The Blubber

Trump Warns of 50% Tariffs on China if Retaliatory Measures Aren’t Reversed

Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to China: if it doesn’t roll back its recently imposed 34% retaliatory tariffs by Tuesday, the U.S. will respond by raising tariffs on Chinese goods by an additional 50%, effective Wednesday, April 9.

In the same statement, Trump declared that “all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated,” signaling a hardening of his administration’s stance on trade.

Posting on Truth Social, the former president wrote:

“Yesterday, China issued Retaliatory Tariffs of 34%, on top of their already record setting Tariffs, Non-Monetary Tariffs, Illegal Subsidization of companies, and massive long-term Currency Manipulation…

…Any country that retaliates against the U.S. with additional tariffs—beyond their long-standing tariff abuses—will be hit with substantially higher tariffs in return. Therefore, if China does not remove its 34% tariff hike by April 8th, the U.S. will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs of 50% starting April 9th. All talks with China will be called off, and discussions with other nations will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Global Reactions and Market Turmoil

Trump’s threat added to an already volatile day in global markets. U.S. stocks opened sharply lower: the S&P 500 dropped 3.4%, slipping deeper into bear market territory. The Dow fell 3.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 3.9%.

In Europe, EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said discussions with the U.S. remain in early stages. “The U.S. sees tariffs not as a tactical measure, but as a corrective one,” he noted. “We are open to dialogue but won’t wait endlessly without real progress.”

British prime minister Keir Starmer, speaking during a visit to a Jaguar Land Rover plant, said the UK will continue working toward an economic partnership with the U.S., while seeking to reduce barriers with other key partners. “Nobody is pretending that tariffs are good news,” he remarked.