The move didn’t come as a huge surprise to automakers. An executive at one of the automakers, who spoke on background to CNN on Wednesday, said they had already been working with the assumption that auto tariffs would take effect next week.
“We were all kind of expecting April 2 to be our day,” said the auto executive. “But if the Trump administration has shown us anything, I mean, things are unexpected.”
United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain said he supports the tariffs. “We applaud the Trump administration for stepping up to end the free trade disaster that has devastated working class communities for decades,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Ending the race to the bottom in the auto industry starts with fixing our broken trade deals, and the Trump administration has made history with today’s actions.”