Donald Trump announces 100% tariff on imported pharmaceutical drugs from October 1
Starting October 1, the US will impose a 100% tariff on imported branded or patented pharmaceuticals unless companies are actively building manufacturing plants in America, President Donald Trump announced.
The United States will impose a 100% tariff on imports of branded or patented pharmaceutical products from October 1, unless the company is building a manufacturing plant in the US, President Donald Trump said on Thursday.
"Starting October 1st, 2025, we will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any branded or patented Pharmaceutical Product, unless a Company IS BUILDING their Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in America. “IS BUILDING” will be defined as, “breaking ground” and/or “under construction.” There will, therefore, be no Tariff on these Pharmaceutical Products if construction has started. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump said on Truth Social that the pharmaceutical tariffs would not apply to companies building manufacturing plants in the United States, which he defined as either “breaking ground” or being “under construction.” It remains unclear how the tariffs would apply to companies that already have factories in the US.
In 2024, America imported nearly $233 billion worth of pharmaceutical and medicinal products, according to the Census Bureau. The prospect of prices doubling for some medicines could send shock waves through voters, as healthcare expenses, including the costs of Medicare and Medicaid, may increase significantly.
Trump imposes 25% tariff on heavy trucks, 50% on kitchen cabinets
Donald Trump's announcement was part of a broader package of industry-focused tariffs set to take effect next week. Apart from pharmaceuticals, the United States will also impose levies on heavy trucks, upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities from October 1.
While the US commander-in-chief did not provide any legal justification for the tariffs, he said it was to protect the sectors from “National Security and other reasons.”
“In order to protect our Great Heavy Truck Manufacturers from unfair outside competition, I will be imposing, as of October 1st, 2025, a 25% Tariff on all “Heavy (Big!) Trucks” made in other parts of the World,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
He said US-based “Great Large Truck Company Manufacturers” like Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Mack Trucks, and others will be “protected from the onslaught of outside interruptions”.
“We need our Truckers to be financially healthy and strong, for many reasons, but above all else, for National Security purposes,” Trump said.
He also announced sweeping tariffs on various household products, including imported kitchen cabinets and certain kinds of furniture - potentially adding even more costs to a category that has surged in price in recent months.
“We will be imposing a 50 per cent Tariff on all Kitchen Cabinets, Bathroom Vanities, and associated products, starting October 1st, 2025. Additionally, we will be charging a 30 per cent Tariff on Upholstered Furniture,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The US President blamed the “FLOODING” of these products by other companies as his reason to impose the tariffs.
“It is a very unfair practice, but we must protect, for National Security and other reasons, our Manufacturing process,” he said.
The new tariffs on cabinetry could further increase the costs for homebuilders at a time when many people seeking to buy a house feel priced out by the mix of housing shortages and high mortgage rates.
Trump has long maintained that tariffs are the key to forcing companies to invest more in domestic factories. He has dismissed fears that importers would simply pass along much of the cost of the taxes to consumers and businesses in the form of higher prices.