Trump, a Republican who will take office on Jan. 20, had pledged to impose 10% tariffs on global imports to the United States, along with a 60% tariff on Chinese goods, rates that trade experts say , would disrupt trade flows, raise costs and provoke retaliation against US exports.
The reported new plan would represent a marked departure from promises Trump made during the 2024 presidential campaign.
A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the newspaper’s reporting.
Advisers said plans are in flux and have not been finalized, according to the newspaper.
It is not clear which sectors the tariffs will target.
“Preliminary discussions have largely focused on several key sectors that Trump’s team wants to bring back to the United States,” these people said, according to The Washington Post.
“Those include the defense industrial supply chain (through tariffs on steel, iron, aluminum and copper); critical medical supplies (syringes, needles, vials and pharmaceutical materials); and energy production (batteries, rare earth minerals and even solar panels),” two of the people said, according to the outlet.
