President Donald Trump has redrawn America's trade rules in a single afternoon. On Thursday he imposed new tariffs of up to 12.5% on goods from 60 countries, which the White House frames as a penalty on nations that have failed to curb imports made with forced labour, per France 24. The new duties slot in exactly where an older set of temporary levies falls away: those expire on Friday, after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's earlier trade measures.

Why it matters: with one signature, the cost of moving goods into the world's largest consumer market changes for dozens of economies at once — from Canada to Asia, as BNN Bloomberg reports. Tariffs are taxes paid on imports, and importers typically pass at least part of the bill down the line — so the reach here goes well beyond trade ministries.

  • Up to 12.5% in new US tariffs now apply to imports from 60 countries (France 24).
  • They replace temporary levies expiring Friday, after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's earlier measures (France 24).
  • The stated trigger is 'forced labour' — countries the White House says have not stopped goods made with it (France 24).

What actually changed?

The headline number is 12.5% — a ceiling, not a flat rate, so different countries face different levels up to that mark (France 24). Nikkei Asia describes the move as Trump rebuilding the tariff wall with fresh rates across 60 nations after the old structure collapsed in court (Nikkei Asia). Canada is among those named, alongside dozens of others (BNN Bloomberg). Reuters confirms a fresh raft of new global tariffs (Reuters).

Why the 'forced labour' label?

Officially, the duties target countries the White House says have not stopped imports produced with forced labour (France 24).

Hypothesis: reframing the tariffs around forced labour may be an attempt to rest them on firmer legal ground than the measures the Supreme Court just rejected. Supporting this: the new justification arrives at the precise moment the old legal basis expires, and it swaps a broad trade rationale for a narrower, rights-based one. Against this: the sources describe the White House's reasoning as policy, not law, and none confirm the legal mechanism — so treat the courtroom motive as unproven.

What does this mean for prices?

For now, that's the open question. Reason Magazine noted that, hours before the old tariffs lapsed, no one could say for certain what would replace them (Reason). The BBC reports the new levies land on dozens of trade partners over forced-labour imports (BBC), but the country-by-country detail — which goods, at what rate — is what will decide whether shoppers feel it. Higher import taxes tend to nudge retail prices up over time, though how much depends on those specifics.

What to watch next

  1. The fine print: the exact rate each of the 60 countries faces, and which product categories are covered.
  2. Retaliation: whether Canada and other named partners answer with tariffs of their own (CTV News).
  3. The courts again: whether the forced-labour framing survives the legal challenges that sank the last round (France 24).