US President Donald Trump announced today that any country that buys Venezuelan gas or oil from April 2 will be hit with a 25 percent tariff on all goods it exports to the US.
The US president, who has already revoked the permit of US oil giant Chevron to operate in Venezuela and who has accelerated the expulsion of Venezuelan migrants from the US, justified the announcement of these tariffs in a post on his Trut Social network, claiming that Caracas is "very hostile" towards the US.
Those punitive tariffs are set to take effect on the same day as the "reciprocal" tariffs that Trump has promised to impose on many of America's trading partners.
Trump even referred to April 2 as "Liberation Day."
For him, tariffs are the cornerstone of his economic, social and even foreign policy, reports Agence France-Presse.
Trump believes that tariffs are a universal weapon that will simultaneously re-industrialize the US, reduce the trade deficit and absorb the budget deficit, stimulate employment and establish a more favorable position for Washington on the international stage, the agency reported.
When it comes specifically to Venezuela, the US president has expelled a large number of migrants accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang, for which he even invoked an old law, used so far only in times of war, which allows for the arrest and expeditious deportation of foreigners considered enemies of the US.
Trump's national security adviser, Mike Walz, recently assessed that the gang, which is listed as a terrorist organization, is acting on behalf of the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
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