Trump imposes 20% blanket tariffs on the EU. Could potential counter measures impact WA?
President Donald Trump announced a sweeping tariff plan impacting imports to the United States during a speech earlier this week. The plan, announced on Wednesday, April 2, includes a 10% baseline tariff on all imports into the country, plus additional targeted tariffs, taking full effect within a week.
Imports from the European Union will be hit with a 20% tariff, 24% will be applied to imports from Japan, 25% for imports from South Korea, 34% for imports from China and 46% on imports from Vietnam, according to a chart shown during Wednesday’s speech.
The announcement follows another set of tariffs imposed by Trump in March targeting Mexico, Canada and China.
After his April 2 announcement, Trump signed an Executive Order outlining the additional tariffs impacting nearly all U.S. trade partners.
Tariffs impact on Washington
Trade plays a significant role in Washington state’s economy. The Evergreen State exported over $57 billion worth of goods in 2024, the ninth most of any state, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. The state also imported over $62 billion in goods, according to the International Trade Administration.
“The arbitrary tariffs imposed this week by the federal government are a direct threat to affordability and prosperity for families, communities, and businesses across Washington state,” Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said in a statement released on Friday, April 4.
Ferguson noted that Washington is one of the most trade-dependent states in the country, and that the tariffs’ impacts will create economic hardship for the state.
“Our businesses, communities, and trading partners tell me this senseless trade war is making it very challenging to hire or plan for the future,” Ferguson stated. “It is making our ports and product exports less competitive around the globe. And it is damaging relationships that have been decades in the making.”
While the full effects of the new policy won’t be known until potential retaliatory tariffs are announced and we get a better sense of how trade as a whole is impacted, a recent analysis from the Centers for American Progress estimates that the tariffs could cost the average American household as much as $5,200 a year.
Here are the goods and industries in Washington that could be affected by the tariffs on the European Union.
Washington’s top EU imports
The new round of tariffs include a 20% tariff on most imports from the European Union.
In 2024, Washington state imported $4.1 billion worth of goods from the European Union, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The most expensive goods were in the machinery and nuclear reactor category, totaling nearly $890 million. Inorganic chemicals accounted for over $704 million of imports, through enriched uranium, plutonium and similar materials.
Another $310 million went toward vehicles and parts, and nearly $267 million went toward electric machinery.
Other top trade categories included:
- Aircraft and parts - $213.8 million
Optic, medical and photo instruments - $213.1 million
Furniture, etc. - $176.36 million
Wood products - $163.2 million
Beverages (primarily grape wine, ethyl alcohol/spirits and malt beer) - $115.8 million
Pharmaceutical products - $109.97 million
Washington’s top EU exports
While the tariffs from Trump target U.S. imports, exports could soon be targeted as well through retaliatory tariffs. In a public statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union is prepared with countermeasures if negotiations with the Trump administration are unsuccessful.
Von der Leyen called Trump’s tariff plan a “major blow to the world economy.”
The EU was already planning to impose counter tariffs for Trump’s previous actions, according to von der Leyen. Reuters reported this plan would impact up to $28.4 billion of American goods. With these latest tariffs, the commission president said further countermeasures are being prepared, but did not give details on such measures.
It’s unclear what trade categories could be included in counter tariffs from the European Union. Reporting by Reuters suggests oil and gas exports, as well as pharmaceuticals, likely will not be targeted.
In 2024, the state of Washington exported over $6 billion in goods throughout the European Union, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Over half a billion of these goods were in the optic, medical and photo instrument trade category, totaling $538 million.
The second-largest export category was machinery and nuclear reactors, at $454.8 million, followed by electric machinery at $310.9 million.
Other top export categories from Washington state to the European Union in 2024 were:
Pharmaceutical products - $198.89 million
Fish, crustaceans and aquatic invertebrates - $176.85 million
Miscellaneous grains and plants; oil seeds - $131.3 million
Articles of stone and other mineral substances - $108.4 million
Miscellaneous chemical products - $99.49 million
Aluminum and aluminum articles - $87.2 million
Plastic and plastic articles - $64.48 million
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM.