President Trump to Implement New ‘Reciprocal Tariff’ Policy Within Days

Trump Announces Sweeping Tariffs; Bitcoin Dips, Markets Jitter

Bitcoin fell to $86,000 Wednesday afternoon as markets reacted to a sweeping new trade policy announced by U.S. President Donald Trump during a Rose Garden press briefing.

Trump said he would immediately sign an executive order introducing “reciprocal tariffs” targeting countries the administration says have unfair trade advantages over the U.S.

“For over five decades, American taxpayers have been on the losing end of global trade. That changes today,” Trump declared. He added that some of the tariffs will begin taking effect at midnight.

Key measures include:

• A 25% tariff on all foreign automobiles starting April 3 at midnight
• A blanket 10% tariff on all imports beginning April 5
• Country-specific tariffs starting April 9:
  • China: 34%
  • Vietnam: 46%
  • Taiwan: 32%
  • South Korea: 25%
  • EU: 20%
  • Switzerland: 31%

Bitcoin initially spiked as the event began but reversed course as the details emerged, settling near $86,000 — about a 1% drop from pre-announcement levels.

U.S. equity markets stumbled on the news. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 2.3%, while S&P 500 futures lost 1.7%. In contrast, gold surged to an all-time high just under $3,200 per ounce as investors sought safe-haven assets.