He punishes each country with "reciprocal measures," approximately half of what he calculates each partner or bloc charges the US in tariffs, subsidies, or bureaucratic and tax barriers. On April 2, 2025,

President Trump, accusing 'friend and foe alike' of taking advantage of the United States on trade, said he would impose what he calls reciprocal tariffs on countries all over the world.

Russia and North Korea were excluded from Trump's tariff list as neither country engages in meaningful trade relations with the United States.