Trump tariffs include remote Australian islands ^{CEFR B2}

New US tariffs announced under President Donald Trump included several unexpected entries: remote Australian territories that have little or no trade with the United States. Norfolk Island was assigned a 29 percent tariff, despite reports that it has no exports to the USA and a population of approximately 2,000 people. The island is known for Norfolk pine trees, scenic beaches and tourism; it was a British penal settlement until 1855 and has an unusually low recorded crime rate, with one murder in 2002 described as the only such case in the last 150 years.

• Norfolk Island — 29 percent tariff; tourism-based economy.
• Heard and McDonald islands — 10 percent tariff; uninhabited and home to penguins.
• Heard and McDonald require about a two-week sea voyage to reach.

Some commentators and social media users argued the listings resulted from errors in trade data, noting that shipments can be mislabelled and mixed up with places like Norfolk, Virginia or Norfolk in the UK. The announcements sparked jokes and criticism across Reddit, Mastodon, TikTok and other platforms. Media outlets highlighted the contrast between tariffs on penguin-inhabited islands and exemptions for some countries, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer posted on Threads: "Donald Trump slapped tariffs on penguins and not on Putin." A Reuters YouTube video gave a short summary, and officials have not yet announced what administrative steps will follow to correct any apparent errors.