US President Donald Trump, in his first address to a joint session of Congress, declared that reciprocal tariffs would come into force on April 2, supporting his administration’s perspective on trade policy. He attacked the European Union, China, Brazil, India, and South Korea for imposing high tariffs on US goods.
“We will match whatever tariffs they impose on us,” Trump declared.
“Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it is our turn to start using them in return. On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico, Canada, and countless other nations charge us higher tariffs than we charge them—this is very unfair,” he stated.
India charges us 100% tariffs, the average tariff of China on our products is twice what we charge them, the average tariff of South Korea is four times higher, the system is not fair to the US, and it never was on April 2, reciprocal tariffs comes into force, and whatever they tariff us we shall tariff them whatever they tax us, we shall tax them.
If they do a non-monetary tariff to keep us out of their market, then we would do a non-monetary barrier to keep them away from our market.
“Those goods that come in from other countries and companies, they’re really, really in a bad position in so many different ways. They’re uninspected. They may be very dirty and disgusting as they come in, and they pour in and hurt our American farmers,” Trump quoted.
Economic Difficulties and Changes in Policy
While striking at the previous Democrat regime, he expressed, “We inherited from the last administration an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare. Their policies drove up energy prices and drove the necessities of life out of reach for millions of Americans…we suffered the worst inflation in 48 years…As president, I am fighting every day to reverse this damage and make America affordable again.”
To promote tax deductions, Trump has proposed making interest payments on car loans tax-deductible, but only for vehicles manufactured in the U.S. He emphasized his dedication to enhancing domestic manufacturing, remarking, “We want to cut taxes on domestic production.”
He specified that there shall be no tax on Social Security benefits for seniors.
Trump outlined that his administration was dedicated to reducing energy costs as part of its efforts to combat inflation. He condemned the Biden administration for closing over 100 power plants and stated, “We are in the process of opening many of those power plants right now.”
As Trump mentioned the budget cuts his administration claimed to have made, Democrats grew increasingly vocal, answering with groans and shouts of “Not true!” “Bullshit!,” and “Those are lies!”
Future Plans
The 78-year-old President expressed he was “just getting started” on his revolutionary plans to reshape the country. “The American Dream is surging- bigger and better than ever before. The American Dream is unstoppable, and our country is on the verge of a comeback the likes of which the world has never witnessed, and perhaps will never witness again,” he expressed.
Recommended: Trump References Reciprocal Tax Against India: What Does It Mean?
The president praised his achievements from the first six weeks, committing to continue his divisive effort to transform the US government and resolve the Ukraine war, regardless of the outcomes.
“We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplish in four years or eight years — and we are just getting started,” Trump said to frequent chants from loyal lawmakers of “USA, USA!”
