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The White House

Trump could levy tariffs on auto imports in April: Report

Written by Ethan Bernard

February 18, 2025

President Donald Trump said last week that he could place tariffs on auto imports, according to an article in Politico.

While signing executive orders in the Oval Office, he responded to a reporter’s question on possible auto tariffs: “Maybe around April 2,” the article said.

The president did not give any further details on levy amounts or how they would work in concert with previously announced tariffs.

Last Thursday, Trump said the US would be “flooded with jobs” because of his tariffs, as reported by Fox News.

“If you build here, you have no tariffs whatsoever. And I think that’s what’s going to happen. I think our country is going to be flooded with jobs,” he said in the Oval Office.

As previously reported, Trump announced his “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” on trade last Thursday, which would see reciprocal tariffs placed on US trading partners.

For a summary of the tariff situation thus far, check out Lewis Leibowitz’s column from Feb. 16 here.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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