Timeline: Trump’s tariff blitz rattles world trade in first six months of presidency

From launching 25% duties on Mexican goods in February to unveiling a 50% levy on imported copper on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump has fired off a rapid-fire series of tariff moves that has jolted financial markets and unsettled global supply chains.

The latest step — a promise on Monday to slap 50% tariffs on copper and soon tax semiconductors and medicines — crowns nearly 30 separate tariff actions since Mr Trump was sworn in on 20 January. The flurry has widened to cover allies and rivals alike, prompting court challenges, hurried exemptions and emergency trade talks.

Economists at the Peterson Institute for International Economics say the measures now touch more than 70% of U.S. merchandise imports, a reach unmatched since the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Act. Wall Street has swung sharply in response, with about $3 trillion wiped from global share values on 9 April after a surprise blanket 10% duty on almost all imports.

Key dates

1. 1 February (Friday) – 25% tariffs on most Mexican and Canadian goods and 10% on Chinese products, linked to fentanyl and migration demands.
2. 3 February (Sunday) – 30-day pause on the North American duties; China left out.
3. 10 February (Monday) – Steel and aluminium tariffs lifted to a flat 25% “without exceptions.”
4. 9 April (Wednesday) – Global 10% tariff imposed; China duties lifted to an effective 145% after fentanyl-related add-ons.
5. 13 April (Sunday) – Smartphones and computers granted exclusions.
6. 22 April (Tuesday) – Section 232 probes launched into pharmaceutical and semiconductor imports.
7. 28 May (Wednesday) – A U.S. trade court blocks the across-the-board tariffs; an appeals court reinstates them a day later pending review.
8. 3 June (Tuesday) – Steel and aluminium duties doubled to 50%.
9. 6 July (Sunday) – Extra 10% penalty threatened on countries “aligning with BRICS” bloc.
10. 8 July (Tuesday) – 50% tariff announced on imported copper, with levies on chips and drugs “soon.”
     

Washington has meanwhile struck a limited accord with Britain and a 90-day tariff truce with China, yet threats of 25–40% duties loom against 14 other nations from Japan to Serbia after 1 August.

Foreign governments have warned the campaign risks fragmenting global commerce. The European Commission says a straight 50% U.S. tariff on EU goods would imperil trade flows worth more than $850 billion a year. Beijing has accused Washington of “weaponising” tariffs, while Mexico and Canada argue the measures breach the revised North American trade pact.

Analysts expect fresh legal battles and retaliatory steps. “The scale and speed are unprecedented in modern U.S. history,” said Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute. “Even short pauses in implementation barely dent the uncertainty for companies planning cross-border investment.”

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