Following President Trump’s announcement of a minimum 10% tax on all incoming products, questions arise about which nations impose the highest tariffs on the U.S.
The Trump administration previously pinpointed 15 countries with the largest trade deficits with the U.S., indicating that the U.S. imports more from these nations than they import from the U.S.
The White House has also cited “unfair” trade practices, primarily tariffs on U.S. goods.
A trade war between Washington and Beijing began during Trump’s first term when he imposed 25% tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods in April 2018.
China retaliated the next day with reciprocal tariffs on 106 U.S. products worth $50 billion, largely targeting U.S. agricultural goods valued at $16.5 billion.
The tariff war continued with escalating tariffs until a partial agreement was reached in January 2020.
By January 2021, the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) estimated that the U.S. had lost nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars.
The Biden administration largely maintained the trade policies established during Trump’s initial trade war.
However, Trump threatened 60% tariffs on Beijing during his campaign and, shortly after his inauguration in February 2025, imposed a blanket 20% tariff on all Chinese imports.
China responded with tariffs of up to 15% on over $33 billion in U.S. goods, including chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton.
China’s trade deficit with the U.S. stands at $295.4 billion.
The European Union, already familiar with Trump’s trade policies, is preparing for a potentially larger conflict after previous disputes over metal trade during his first term.
Trump has already announced a 25% tariff on steel imports, directly affecting the European Union, the U.S.’s largest trading partner, as well as a 25% tariff on imported cars, impacting countries like Germany.
The EU has stated it may impose retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. of up to $28 billion.
In 2024, the U.S. had a trade deficit of $209 billion with the European Union, which Trump has deemed “an atrocity.”
The President is also concerned about specific levies imposed by various trading partners.
Last month, the White House stated that certain levies make it “virtually impossible” for U.S. products to be exported, citing a 50% tax on American dairy products sold by EU nations.
However, Andrew Hale, a senior policy analyst in trade policy with the Heritage Foundation, stated that the dairy industry in Europe faces significant barriers that prevent them from lowering prices to match American products.
“They have a very, very protected agricultural market,” Hale said, pointing out Europe’s strict husbandry practices. “Europeans would not be able to compete.”
Hale explained that European regulations prohibit practices common in the U.S., such as overcrowding and poor conditions in poultry, dairy, and pork mass farming.
Animal spacing regulations and bans on hormone injections have led to a different approach to farming that emphasizes quality over mass production, making European meats and dairy products more expensive than American products. This makes it unlikely that the EU will drop this tax.
The White House has also targeted Canada, stating that it has a 300% tariff on American butter and cheese.
Hale clarified that this is a tariff rate-quota negotiated during the first Trump administration under the revised NAFTA agreement, now the USMCA, and has never been implemented.
The high tariff would only apply if U.S. exports exceed negotiated tariff rate quotas. Otherwise, daily sales to Canada are not subject to tariffs.
Canada and the U.S. have recently engaged in a tariff dispute after Trump announced a blanket 25% tariff on Canadian goods and 10% on its energy.
In response, Ottawa imposed 25% reciprocal tariffs on $30 billion in U.S. goods, primarily targeting the agriculture sector.
Canada has threatened tariffs on $95 billion in U.S. imports if Trump imposes additional taxes on the country.
“Everyone needs to do what Israel has just done, bring down zero tariffs against the U.S. And then we can have absolute free trade,” Hale said. “That’s fair, and we can all have market access.”
“When you have stupid tariffs, like tariffing stuff you don’t grow and make, that’s just basically being unfair.”