Trump levies 10% tariffs on Heard and McDonald Islands, ‘where no one lives’
ByYash Nitish Bajaj
Apr 03, 2025 05:09 AM IST
Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs for several US trade partners, including the Australian external territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs for several US trade partners, including the Australian external territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, where literally no one lives. The 78-year-old revealed a tariff chart during his speech from the White House Rose Garden. The list mentioned the island territory, which has been hit with 10% tariffs.
Trump announced tariffs on Heard and McDonald Islands(REUTERS)
Trump announced tariffs on Heard and McDonald Islands(REUTERS)
Heard Island and McDonald Islands are uninhabited subantarctic islands in the Southern Ocean, with no permanent human population. They are administered by Australia.
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Ridiculing Trump on social media, one person said: “Trump administration has put a 10 percent tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands…. which has a population of 0 people and is inhabited only by penguins.”
“The Trump administration has put a 10 percent tariff on the Heard Island and McDonald which has a population of 0 people and is inhabited only by penguins,” another one added on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The Heard and McDonald Islands are completely uninhabited. Population zero. I guess we're going to tariff the seagulls?” a third person tweeted.
Neither the Trump administration nor the White House have explained their tariffs on Heard Island and McDonald Islands.
Read More: Trump reciprocal tariffs chart: China tops list, India and EU over 20% - Check here
What are the Heard Island and McDonald Islands?
Heard Island and McDonald Islands are located approximately 1,700 km from the Antarctic continent and 4,100 km southwest of Perth. They are volcanically active subantarctic islands. “The distinctive conservation value of Heard and McDonald – one of the world’s rare pristine island ecosystems – lies in the complete absence of alien plants and animals, as well as human impact,” the Unesco website states.
Trump tariff announcement
President Trump announced significant tariffs on several trade partners, including India and China.
Detailing the percentage of tariffs, the 78-year-old said: “We will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us, so the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal. I could have done that, I guess, but it would have been tough for a lot of countries and we didn’t want to do that.”
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