When the Trump administration announced it would move forward with steel tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union, the allies quickly responded with tariffs on the U.S., hitting various types of steel and products containing the metal with duties.
But the lists of tariffs didn't stop at steel.
Here's a look at some of the — we'll call them interesting — goods produced in the U.S. that will face tariffs.
- Quiche
- "Prepared meals, of bovine"
- Pizza
- Peanut butter
- Maple syrup
- Cranberries
- Whiskey
- More than a dozen different types of rice
- "Various cheeses"
- Beer kegs
- Lawnmowers
- Inflatable boats
- "Sea-going sailboats and yachts"
- Felt-tipped (and other porous-tipped) pens
- Lip make-up preparations
While this list may seem random, or even amusing, the taxed products are all strategic.
These duties are seen largely as a strategic political move from allies, targeting prominent industries in U.S. swing states: Orange juice from Florida, dairy products from Wisconsin and chocolate from Pennsylvania, as a few examples.
The EU, Canada and Mexico also chose to slap tariffs on products that wouldn't harm their own industries at home. As noted in the list above, many of the listed duties are on prepared items, rather than the raw materials necessary to produce goods.
"Everything on the list can be replaced with products made in Canada or from other countries," Canada's CTV news reported. Canada produces around three-quarters of the world's maple syrup supply. Taxing imports of syrup from the U.S. would hardly make a dent in Canadian industries.
The bottom line is, tariffs are extending far beyond the steel industry, putting a wide range of industries on edge as they await final decisions and implementation of duties — and the next moves by the U.S.
