Leading up to the presidential election, Donald Trump campaigned vehemently against free trade deals, claiming they were bad for American jobs, manufacturing and the economy.

Businesses grew concerned about the rhetoric, worrying what the dismantling of free trade deals could mean for their imports, exports and supply chains. In 2017, protectionist trade policy became the top business concern in the apparel and fashion industry — a drastic increase over the figures in 2016.

The first tariffs were announced in January 2018 on imports of solar panels. But that escalated quickly, to tariffs on billions of dollars of goods among the world’s largest trading partners.

So how did we get here? See the timeline below, or click to filter tariffs by country. We’ll continue to update this list as more news becomes available.

Tariff Timeline

• Feb 7

  China to slash tariffs by 50% on $75B of US imports

  The changes will take effect Feb. 14, and the move follows the Trump administration's announcement during the signing of a phase one trade deal to reduce the tariff rate from 15% to 7.5% on Feb. 14 on about $120 billion worth of imports from China.

  

• Dec 23

  China to lower tariffs on hundreds of products Jan. 1

  Chinese trade authorities will lower tariffs on imported frozen pork, frozen avocados, non-frozen orange juice, wood and paper products and some components for high-tech electronics.

  

• Dec 13

  Trump cancels Dec. 15 China tariffs

  U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods slated to take effect Dec. 15, known as list 4B, will not take effect, and the 15% tariffs that took effect at the beginning of September on about $120 billion worth of goods (list 4A) will be reduced to a rate of 7.5%.

  

• Oct 11

  Trump calls off Oct. 15 tariff increases

  The U.S. will hold off on the tariff hikes originally scheduled for Oct. 15. The tariffs were set to go from 25% to 30% on $250 billion in Chinese imports.

  

• Sep 11

  Trump: US will delay Oct. 1 tariff increase on Chinese goods by 2 weeks

  The U.S. Trade Representative announced plans last month to increase the existing 25% tariff on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods to a rate of 30% on Oct. 1. This is now delayed until Oct. 15.

  

• Aug 23

  US to up all China tariffs 5 percentage points

  The U.S. will increase the tariff rate on the remaining $300 billion worth of imports from China to 15%. The USTR will begin the process of raising the existing 25% tariff on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods to a rate of 30% on Oct. 1

  

• Aug 23

  China to add tariffs on $75B of US imports

  Some of the duties will take effect Sept. 1 and others Dec. 15, mirroring the U.S. schedule of tariffs on China.

  

• Aug 13

  USTR: 10% tariffs on 'certain' clothing, electronics from China delayed to Dec. 15

  Some electronics, apparel and footwear will not face tariffs until December. "We’re doing this for the Christmas season," Trump told reporters.

  

• Aug 1

  Trump: US to impose 10% tariffs on $300B in Chinese goods

  The tariffs will take effect on Sept. 1, and negotiations will continue in early September.

  

• July 1

  US proposes tariffs on $4B EU imports

  The latest duties comprise a supplemental list, adding on to tariffs proposed in April on $21 billion worth of goods, covering several food products and whiskey.

  

• June 29

  Trump: US won't impose tariffs on $300B Chinese goods 'for the time being'

  Trump said the U.S. and China agreed to resume trade negotiations, and China will buy a "tremendous amount" of food and agricultural products from the U.S.

  

• June 7

  US to 'indefinitely' suspend Mexico tariffs

  President Donald Trump said, via tweet, the 5% tariffs, originally set to take effect Monday, June 10, are "hereby indefinitely suspended."

  

• May 30

  US announces tariffs on all imports from Mexico starting June 10

  Tariffs on Mexico throw a wrench into what seemed to be smooth sailing for ratification of the USMCA.

  

• May 17

  US lifts steel, aluminum tariffs on Canada, Mexico

  The 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican steel and 10% on aluminum, in place since March 2018, were major barriers to the ratification of the United States, Mexico and Canada Agreement (USMCA).

  

• May 13

  US formally begins process for tariffs on $300B

  The list includes raw materials and finished goods across dozens of industries, touching nearly every U.S. business — and in turn, every consumer.

  

• May 13

  China will raise the tariff rate on $60 billion worth of US imports beginning June 1

  Higher duties on animal and food products could make U.S. exports of these goods less appealing to Chinese buyers, creating even higher stockpiles for farmers and lowered prices.

  

• May 10

  US begins the process for tariffs on all remaining Chinese imports

  Implementing tariffs on the remaining $300 billion worth of goods from China would affect nearly every industry that imports anything from China, from a small component to a finished product.

