• President Trump announced a 100% tariff on imported branded pharmaceuticals unless companies establish U.S. manufacturing plants.
• A 25% tariff on heavy-duty trucks and a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture are set to take effect on October 1.
• The tariffs aim to protect U.S. manufacturers and counteract foreign competition, citing national security concerns.

On September 25, 2025, President Donald Trump revealed a new series of tariffs focused on a range of imported goods, prominently including a 100% tariff on branded or patented pharmaceuticals. This tariff will come into effect on October 1, unless companies are actively building manufacturing plants in the U.S. that are either "breaking ground" or "under construction," according to posts made by Trump on his social media platform Bloomberg, Reuters, and Channel News Asia.

In addition to pharmaceuticals, Trump announced a 25% tariff on heavy-duty trucks and a 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities. Furthermore, upholstered furniture will incur a 30% tariff. He justified these tariffs by claiming they are necessary to protect U.S. manufacturers from what he described as the "large-scale flooding" of imported goods, stating, "We need our Truckers to be financially healthy and strong, for many reasons, but above all else, for National Security purposes!" according to BBC, CBS News, and Bangkok Post.

These tariffs come amid heightened concerns about U.S. reliance on imported goods and a perception of unfair competition from foreign companies. The move has triggered immediate backlash and speculation regarding potential impacts on pricing for essential goods, especially pharmaceuticals, with analysts predicting that these tariffs could result in price doubling for some medicines, impacting consumers significantly. The pharmaceutical sector, which heavily relies on imports from countries like Ireland and Switzerland, may face unprecedented challenges, according to insights from Al Jazeera and Los Angeles Times.

Trump has positioned these tariffs within a broader framework of national security, under which the administration has previously conducted probes into various import categories. Economists suggest that while the tariffs may aim to bolster U.S. manufacturing, they could inadvertently drive up costs for consumers and complicate relationships with key trading partners, as noted by Reuters and NPR.