Trump imposes new duties on drugs, trucks and furniture: details of the trade strike
26 September 2025 10:09
US President Donald Trump has announced a new package of high tariffs on imported goods ranging from medicines to furniture and trucks. The decision was explained as “protecting national security and American manufacturing.” This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Reuters.
All new tariffs will come into effect on October 1, 2025.
100% duty on branded medicines
From now on, all patented or branded medicines imported to the United States will be subject to a 100% duty if the manufacturing company has not started building a plant in the United States.
Trump said that this would encourage pharmaceutical companies to “bring production back home.”
However, industry associations warn that such actions could disrupt already planned investments worth hundreds of billions of dollars. After the announcement of the new tariffs, shares of pharmaceutical companies in Hong Kong, Japan, India, and Australia plummeted.
25% duty on trucks
Trump imposed a 25% duty on heavy trucks, saying it would “protect manufacturers from unfair foreign competition.”
At the same time, the US Chamber of Commerce warned that the tariff increase would increase transportation costs and could put additional pressure on inflation.
The US partners , Mexico, Canada, Japan, Germany, and Finland, which supply most commercial vehicles to the US, also opposed the proposal.
Furniture under attack
Starting October 1, 50% duties on kitchen cabinets and bathroom furniture and 30% on upholstered furniture will be introduced. Trump said that this would “bring the furniture business back to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Michigan.”
Furniture imports to the United States in 2024 reached $25.5 billion, of which about 60% came from Vietnam and China. Representatives of the Vietnamese furniture industry have already called these tariffs “unfair and unjustified.”
A political tool
The new duties are part of Trump’s broader trade strategy, which uses them as a foreign policy tool to put pressure on partners and renegotiate agreements.
According to the US Treasury, these tariffs could bring in up to $300 billion in revenue by the end of the year.
The world’s reaction
- Japan said it was analyzing the implications of the US decisions.
- Australia condemned the new tariffs as “unfair and unjustified.”
- TheEU can avoid part of the blow thanks to existing trade agreements that limit tariff rates to 15%.
Will these tariffs affect countries with trade agreements?
Existing US trade agreements with Japan, the EU, and the UK provide for tariff caps on certain products, such as automobiles, semiconductors, and medicines. This means that the new national security duties are unlikely to exceed the agreed rates.
- TheEU has agreed to a 15% rate on cars, parts, medicines, and semiconductors.
- Japan has similar conditions that are consistent with the EU’s rates.
Experts emphasize that the new decisions could deepen global economic instability, slow growth, and raise prices for consumer goods in the United States.
