‘Nowhere on Earth is safe’: Trump imposes 10% tariffs on island inhabited ‘only penguins’ | World News

When US President Donald Trump stepped up to the White House Rose Garden podium to announce what he called “Liberation Day tariffs,” he announced that the ‘Great America’ has been ‘looted, pillaged, raped and plundered nations’ for years. However, it was a unimaginable that even uninhabited islands with only ‘penguins’ would find themselves on the receiving end of his new trade policy for being the ‘culprits’.Heard Island and McDonald Islands, a group of remote, barren, volcanic islands in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean—despite the fact that no one lives there, got included in a baseline 10 per cent tariff imposed on all trade partners.
According to Axios, the islands were added to the tariff l simply because they are Australian territory. During his speech, Trump presented a chart outlining the affected countries and territories, while printed sheets dributed to reporters claimed that Heard and McDonald Islands already impose a 10 per cent “tariff to the USA” due to “currency manipulation and trade barriers.” The US, in turn, implemented “discounted reciprocal tariffs” at the same rate.
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Australian Prime Miner Anthony Albanese responded to the announcement with a sharp rebuke, declaring, “Nowhere on Earth is safe.”
On X (formerly Twitter), he reassured Australians, “These are uncertain times—but all Australians can be certain of this: we will always stand up for Australian jobs, Australian industry, Australian consumers, and Australian values.”
He acknowledged that the tariffs were “not unexpected” but called them “unwarranted.”
Tariff on Penguins?
The Australian government website describes Heard and McDonald Islands as “one of the wildest and remotest places on Earth.” The Australian Antarctic Program notes that reaching the islands requires a 10-day voyage from Western Australia, weather permitting.Story continues below this ad

The islands serve as an untouched habitat for penguins, seals, and seabirds, some of which are classified as conservation species at both national and international levels.
Despite the islands being uninhabited and unvisited for nearly a decade, they are now subject to Trump’s new tariffs—along with mainland Australia.
Adding to the confusion, export figures from Heard and McDonald Islands suggest that the US has been importing goods from the uninhabited territory—despite its lack of infrastructure, buildings, or human residents.
While the islands do have a fishery, World Bank data shows that in 2022 alone, the US imported US$1.4 million (A$2.23 million) worth of products from the territory. Even more strangely, nearly all of these imports were classified under “machinery and electrical”—raising questions about what exactly was being shipped from the desolate, ice-covered region, a report from The Guardian stated.Story continues below this ad

In the five years prior, US imports from Heard and McDonald Islands fluctuated between US$15,000 (A$24,000) and US$325,000 (A$518,000) per year—making the 2022 spike even more perplexing.
In addition to Heard and McDonald Islands, other Australian external territories hit with tariffs include: Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Chrmas Island and Norfolk Island.
Norfolk Island, home to 2,188 residents, was subjected to a 29 per cent tariff—19 percentage points higher than the rest of Australia.
Reacting to which, Australian PM said, “Norfolk Island has got a 29 per cent tariff. I’m not quite sure that Norfolk Island, with respect to it, is a trade competitor with the giant economy of the United States, but that just shows and exemplifies the fact that nowhere on earth is safe from this.”