Trump administration posts guidance on tariff rollout

President Donald Trump’s expanded reciprocal tariffs will not apply to any products loaded onto a vessel for transport into the US before 12:01 a.m. New York time on Thursday, according to guidance issued by US Customs and Border Protection.

The notice, posted by the federal government on Monday, outlines implementation of the tariffs Trump announced last week, which are expected to ratchet up levies on dozens of trading partners.

Expected exemptions for products under the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement negotiated by the president during his first term are included in the document, as are exemptions for relief items like food, clothing and medicine set to be distributed as aid. So is the president’s threatened penalty of a 40% tariff on goods deemed by the federal government to be transshipped to avoid country-specific duties.


Taken together, the average US tariff rate will rise to 15.2% if rates are implemented as announced, according to Bloomberg Economics. That’s up from 13.3% earlier and significantly higher than the 2.3% in 2024 before Trump took office.

Trump’s country-based tariffs have been billed as the centerpiece of his plan to shrink trade deficits and pressure companies to shift manufacturing jobs and investment to the US. Trump previously delayed his so-called reciprocal tariffs, first announced in April, to allow time for negotiations as nations sought to obtain better trade terms.

Some countries, including Switzerland and India, are still attempting to negotiate deals to lower their duties ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

Trump is expected to unveil separate tariffs on imports of pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, critical minerals and other key industrial products in the coming weeks, meaning ongoing uncertainty for companies and investors. And on Monday, he also threatened to impose “substantially” higher levies on Indian exports to the US over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.

While his tariffs are already bringing in billions in revenue for the US government, the longterm economic impacts remain unclear, with critics saying they will raise costs for US consumers and businesses and exacerbate inflation.