No people, just penguins and seals: Trump puts 10% tariff on a deserted island
In an amazing turn of events, US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff declaration has led to reactions worldwide, not only for a possible trade war, but also to put tariffs on an island where there is no human life.
During a press briefing on white House Rose Garden, Trump announced that he called “Liberation Day Tariffs”, which applies a base line 10% tariff to all business partners. However, the move took an unexpected turn when it was revealed that Hurd and McDonald IslandsThe sub-Antarctic was one of the remote and uninhabited Australian regions, affected areas in the Indian Ocean.
According to an Exios report citing an official of the White House, the islands were listed as their position as the Australian region. Trump used a visual poster to outline the affected areas and distributed printed sheets to reporters, one of which stated that the island currently tariffs 10% “tariff”, referring to “manipulation and business obstacles in currency”. “In response, the US administration has implemented” concessional mutual tariffs “at the same rate.
Hurd and McDonald Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage-list region, are described by the Australian government as “one of the most wild and remote places on Earth”. The Australian Antarctic program notes that a 10-day trip from the sea from Fremantle in Western Australia requires a trip to reach the islands. The islands are houses for various wildlife species, including penguins, seals, and seabards, many of which have protected the state of protection.
The decision to include these islands in the new tariff as well as the mainland Australia reacted sharply to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanis. In a post on X, he said, “There is no safe anywhere on Earth. These tariffs are not unpredictable, but they are inappropriate. Many other countries will be harder than Australia today – and no nation is better prepared than Australia.”
Other Australians were Kokos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Islands and Norfolk Islands affected in the outskirts. In particular, the Norfolk Island, which has a population of just 2,100, was subjected to 29% tariffs – 19 percent higher than the rest of Australia.
