The White House calculated the cumulative cost of trade barriers imposed by each of the target nations, including tariffs as well as non-monetary measures. In each case, the U.S. will impose a reciprocal tariff rate at 50% of the level attributed to a given country.
For instance, Trump said, the U.S. estimated a total trade barrier rate of 67% for China, meaning the U.S. would impose a 34% tariff in response. The U.S. assessed a European Union trade barrier rate of 39%, Trump said, adding that the U.S. reciprocal tariff would register at 20%.
The universal 10% tariff is set to take effect on the morning of April 5, and the reciprocal tariffs will hit products on the morning of April 9, White House officials said.