Soon after returning to the White House to serve his second term, Donald Trump initiated a trade war against countries like Canada, Mexico, and China. With the announcement of up to 25% tariffs on imported goods, Trump faced backlash domestically and from leaders and citizens across the border. As he remains adamant about making America great again using tariffs, his new announcement has left people baffled.
Many would find it hard to believe, but Trump just announced that he’ll tax the illegal narcotics that are supplied to the US through Canada. Since Fentanyl is an illegal drug, the government is not able to collect any taxes from its sale or purchase. But Trump plans to do it somehow.
In a late-night Truth Social post, he wrote that he wants to “penalize” Canada “for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy.”
“They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels,” he added.
In a rant against the Democrats, he wrote, “Why are they allowing Fentanyl to pour into our Country unchecked, and without penalty. What is wrong with them, other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly known as TDS? Who can want this to happen to our beautiful families, and why?”
Trump’s social media announcement has left people baffled. Columnist Jonah Goldberg tweeted, “Wait. Does Trump think we can tariff the “sale” of fentanyl into America from those Canadian drug cartels?”
American political scientist Brendan Nyhan wrote, “Mad king watch. Virtually no fentanyl comes through Canada and generally drug smugglers do not declare their imports at the border. The man who will hold the nuclear codes for the next 1,389 days.”
Economics commentator Joey Politano wrote on BlueSky, “okay so he genuinely thinks that fentanyl smugglers have to pay tariffs lmfao okay so he genuinely thinks that fentanyl smugglers have to pay tariffs lmfao.”
Taking a dig at Trump, correspondent Alex Panetta posted, “This is real. Trump appears to be suggesting his tariffs on Canada will result in fentanyl dealers getting dinged at customs.”
This is real. Trump appears to be suggesting his tariffs on Canada will result in fentanyl dealers getting dinged at customs.
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— Alex Panetta (@alexpanetta.bsky.social) April 2, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Trump has not yet announced how he’s going to tax smugglers of illegal narcotics, but we sure are waiting for it! Is he planning to streamline the smuggling business? Will he make Fentanyl legal so that he can collect taxes? Who knows!
Meanwhile, Trump remains fixated on how high tariffs will bring America back to glory. He shared a White House blog that reads, “Tariffs work — and President Trump’s first term proves it.”
The article mentions that despite criticism from media and politicians, studies have shown that “tariffs are an effective tool for achieving economic and strategic objectives.”
Trump, in a retaliatory measure, also announced a 10% universal tariff on most imported goods along with additional high tariffs on nearly 60 countries. He shared a chart that mentions the names of countries, how much tariff they charge the US, and what they’ll be charged in return from now onwards.
For instance, China charges a 67% tariff while the US will now be charging it 34% as a reciprocal tariff. Countries like Bahamas, Oman, Nepal, Ukraine, Panama, Kenya, Jamaica, and Kuwait, which charge a minimal 10% tariff to the USA, are facing equal reciprocal tariffs.
