Trump announces new import tariffs: 100% on medicines; furniture and trucks also hit

President Donald Trump has announced new import tariffs that will start from October 1, 2025. The highest tariff is 100% on imported medicines. Other items include 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture, and 25% on heavy trucks and parts. The government says the move is to protect national security and promote local manufacturing. The Supreme Court will review the president’s powers to impose such tariffs in November.

President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on imported goods. These tariffs will be applied from October 1, 2025. The aim, according to the administration, is to reduce dependence on imports, protect national security, and support American factories.

The new tariffs include 100% on imported pharmaceutical drugs. There will also be a 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture, and 25% on heavy trucks and their parts. The announcement was made on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social.

The administration said these taxes are necessary to stop harm to US industries. Trump also said these actions will help the country become more self-reliant in important sectors like health care and transportation.

The 100% tariff on pharmaceutical drugs is the highest in this announcement. The United States imported nearly $233 billion worth of medicines in 2024, according to government data.

Trump said that drug companies building new factories in the United States will not have to pay the tariff. He did not explain how this rule will apply to companies that already have factories in the country. In August, Trump had said that tariffs on medicines would be introduced slowly. He had mentioned starting with a small tax and increasing it over a year or more. The current announcement of an immediate 100% tariff is different from that plan.

The 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, and the 30% tariff on upholstered furniture, could affect the home-building and retail sectors. Many Americans are already facing high housing costs. A 25% tariff will also apply to imported heavy trucks and parts. Trump said this will help American truck companies like Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, and Mack Trucks.

The government is using a law called the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose these tariffs. This law allows the president to place tariffs if national security is at risk. The Department of Commerce earlier started investigations into drug and truck imports under this law. However, some courts have said that Trump used too much power in past tariff decisions. The Supreme Court will hear a case on this issue in November 2025.

Q: What are the new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump?
New tariffs include 100% on medicines, 50% on kitchen cabinets and vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture, and 25% on heavy trucks and parts.

Q: When will these tariffs begin?
These tariffs will take effect from October 1, 2025.

Q: What legal authority is being used for these tariffs?
The administration is using Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows tariffs for national security reasons.