Trump’s ignorance taxes even penguins

Duties on uninhabited territories: will seals and sea lions protest?

Donald Trump has launched a new trade war by imposing tariffs on more than sixty countries and territories. But the real paradox emerges from the list of recipients: the U.S. president included even completely uninhabited territories, demonstrating a total ignorance of economic and geographic dynamics. Who knows if penguins and sea lions will demonstrate against his tariffs.

While Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Kim Jong-un’s North Korea are not subject to the new tariffs (Moscow is under sanctions and there are no trade relations in North Korea), the list includes places with no industries, inhabitants or trade, making the measures completely meaningless.

Duties on glaciers and wastelands: the list without logic

Notable among the affected territories are the Svalbard Islands, in the Arctic Circle, and the Heard and McDonald Islands, a remote archipelago in the Antarctic Ocean administered by Australia. The latter case is particularly absurd: the islands are completely uninhabited and devoid of any economic activity.

There is nothing on Heard Island besides ice and a volcano, Mawson Peak. There are no ports, no commercial activities, and the prohibitive climate makes any human settlement almost impossible. The only presence is seals, penguins and seabirds, which ironically would be the only ones “affected” by Trump’s tariffs.

A meaningless measure: the EU ready to react

The inclusion of territories with no active economy among the duty recipients confirms Trump’s superficial and uninformed approach to trade issues. The decision has already provoked criticism and irony, while the European Union, hit by the 20 percent duties, is preparing countermeasures.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said these tariffs will affect millions of citizens, raising the cost of energy and basic goods. At the same time, she reiterated Europe’s willingness to negotiate while remaining ready to defend its interests.

While the world questions the effectiveness of these measures, one thing is certain: Trump’s trade war strikes out blindly, even going so far as to tax lands where the only inhabitants are seals and penguins.

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