade tariffs against China, Mexico and Canada.
The tariffs are worth up to 25 per cent on all imports to the US - and could be just the start of a trade war with America's biggest importers.
A White House official said on Saturday that the executive orders would also contain "retaliation clauses", so that if a country tried to retaliate with tariffs on US products, it would face further tariff hikes in return.
While Trump, writing on Truth Social, said: "This was done through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act because of the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our citizens, including fentanyl.
Donald Trump has signed three executive orders green-lighting trade tariffs against China, Mexico and Canada
REUTERS"We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all.
"I made a promise on my campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favour of it."
Canada will now be subject to a 25 per cent tax on all imports to the US - except on energy products, which will only see a 10 per cent tariff.
Mexico - the US's second-largest trade partner - will see a blanket 25 per cent tariff.
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And China, the largest importer to the US by over $100billion, will be subjected to a 10 per cent rate on all imports
REUTERS
And China, the largest importer to the US by over $100billion, will be subjected to a 10 per cent rate on all imports, on top of existing levies.
The White House says the triple move is designed to crack down on a national emergency over fentanyl and illegal migration - and has vowed that there will be no exclusions from the tariffs.
Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said yesterday that the tariffs were revenge "for illegal fentanyl they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country, which has killed tens of millions of Americans".
Also on Friday, Trump had himself said: "There could be some temporary, short-term disruption, and people will understand that.
'I will impose tariffs on the European Union. Absolutely, I will put tariffs on the EU,'
PA"But the tariffs are going to make us very rich and very strong," he added.
"And we're going to treat other countries very fairly."
And five years on from Brexit, the UK could be poised to dodge a trade bullet - with Trump also vowing to slap the EU with fresh tariffs.
"I will impose tariffs on the European Union. Absolutely, I will put tariffs on the EU," he said. "We'll be doing something very substantial on tariffs with the European Union."
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