Donald Trump has labelled today as “liberation day” and will reveal the extent of his promised tariffs later. A thinktank has warned 25,000 UK car manufacturing jobs could be at risk if the US president confirms 25% tariffs on US car imports. Listen to Trump 100 as you scroll.
Wednesday 2 April 2025 08:35, UK
Tariffs are taxes on goods imported into a country.
It is the importers buying the goods who pay the tariffs – therefore, in the case of the US, American companies.
Ultimately, the intent is to protect US manufacturing and bolster jobs by making foreign-made products less attractive.
However, there is a knock-on effect: to compensate for tariffs, companies put up their prices, so customers end up paying more for goods.
Tariffs can also damage foreign countries as they make their products pricier and harder to sell.
In his second term, Trump has frequently used them – or the threat of them – as a trade weapon.
Watch: What can we expect from Trump’s tariffs?
They are a key part of Trump’s efforts to reshape global trade relations, and he plans to impose a swathe of what he calls “reciprocal” taxes that would match tariffs levied by other nations.
Tariffs were also part of his playbook in his first term, when he imposed taxes on most goods coming from China and used them as a bargaining chip to force Canada and Mexico to renegotiate a North American trade pact.
On his first day back in office, the US president promised 25% tariffs on all products coming into the US from its nearest neighbours Mexico and Canada – ostensibly to force the countries to tackle illegal migration and fentanyl crossing the border.
The White House has claimed today will go down “as one of the most important days in modern American history” as Donald Trump reveals the details of his tariffs.
It’s a day he’s labelled as “liberation day” – but it’s been in the making ever since he returned to the Oval Office.
Take a look at our timeline below…
While we wait for Donald Trump to reveal the full extent of his promised tariffs later today, much of the discussion in the UK has been centred around how Sir Keir Starmer could respond.
The prime minister has repeatedly said he is keeping “all options on the table” – but what are the options available to him?
In the latest episode of our Trump 100 podcast, our US correspondent Mark Stone and deputy political editor Sam Coates discuss what the tariffs could mean for the UK.
You can also follow the podcast here, so you never miss an episode.
If Donald Trump goes ahead with 25% tariffs on US car imports, it will put extreme pressure on the UK car manufacturing industry, a thinktank has warned.
A new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warns that more than 25,000 direct jobs in the UK’s car manufacturing industry could be at risk with exports to America predicted to fall.
It notes UK employees at Jaguar Land Rover and the Cowley Mini factory will be seen as some of the most exposed.
‘Only one way’ for UK to secure transport manufacturing jobs
The thinktank says the UK is well-placed to capitalise on the transition to net zero and build on its niche of manufacturing green planes, trains and cars.
But it says “there is only one way to secure transport manufacturing jobs in the UK”.
“That is to double down on making sure Britain is competitive in zero- or low emission-transport products,” the IPPR saus/
“Trump’s tariffs have huge potential to completely destabilise the UK car manufacturing industry, affecting tens of thousands of jobs and putting the government’s growth plans at jeopardy,” Pranesh Narayan, research fellow at the IPPR, added.
Good morning and welcome to our coverage.
Donald Trump has labelled today as “liberation day” where we will discover the extent of his promised tariffs.
While we don’t know too much about the tariffs being imposed just yet, the US president will be speaking later today to reveal the details.
We’ll be bringing you live updates throughout the day – but first, here’s some of the key updates from the last 24 hours:
But we’ll be back later today on what Donald Trump has dubbed “liberation day” to discover the extent of his promised tariffs.
Little was revealed today – to avoid any link to April Fool’s Day – other than the fact Trump will detail his plans in the afternoon.
To remind yourself on what that all means and how it could impact the UK, click on the link below.
Princeton University has become the latest school to lose government funding as Donald Trump continues to target institutions his team feels fail to protect Jewish students.
In a statement, the university’s president Chris Eisgruber said several dozen research grants have been frozen, but no reason has been given.
It’s not clear how much those grants are worth.
Trump’s team has threatened to slash funding for universities over alleged tolerance of antisemitism during last year’s pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
“We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism,” Eisgruber said.
“Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this university.”
Federal agencies have not commented.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say Trump wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas.
Trump’s administration is also reviewing $9bn in federal contracts and grants awarded to Harvard University – and last month it cancelled $400m for Columbia University.
Schools have been targeted over other culture war issues as well, such as the University of Pennsylvania, which saw $175m in funding suspended over transgender sports policies.
Major legal firms with ties to lawyers who have investigated Donald Trump have been targeted with executive orders.
These orders seek to curtail their business with the government, and have been met with backlash by three firms suing the administration – and judges have blocked key provisions within those orders.
But Trump has announced Wilkie Farr & Gallagher – where his election rival Kamala Harris’ husband works as a partner – has agreed to a settlement.
This includes providing $100m in legal services and not engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.
A Willkie Farr spokesperson did not immediately offer a comment.
We reported earlier on the mass cuts to staff at health agencies in the US – see our 21.01 post.
According to a source cited by Reuters news agency, those cuts include staff working on a bird flu response.
Reuters reports key employees at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine have been let go.
That centre tests pet food for bird flu, and the FDA has issued recalls after identifying the virus linked to the death of pet cats.
Kristy Pabilonia, executive director of clinical diagnostics at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Health System, has relied on the centre for reports of cat infections.
“It keeps me up at night thinking that there would be a chance that I wouldn’t have someone to report to,” she said.
The cuts are also likely to disrupt efforts to develop bird flu testing infrastructure for aged artisan raw milk cheese, according to Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Coordinating bird flu testing through the national lab network is vital to keeping track of the virus’ spread, Poulsen said.
“You chop off the head of the leadership, and now we have to reinvent that wheel,” he added.
“That’s not in our best interest.”
Health officials have warned against drinking raw milk – something Donald Trump’s health secretary Robert F Kennedy has promoted – with nearly 1,000 dairy cattle herds infected over the past year.
The virus has killed nearly 170 million chickens, turkeys and other birds in an ongoing outbreak since 2022.
The price of eggs has increased as a result.
The senator delivering marathon remarks against Donald Trump right now is still going.
In the past half an hour, 55-year-old Cory Booker has cracked the top four longest speeches in Senate history, passing Ted Cruz’s time of 21 hours and 19 minutes.
The record stands at 24 hours and 18 minutes – which Booker would hit at about 20 minutes past midnight UK time.
He has not been allowed to sit down or leave the Senate floor in all this time, not even to use the bathroom.
For more about Booker and why he’s taking this kind of stand, click on the link below…
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