Trump on Liberation Day: 'Our Declaration of Economic Independence' — Reciprocal Tariffs on the World (April 2, 2025)

President Donald Trump stood in the Rose Garden and declared a new day for American workers. “My fellow Americans, this is ‘liberation day.’ Been waiting a long time. April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said on April 2, 2025, according to the transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

“This is one of the most important days, in my opinion, in American history. It’s our declaration of economic independence,” he said [1].

The video above shows Trump’s Rose Garden remarks on April 2, 2025. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project and the Federal Register [1][2][3][4][5].

”Ripped Off for More Than 50 Years”

“Our country and its taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years, but it is not going to happen anymore. It’s not going to happen,” Trump said [1].

“In a few moments, I will sign a historic Executive order instituting reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world. ‘Reciprocal’—that means they do to us and we do it to them. Very simple. Can’t get any simpler than that,” he said [1].

“Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country,” Trump said. “We will supercharge our domestic industrial base. We will pry open foreign markets and break down foreign trade barriers.” [1]

“From 1789 to 1913”

Trump reached back into history. “From 1789 to 1913, we were a tariff-backed nation, and the United States was proportionately the wealthiest it has ever been. So wealthy, in fact, that in the 1880s, they established a commission to decide what they were going to do with the vast sums of money they were collecting,” he said [1].

“Then, in 1913, for reasons unknown to mankind, they established the income tax so that citizens, rather than foreign countries, would start paying the money necessary to run our government,” Trump said [1].

“But it’s not too late any longer, and we are going to start being smart and we’re going to start being very wealthy again,” Trump said [1].

”A National Emergency”

“The United States can no longer produce enough antibiotics to treat our sick,” Trump said. “A single shipyard in China now produces more ships every year than all of the American shipyards combined.” [1]

“In short, chronic trade deficits are no longer merely an economic problem; they’re a national emergency that threatens our security and our very way of life,” he said [1].

”Approximately Half”

Holding up a chart, Trump said other countries would pay less than they charge America. “But we will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us. So, the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal,” he said [1].

“China—first row, China, 67 percent. That’s tariffs charged to the U.S.A., including currency manipulation and trade barriers,” Trump said. “So we’re going to be charging a discounted reciprocal tariff of 34 percent.” [1]

Of the European Union, he said: “Thirty-nine percent. We’re going to charge them 20 percent. So we’re charging them, essentially, half.” [1]

“Vietnam. Great negotiators. Great people. They like me. I like them. The problem is, they charge us 90 percent. We’re going to charge them 46-percent tariff,” Trump said [1].

“Japan, 46 percent. They were charging us 46 percent and much higher for certain items, like cars,” Trump said. “We’re charging them 24 percent.” [1]

“We Support Donald Trump’s Policies on Tariffs 100 Percent”

Brian Pannebecker, founder of Auto Workers for Trump, spoke from the podium. “My entire life, I have watched plant after plant after plant in Detroit and in the Metro Detroit area close,” he said [1].

He had brought 20 UAW members with him. “We support Donald Trump’s policies on tariffs 100 percent,” Pannebecker said [1].

”The Privilege of Access to Our Market”

“Foreign nations will finally be asked to pay for the privilege of access to our market—the biggest market in the world,” Trump said [1].

“In the coming days, there will be complaints from the globalists,” he warned. “But never forget, every prediction our opponents made about trade for the last 30 years has been proven totally wrong. They were wrong about NAFTA. They were wrong about China.” [1]

The order he signed, Executive Order 14257, says: “I hereby declare a national emergency with respect to this threat.” It placed an additional 10 percent duty on imports starting April 5, 2025, and higher country rates starting April 9 [2].

By the Numbers

10 percent: the baseline duty on imports from April 5, 2025 [2].
34 percent: the rate for China, half its 67 percent, per Trump [1].
20 percent: the rate for the European Union, per Trump [1].
24 percent: the rate for Japan, per Trump [1].
20: UAW members Pannebecker brought, per Pannebecker [1].

What Happened Next

Trump paused the country rates. On April 9, 2025, he posted: “I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately.” [3]

The tariffs changed form. On Feb. 20, 2026, Trump signed Executive Order 14389, which says the duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, including those in the April 2 order, “shall no longer be in effect.” [4] The same day, Proclamation 11012 imposed “for a period of 150 days, a temporary import surcharge of 10 percent ad valorem” starting Feb. 24, 2026 [5].

For Trump’s Liberation Day promise days earlier, see HYGO News’ page on March 28, 2025. For Trump the next day comparing the country to a patient after surgery, see the page on April 3, 2025.