Trump duties, starting from April 2: 20%universal rates, all hypotheses and what we must expect

The Trump administration is preparing to reveal the « mutual » rates that according to the White House are used to correct « decades of unfair commercial practices » with which the United States have been « robbed ». The announcement is expected At 10pm on April 2, Italian time, And the duties will be « effective immediately », the spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has made it known. « The president is always ready to respond to a phone call, always ready for a good negotiation – he added -. On April 2 he will go up to the chronicles as one of the most important days in American history ».

The position of Brussels

Yesterday, speaking at the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen sent a precise message to Washington: if they start The duties against the EU The answer will be unitary, determined and justified, because it is not Europe that has started the clash. «Our goal is a negotiated solution. But of course, if necessary, we will protect our interests, our people and our companies, « reiterated Von der Leyen. «We would all be better if you can find a constructive solution. At the same time, it must also be clear that Europe has not started this clash. We don’t necessarily want to take retaliation actions, but we have a solid plan to do it if necessary, « he added. For Americans, duties are taxes on food and medicines, Von der Leyen recalled, and they will make inflation come back. « The American factories will pay more for the components produced in Europe », he observed, underlining that all this « will cost jobs, will create a bureaucratic monster of new customs procedures » and « will be a nightmare for all US importers ».

A fixed rate of 20%

According to American media in recent weeks, the Trump administration has taken into consideration several strategies. One of the hypotheses is that a 20% fixed tariff is introduced on all imports, which according to the estimates of the Bian White House consultants could allow the American government to ensure more than 6 trillion dollars of additional revenues. If the hypothesis were confirmed, the unemployment rate in the United States would like to 7.3%, the GDP would fall by 1.7% and the entire world economy would risk the recession, according to Moody’s.

The other hypotheses

Another possibility is that different rates are established according to the countries and commercial barriers that impose on American products. American officials explained that some countries could completely avoid duties by entering into commercial agreements with the United States. The mutual duties and those on cars, which will come into force from April 3, will be added to those already introduced, including those of 25% that the US already apply on all steel and aluminum imports. According to Bloomberg, US car manufacturers are pressing the American government to limit the impact of the duties on the automotive. In particular, according to sources aware of the matter, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, who is part of the Stellantis group, would have had meetings with the White House, the Department of Commerce and the office of the representative for the US trade to discuss the exclusion of part of the components. On Monday the president of Stellantis, John Elkann, met President Trump. According to reports from the White House and confirmed by the company, during the meeting there was talk of the competitiveness of the North American automotive system. Trump, in particular, said he wanted to restore less rigid standards on cars emissions.

The risks for Italy