During a press conference in the Oval Office on Wednesday, President Trump announced that all cars and trucks imported into the United States beginning on April 1 will be slapped with tariffs. He helpfully explained which vehicles will and will not be affected by the move:

President Trump said on Wednesday that he would impose a 25 percent tariffs on all cars that are shipped into the United States.

The tariffs will go into effect on April 2, and will apply to finished cars and trucks that are shipped into the United States, including American brands whose automobiles are assembled overseas. 

...

The move is aimed at pushing companies to set up more factories into the United States, a primary goal for Mr. Trump, who called the move “very exciting" during remarks from the Oval Office.

“Anybody who has plants in the United States, it’s going to be good for,” Mr. Trump said.

The president, calling the new tariffs "modest," explained that this will only affect cars "not made in the United States. If they're made in the United States, there's absolutely no tariff."

The base tariff is two percent, which is being raised to 25 percent, he said. He noted that there have been recent stories of companies returning to manufacturing their products in the U.S., to avoid the administration's levies on imported goods, which he campaigned on in 2024:

WHOA: President Trump just announced new tariffs on all automobiles. pic.twitter.com/xOhoofpBaw

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 26, 2025

President Trump also answered a question on the Signal story, criticizing the reporter who posed it for failing to read the room:

President Trump on the “Signal” saga: “It’s a witch hunt!” pic.twitter.com/1MgNbG8dRW

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 26, 2025

Karoline Leavitt Unloads on Media, Jeffrey Goldberg: ‘Not Going To Be Lectured On National Security

It's worth noting that our colleague at sister site Townhall.com, Katie Pavlich, was a part of today's pool:

That’s a wrap on White House pool coverage. 🇺🇸@townhallcom pic.twitter.com/FeJ31BzWeZ

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) March 26, 2025

According to the Commerce Department, the U.S. imported $214 billion in cars and trucks in 2024--about half of all passenger vehicles sold in the country.

Here are some facts on who is expected to be most affected--and an immediate reaction from Ontario, Canada, Premier Doug Ford:

• Hardest hit: The tariff announcement is bad news for Europe, whose automakers exported more than $41 billion worth of cars to the United States last year, as well as for Japan and South Korea, whose companies each send more than a million cars to the United States every year.

• Angry response: In Canada, the 25 percent tariffs brought immediate talk of retaliation. Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, the province that is home to Canada’s auto industry, said, “We’re going to make sure that we inflict as much pain as possible on the American people.”

As this is a developing story, RedState will provide updates as more information becomes available.

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