Trump Announces Tariff Exemptions for Trade Agreement Partners

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order granting tariff exemptions for trade partners with established agreements with the United States, covering a wide range of industrial exports including nickel, gold, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. 

The exemptions are set to take effect on Monday.

The move comes after Trump spent his first seven months in office imposing sweeping tariff hikes under Section 232 of the National Security Act. His strategy has sought to restructure global trade, reduce the U.S. trade deficit, and extract concessions from commercial partners during negotiations.

The order outlines more than 45 categories of imports eligible for zero-tariff treatment, provided the exporting nations enter into reciprocal trade agreements with Washington. Among the goods affected are items that the United States cannot produce in sufficient quantities, such as certain metals and advanced materials.

According to White House officials, the executive order also creates new exemptions for specific agricultural products, aircraft and spare parts, and non-patented substances used in pharmaceuticals. In practice, this allows the U.S. Trade Representative, Commerce Department, and Customs authorities to exempt qualifying imports from tariffs without requiring additional presidential directives.

Key commodities covered include various forms of nickel, critical for stainless steel production and electric vehicle batteries, as well as gold imports ranging from powders and sheets to bullion. Notably, gold exports from Switzerland, which currently face U.S. tariffs of up to 39 percent in the absence of a bilateral trade deal, would benefit from the new exemptions.

The order also eliminates tariffs on natural graphite, neodymium magnets, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), while simultaneously withdrawing previous exemptions for certain plastics and polysilicon, a core component of solar panels.

Trump’s directive seeks to align U.S. tariff policy with existing framework agreements with allies such as Japan and the European Union, while signaling that further tariff relief will depend on “the scope and value of commitments” made by America’s trade partners in reciprocal deals.