Lutnick says Trump tariffs on small islands are strategic closing of trade ‘loopholes’

The two island territories were hit with 10% tariffs on Saturday. They were among 86 countries that met the same fate, yet other countries are facing additional higher tariffs on April 9 in response to their tariffs on U.S. goods. Heard Island and McDonald Islands are largely populated by penguins and uninhabited by people, which has prompted jeering online.

“Why are the Heard Island and McDonald Islands, which don’t export to the United States, and are quite literally inhabited by penguins, why do they face a 10% tariff?” CBS News’s Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan asked Lutnick on Sunday. “Did you use AI to generate this?”

“No,” Lutnick responded laughing. “What happens is if you leave anything off the list, the countries that try to basically

Continue reading