Beginning April 2, the United States will slap on a massive 25% tariff. This tariff directly punishes countries, like China and India, that are buying oil and gas from Venezuela. Former President Donald Trump introduced the novel trade restriction, blaming Venezuela’s purported behavior as the reason for the tariff. This tariff is deliberately directed against countries that continue to trade with Venezuela. Venezuela has been accused in serious terms, though not yet proven, of sending recruits from the Tren de Aragua gang to the U.S.
The tariff, a move driven mainly by President Trump himself, seeks to protect the U.S. from Venezuela’s purported misdeeds. Venezuela has already been accused of intentionally exporting members of the Tren de Aragua gang into the United States. Our response to those grave accusations. The Trump administration, in its last few months, named Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization.
President Trump made the tariff announcement on his new social media platform, Truth Social. He stated that the 25% tariff would apply to all trade between the U.S. and countries that continue to purchase oil and gas from Venezuela. The tariff is set to go into effect April 2.
This unexpected new measure represents the largest one-time increase in trade restrictions to date. The 25% tariff will impact existing trade agreements between the U.S. and nations that engage in oil and gas transactions with Venezuela.
The U.S. government, led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has previously cited concerns about Venezuela’s purported activities and how these may threaten our national security. The tariff is meant to be a tool to penalize trade with Venezuela and eliminate the so-called threat.
