This page contains Flexport’s older updates (mid-March-early April) on the Trump administration’s tariffs and trade policies. Find other early updates (including our original blog on the 2024 election) here.

For Flexport’s most up-to-date developments and guidance, check out our live tariff and trade blog.

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Updated April 4, 2025:

A recent update from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CSMS #64649265) clarifies the rules regarding exemptions to the new reciprocal tariffs, which take effect April 5, 2025.

Businesses may claim an exemption from the 10% reciprocal duty if both of the following conditions are met:

• Departure Date: Goods must have been loaded onto a vessel and in transit on the final mode of transport before 12:01 a.m. ET on April 5, 2025.
• Arrival/Entry Date: Goods must be entered for consumption (or withdrawn from warehouse) between 12:01 a.m. EDT on April 5 and 12:01 a.m. ET on May 27, 2025.

This means that goods which departed their origin before April 5, 2025, but do not arrive in the U.S. by May 27, 2025, will be required to pay the additional 10% reciprocal duties. CBP created this cutoff date to “prevent abuse of the exemption".
Additionally, drawback is available for the 10% IEEPA Reciprocal tariff. However, it will not be available for the previously announced IEEPA Fentanyl or Section 232 (steel and aluminum) tariffs.

If your company imports merchandise subject to the 10% IEEPA Reciprocal Tariff and also exports from the U.S., don’t leave money on the table - get your duties back! This refund opportunity can offset costs, boost margins, and support your global competitiveness. Reach out to ensure you’re maximizing this benefit.

After May 27, 2025, CBP will no longer accept the exemption. That means all goods—regardless of when they departed—will be subject to the 10% tariff if entered on or after this date.

Updated April 2, 2025:

Today, on “Liberation Day,” President Trump made a number of new tariff and trade policy announcements. Shortly after his press conference this afternoon, he also issued an executive order. Details are as follows:

• Reciprocal tariffs, effective April 9, 2025
  • Most reciprocal tariffs will be levied at roughly half the rate the Trump administration contends is charged to the United States. Some trade partners (like the United Kingdom and Australia) will face a reciprocal tariff equivalent to what they charge the United States.

It is currently unclear whether these reciprocal tariffs will be imposed on all imports from these countries, or only goods these countries impose tariffs on against the United States.

Note that reciprocal tariffs will not apply to goods subject to existing or future Section 232 tariffs (like steel and aluminum articles and automobiles and auto parts), nor will they apply to minerals, timber, copper, pharmaceuticals, or semiconductors.

Cumulatively, China will be subject to some of the steepest tariffs: a new 34% reciprocal tariff, on top of Section 301 tariffs, the 20% IEEPA tariff implemented in early March, and baseline U.S. tariffs.

• A 10% universal baseline tariff on all trade partners, effective April 5, 2025
• The elimination of de minimis treatment for imports from China and Hong Kong, effective May 2, 2025
  • President Trump had previously announced in early February that he would eliminate de minimis for Chinese imports. A few days later, he announced that de minimis would remain in effect until “adequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue.”
  • Per today's executive order, adequate systems are now in place to collect tariff revenue.
• A 25% tariff on automobiles, effective April 3, 2025
  • The tariff will apply to imported passenger vehicles, SUVs, minivans, cargo vans, and light trucks.
  • For automobiles that comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the 25% tariff will apply only to non-U.S. content (i.e., parts not significantly produced or transformed in the U.S.). Importers must proactively submit documentation at the time of importation proving U.S. content to Customs (CBP).
  • If importers cannot satisfactorily document U.S. content, the full value of the vehicle will be subject to the 25% tariff. This penalty can apply retroactively, potentially resulting in additional costs even after entry.
• A 25% tariff on automobile parts, effective by May 3, 2025
  • The tariff will apply to an extensive range of imported automobile parts, including but not limited to: tires; wheels; filters; seat belts; speedometers; rubber gaskets; hoses; automotive glass; springs; door mountings; bumpers; fenders; air filters; catalytic converters; car air conditioners; computers used in automobiles; lead-acid and lithium batteries; and even speed guns used by police. Note that this list extends well beyond the engines, transmissions, and electrical components indicated by earlier announcements.
  • 90 days from now (or sooner), the Secretary of Commerce must establish a process for adding additional items to the list of automobile parts subject to this tariff.
  • Automobile parts that comply with USMCA (excluding knock-down kits and parts compilations) will not be subject to the new tariff until the Secretary of Commerce establishes a method for taxing importers’ non-U.S. content.
  • Auto parts that are clearly unrelated to passenger vehicles (cars, SUVs, minivans, and cargo vans) or light trucks will also be eligible for an exemption from the tariff.
• A 25% tariff on empty aluminum cans and beer, effective April 4, 2025
  • The latest revision to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (with regard to the Aluminum Presidential Proclamation) now contains two additional aluminum derivative products: beer and empty aluminum cans. For beer, the levy will be imposed on the value of the aluminum can.

Updated March 27, 2025:

Yesterday, President Trump signed a proclamation imposing a 25% tariff on all imports of automobiles and auto parts. The tariff, which will take effect on April 3 at 12:01 a.m. ET, will apply to both finished automobiles shipped into the U.S. and imported parts assembled into automobiles at American auto plants.

Importers of automobiles that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will be given the opportunity to certify their U.S. content, so that the 25% tariff will only apply to their non-U.S. content. Additionally, USMCA-compliant auto parts will not be subject to the new tariff until the Secretary of Commerce and CBP finalize a process for applying tariffs to importers’ non-U.S. content.

About half of all U.S. auto imports come from Mexico and Canada; other top suppliers include Japan, South Korea, and Germany. Some American brands—including major manufacturers like General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis—will also be significantly impacted, with supply chains that cross North American borders several times and major operations in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Updated March 25, 2025:

President Trump issued an executive order yesterday imposing a 25% tariff on all countries that buy oil or gas from Venezuela, effective April 2. This tariff will be added on top of existing tariffs.

According to the executive order, officials from the Trump administration—the Secretaries of State, the Treasury, Commerce, and Homeland Security, along with the U.S. Trade Representative—may determine specific tariffs to levy. The executive order also stipulates that the tariffs will expire one year after Venezuelan oil is last imported, or possibly earlier, depending on decisions from Trump administration officials.

China and the U.S. are among the biggest buyers of Venezuelan oil. Of the 921,000 barrels of crude oil Venezuela produced per day in 2024, 351,000 barrels per day were shipped to China, while 228,000 barrels per day were shipped to the United States. Other regular importers of Venezuelan oil include India, Spain, Brazil, and Turkey.