President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. will impose a 25% tariff on imports from any country that purchases oil or gasoline from Venezuela, targeting the South American nation for what he called “purposefully and deceitfully” sending criminals into the United States.
Trump announced a “secondary tariff on the country of Venezuela” in a post Monday on Truth Social in retaliation to what he characterized as Venezuela intentionally flooding the U.S. with migrants who commit crimes as gang members. He provided no evidence to support the claim.
“In addition, Venezuela has been very hostile to the United States and the Freedoms which we espouse,” Trump said. “Therefore, any Country that purchases Oil and/or Gas from Venezuela will be forced to pay a Tariff of 25% to the United States on any Trade they do with our Country.”
Trump said the tariff will go into effect on April 2, when his long-promised reciprocal tariffs affecting all countries will also begin. Calling the date “liberation day in America,” Trump has said the U.S. will respond to any nation’s tariffs on U.S. exports by imposing tariffs of the same rate on imports from that country.
However, Bloomberg reported the reciprocal tariffs will be more targeted than initially conceived, applying to roughly 15% of countries where there are trade imbalances and including no sector-specific tariffs.
Trump’s frequent use of tariffs, including levies on imports from neighboring Canada and Mexico, has rattled the stock market and stoked anxieties about the cost of the taxes being passed down to consumers.
Trump’s latest tariff threat comes after he recently cited the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport more than 200 Venezuelans whom his administration has alleged are members of the Tren de Aragua gang. A federal judge blocked Trump’s use of the 18th-century law, which has historically been invoked during times of war with foreign nations, but the deportation flights went ahead anyway.
Venezuela’s oil exports increased by 10.5% in 2024, with China accounting for 68% of Venezuela’s crude oil exports, followed by the U.S. at 23%, Spain and Cuba at 4% apiece, and Singapore, Malaysia and Russia each at less than 1%, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Recent U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and the regime of President Nicolás Murado have resulted in less Venezuelan crude oil imported by the U.S., which was previously the largest importer of Venezuelan crude oil.