• President Donald Trump announced a 25 percent “secondary tariff” on all U.S. imports from countries that buy Venezuelan oil or gas, set to take effect on April 2, Liberation Day in America.
• The order aims to cut off revenue for Venezuela’s government, which relies heavily on oil exports and indirectly pressures China, a major buyer of Venezuelan crude.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio has broad authority to impose these tariffs – on top of existing duties – and can decide which countries face the levy.
• Venezuela condemned the move as “arbitrary, illegal and desperate,” accusing the U.S. of violating WTO rules (e.g., non-discrimination clauses) and vowing legal action.
• Trump’s “secondary tariffs” function similarly to secondary sanctions, marking a novel use of trade policy to penalize third-party nations engaging with Venezuela.

President Donald Trump has announced another executive order authorizing a 25 percent “secondary” tariff on all goods imported from any country that purchases oil or gas from Venezuela.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump framed the measure as retaliation against Venezuela’s “hostility” toward the United States.

“Any Country that purchases Oil and/or Gas from Venezuela will be forced to pay a Tariff of 25 percent to the United States on any Trade they do with our Country. All documentation will be signed and registered and the Tariff will take place on April 2, 2025, LIBERATION DAY IN AMERICA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on March 24. (Related: Trump grants one-month tariff exemption for auto imports from Mexico, Canada amid industry concerns.)

“Venezuela has been very hostile to the United States and the Freedoms which we espouse,” he added.

The executive order, dubbed “Liberation Day in America,” aims to choke off a critical revenue stream for Venezuela’s government, which has long relied on oil exports despite U.S. sanctions. The move also indirectly targets China, a top buyer of Venezuelan crude, which already faces existing U.S. tariffs.

This grants Secretary of State Marco Rubio the power to impose 25 percent tariffs – on top of any existing or proposed duties – on all U.S. imports from countries that purchase Venezuelan oil, whether directly or through intermediaries. However, it also gives Rubio significant discretion in enforcing these tariffs. It explicitly authorizes him to decide “at his discretion” whether to apply the additional levy on nations importing Venezuelan crude oil.

Trump labeled the new charges as “secondary tariffs,” an unprecedented application of the trade measure, akin to so-called secondary sanctions that penalize firms or individuals engaging with targeted entities.

Venezuela denounces the decision as “arbitrary, illegal and desperate”

Shortly after the announcement, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounced the decision as an “arbitrary, illegal and desperate” act of aggression.

In a strongly worded official statement, the Venezuelan government accused the U.S. of violating international trade laws and attempting to enforce an “economic dictatorship” against sovereign nations. The communiqué described the move as part of a long-standing campaign by the “fascist right-wing” – a reference to U.S.-backed opposition forces – to destabilize Venezuela through sanctions.

Venezuela’s government argued that the U.S. measure breaches multiple World Trade Organization (WTO) principles, including: the most-favored-nation principle (GATT 1994, Article I), which prohibits discriminatory trade practices; the ban on quantitative restrictions (GATT 1994, Article XI), aimed at preventing disguised trade barriers; and the Marrakesh Agreement’s non-discrimination clause, which mandates fair treatment in global commerce.

“Far from affecting our resolve, it confirms the resounding failure of all the sanctions imposed against our country,” the statement read. It also warned that Venezuela would pursue legal action in international bodies to challenge what it called a “blatant violation of the global economic order.”

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Sources include:

RigZone.com

Telesurenglish.net

Brighteon.com