Speaking to reporters this Monday in Washington, DC, US President Donald Trump doubled down on trade, re-announcing plans to slap additional tariffs on automobiles, aluminum, and pharmaceuticals “soon.” This comes hot on the heels of the Trump administration’s recent solo move to impose a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminum entering the United States. And in classic Trump fashion, he used the opportunity to throw in a new tariff threat, declaring that the US would be hitting all goods coming from countries that dare to purchase Venezuelan crude oil with an extra 25% tariff.

Never one to shy away from making headlines, Donald Trump also hopped from topic to topic, covering both old ground and new territory. He mentioned that his team is, yet again, “close” to sealing a “rare earths” deal with Ukraine. Trump also made it clear he’d like the Federal Reserve (Fed) to cut interest rates, even as the US economy shows signs of wobbling and worries about inflation are starting to bubble up again. Adding to the mix, Trump surprisingly unveiled plans for a brand-new air traffic system, mentioning this right after recalling the series of tragic airplane crashes that unfortunately followed the dismissal of thousands of FAA workers and air traffic controllers early in his presidency.

According to Trump himself, and confirmed by his Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, April 2nd is still the firm date for the grand launch of wide-ranging “reciprocal” tariffs on any country that has tariffs on US goods. The Trump administration is even prepared to categorize foreign VAT taxes as tariffs in this equation. President Trump also stated during his somewhat rambling speech that companies are indeed bringing their operations back to US soil and are pouring investments into the American economy. However, the specifics about which companies are relocating and the exact amounts they’re investing remain, shall we say, a bit of a mystery.

Key highlights

Any country that buys oil or gas from Venezuela will get hit with a 25% tariff from the US, effective April 2nd.

The US is adding a secondary tariff targeting Venezuela.

Companies are all returning to the US.

Investment numbers are exceeding expectations.

The CHIPS act? A disaster.

Tariffs on autos, aluminum, and pharmaceuticals will be announced very soon.

Tariffs will keep US taxes nice and low.

Energy prices are heading down.

Fingers crossed the Fed lowers interest rates.

Get ready for a brand new air traffic system.

We’re in talks with folks in Greenland who are keen for something to happen.

Greenland is calling *us*, not the other way around. National security is key here.

I was pretty concerned about the economy six months back.

We stepped into a real mess, economy-wise.

Rare earths agreement is on the verge of being signed.

Rare earths agreement, practically done. My signature is coming soon.

We’re now talking territory and who owns the power plants.