Trump levies 10% tariffs on Heard and McDonald Islands, where no one lives

Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs for several US trade partners, including the Australian external territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Updated on: Apr 3, 2025, 08:26:21 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs for several US trade partners, including the Australian external territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, where literally no one lives. The 78-year-old revealed a tariff chart during his speech from the White House Rose Garden. The list mentioned the island territory, which has been hit with 10% tariffs.

Trump announced tariffs on Heard and McDonald Islands (REUTERS)

Heard Island and McDonald Islands are uninhabited subantarctic islands in the Southern Ocean, with no permanent human population. They are administered by Australia.

Ridiculing Trump on social media, one person said: “Trump administration has put a 10 percent tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands…. which has a population of 0 people and is inhabited only by penguins.”

“The Trump administration has put a 10 percent tariff on the Heard Island and McDonald which has a population of 0 people and is inhabited only by penguins,” another one added on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

“The Heard and McDonald Islands are completely uninhabited. Population zero. I guess we're going to tariff the seagulls?” a third person tweeted.

Neither the Trump administration nor the White House have explained their tariffs on Heard Island and McDonald Islands.

What are the Heard Island and McDonald Islands?

Heard Island and McDonald Islands are located approximately 1,700 km from the Antarctic continent and 4,100 km southwest of Perth. They are volcanically active subantarctic islands. “The distinctive conservation value of Heard and McDonald – one of the world’s rare pristine island ecosystems – lies in the complete absence of alien plants and animals, as well as human impact,” the Unesco website states.

Trump tariff announcement

President Trump announced significant tariffs on several trade partners, including India and China.

Detailing the percentage of tariffs, the 78-year-old said: “We will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us, so the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal. I could have done that, I guess, but it would have been tough for a lot of countries and we didn’t want to do that.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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