Tariff Tornado: Trump redraws Global Trade in 80 days

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

In less than three months of his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has unleashed a sweeping overhaul of global trade through an aggressive and fast-paced series of tariff actions, redrawing the lines of international commerce and provoking fierce responses from allies and rivals alike.

Trump set the tone on January 20, using his inauguration speech to signal a hardline stance on trade. He pledged to overhaul the global trading system “to protect American workers” and promised that tariffs on foreign countries would be used “to enrich our citizens.”

Barely two weeks later, on February 1, the president announced a 25% tariff on exports from Canada and Mexico to the United States, along with a 10% levy on Chinese goods. The move sent shockwaves through North America, prompting urgent negotiations.

By February 3, Canada and Mexico had reached a temporary agreement with Washington to pause the tariffs for 30 days, buying time to ease tensions.

However, the reprieve was short-lived. On February 10, Trump expanded the tariff regime, imposing a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the United States — a policy long hinted at but now firmly in place.

The tariffs formally took effect on March 12, disrupting supply chains and drawing sharp criticism from major U.S. trading partners.

March brought further escalation. On March 4, the White House rolled out additional tariffs on Chinese imports, continuing its campaign to curtail what it deems unfair trade practices by Beijing. By March 26, the administration had broadened its offensive, announcing 25% duties on imported cars and auto parts, set to take effect on April 2.

Then came a dramatic shift on April 2, when Trump announced a sweeping new tariff policy: “reciprocal tariffs” targeting countries with imbalanced trade relations, alongside a universal 10% levy on all other imports — effectively establishing a baseline tariff for the rest of the world. That global 10% duty came into force on April 5.

On April 9, the tariff campaign reached a new peak. The United States imposed custom tariffs on approximately 60 countries, described by the White House as the “worst offenders.” At the same time, Trump announced a 90-day pause on new tariffs for all nations except China. The pause was coupled with a hard-hitting decision: the tariff rate on Chinese goods would rise sharply to 125%.

The escalation did not go unanswered. On April 10, China responded with its own counterstrike, implementing sweeping 84% tariffs on U.S. imports, intensifying the trade conflict and setting the stage for a deeper confrontation.

As the dust settles, economists and world leaders are grappling with the consequences of Trump’s tariff blitz — a policy agenda that, in under three months, has upended long-standing trade agreements, rattled markets, and challenged the foundations of global commerce.