  

• May 8

  China threatens 'necessary' retaliation to tariff hike

  Economists say retaliatory tariffs from China likely won't have a significant effect on the U.S. economy due to the trade imbalance, but agriculture could take a hit.

  

• May 5

  Trump: Tariffs on $200B Chinese imports will rise to 25% Friday

  U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer confirmed the news the following day, after Trump tweeted about the tariff hike Sunday night.

  

• April 8

  US proposes tariffs on $11B of EU imports

  The preliminary list includes a wide variety of goods, including helicopters, food items such as seafood and cheese, wine, apparel and minerals.

  

• February 24

  Trump delays tariff hike initially scheduled for March

  Tariffs on $200 billion worth of imports from China will remain at 10%, and the President plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping "to conclude an agreement," Trump tweeted.

  

• December 1

  US, China agree to delay Jan. 1 tariff hike

  Tariffs on $200 billion worth of imports from China will remain at a rate of 10%, as the two nations' leaders negotiate "structural changes" over the next 90 days.

  

• September 17

  Tariffs on $200B worth of imports from China start Sept. 24

  The duties will start at 10% and rise to 25% at the beginning of 2019.

  

• August 7

  US to collect 25% duties on $16B Chinese imports starting Aug. 23

  The tariffs follow a first round of taxes on $34 billion of imports from China that began July 6, bringing the total to $50 billion.

  

• August 3

  China warns it could retaliate with tariffs on $60B

  China's announcement came after President Donald Trump recommended increasing proposed duties on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports to 25%, up from 10% announced in July

  

• July 25

  US, EU vow to work toward 'zero tariffs'

  After a meeting between President Donald Trump and President of the EU Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the two released a joint statement agreeing set up a working group to lower trade barriers.

  

• July 10

  US announces tariffs on $200B more goods from China

  The announcement came in response to China's retaliatory tariffs on $34 billion of U.S. goods. China promise "firm and forceful measure in return," but the country has only about $80 billion of U.S. imports remaining to tax.

  

• July 6

  US, China hit each other with $34B in tariffs

  The U.S. imposed 25% duties on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports, and China retaliated swifty with tariffs of equal measure. China’s Commerce Ministry said the U.S. has "ignited the largest trade war in economic history."

  

• June 15

  India, China retaliate against US tariffs

  China announced Friday it would impose a 25% tariff on 545 U.S. products worth $34 billion, a reciprocal response to the U.S. action against 818 Chinese products announced that same day.

  

• May 31

  US allies retaliate against 'unacceptable' steel tariffs

  In response to steel and aluminum tariffs, Canada announced tariffs on $12.8 billion in US products, and Mexico declared it would place duties on steel along with other products, totaling $3 billion. The European Union called it a "bad day for world trade."

  

• May 31

  US moves forward with steel tariffs on EU, Canada, Mexico

  The U.S. let tariff exemptions expire, resulting in duties of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum for Canada, Mexico and the European Union.

  

• May 29

  US slaps 25% tariff on $50B of Chinese imports

  The tariffs cover "industrially significant technology” and are aimed to punish China for intellectual property abuses.

  

• May 20

  US pauses trade war with China

  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News that the U.S. was "putting the trade war on hold."

  

• April 30

  US delays steel, aluminum tariffs until June

  Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union were set to take effect May 1, but the Trump administration granted a 30-day exemption.

  

• April 2

  China puts tariffs on $3B worth of selected US food exports

  In retaliation for steel and aluminum tariffs, China imposed duties between 15% and 25% on more than 128 products, including several food and agricultural products.

  

• March 22

  US announces tariffs on up to $60B in goods imported from China

  This announcement marked the first tariffs during Trump’s administration targeted directly at China, sparking fears of a trade war among retail and tech industry leaders.

  

• March 8

  Trump slaps on steel tariffs but spares NAFTA neighbors

  Trump signed proclamations imposing a 25% tariff on five classifications of steel articles and a 10% tariff on six types of aluminum products against all countries but Canada and Mexico, effective March 23, 2018.

  

• March 2

  EU threatens retaliatory tariffs on Levi's jeans and bourbon

  The tariff threats came in retaliation to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum and target $3.5B in imports to the EU.

  

• March 1

  Trump say he’ll put 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminum

  Donald Trump said U.S. manufacturing industries had been "decimated" by unfair trade policies.

  

• Jan 22

  Trump issues 30% tariff on solar imports

  Two U.S. solar manufacturers petitioned for import relief, blaming low-price imports, mostly from Chinese companies based in other countries, for their predicament.