What are ‘secondary tariffs’? Trump says they'll soon hit Venezuela
(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump on Monday announced that Venezuela will face a "secondary tariff" come April 2, alleging that the nation purposefully sent criminals to the U.S., which earned it the levy.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said the U.S. would impose a 25% tariff on any country that buys oil or gas from Venezuela.
Other reciprocal tariffs are set to begin that same day, including levies against Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Canada, India, China, the European Union and more.
What is a 'secondary tariff'?
Though not a technical term, a secondary tariff, per Trump's post, is essentially a monetary sanction on countries that trade with a country the U.S. is at odds with. This time, it's Venezuela.
Any nation that buys oil or gas from Venezuela will face a 25% tariff on "any Trade they do with our country," he said. Presumably, that 25% would compound with existing tariffs enacted by Trump on any affected countries.
By enacting these tariffs, Trump aims to punish not only Venezuela but its trade allies — hence, the "secondary" designation.
Who will Trump's 'secondary tariff' affect?
The majority of Venezuela's oil exports go to China. In 2023, it bought 68% of Venezuela's exported oil, according to a 2024 analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The U.S. already has large levies against China: 20% blanket tariffs, compounded by 10-25% tariffs enacted by Trump during his first term.
That same dataset points to Spain, Russia, Singapore and Vietnam as other top customers of Venezuelan oil.
Why did Trump announce a 'secondary tariff' on Venezuela?
Trump said the tariff is a result of the South American country "purposefully and deceitfully sent to the United States, undercover, tens of thousands of high level, and other, criminals, many of whom are murderers and people of a very violent nature."
Trump has pushed for the deportation of Venezuelans he claims are part of the Tren de Aragua gang.
Within two weeks, the U.S. has flown hundreds of migrants to Venezuela under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, kicking off a legal battle with federal judge James E. Boasberg, whose order to stop the first round of flights wasn't carried out.
Trump also accused Venezuela of being "hostile" to America's repatriation efforts. Hours earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro agreed to resume accepting flights from the U.S.
Maduro paused the flights earlier in March after the Treasury Department took away Chevron's license to export Venezuelan oil.
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