Trump’s April 2025 “Liberation Day” Terrible Tariffs Tantrum spared no nation, not even Heard Island and the McDonald Islands, a remote Australian territory near Antarctica with no recorded exports and mostly penguins as permanent residents.
Nevertheless, Trump slapped a baseline 10% tariff on (whatever) imports from those islands.
As satirically reported at the time, one of the reasons given for such drastic measures on the penguin population was that “for decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by penguins near and far.”
Specifically, according to the satire piece, Trump warned, “Should the Heard Island and McDonald Islands penguins retaliate against the United States in response to this action, I will fly all the penguins to an undisclosed, tropical location for intensive re-education.” And, he added, “they can forget about any swimming, walking or toboggan activities.”
Four months later, one must wonder if El Salvador’s mega prison and Alligator Alcatraz were already a glim in Trump’s eye.
While, by hook or by crook, Trump has now convinced several countries to submit to his demands, there is no official word that the Heard Island and McDonald Islands penguins have compromised their pride and principles.
As of August 1, 2025, there has been no reported agreement on tariffs between Trump and the islands.
A July 31, White House Executive Order “Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates” for about 70 countries did not include the Islands.
However, that is not to say that there has not been tremendous pressure placed on the penguins of Heard Island and McDonald Islands.
According to the White House, many letters have been sent to some of the 200 countries (and islands) targeted by Trump.
As recent as July 8, 2025, Shane Wright at the Sidney Morning Herald reported that “The penguins of Heard and McDonald Islands are back quaking in their flippers as they await a tariff letter from Donald Trump.”
Wright posts a letter purportedly sent by Trump to “Their Flippered Majesties, The Penguins and Seals of Heard and McDonald Islands.”
Part of the letter, originally posted by Justin Wolfers on “X,” reads:
Beginning Ausgust1, 2025, the United States will impose a Homestead tariff of 36% on all imported penguin goods and seal services, including, but not limited to flipperwear, blubber-based moisturizers and frozen novelty fish.
The Trump letter emphasizes that the tariff is not personal but rather “patriotic” and warns: “Should you decide to retaliate by, say, slapping export duties on Antarctic winds or refusing to swim past our research stations, we will increase the tariffs accordingly.”
Trump does offer a (frozen) carrot:
Should your colonies decide to establish ice-based manufacturing facilities in, say, Scranton or Tulsa, we will do everything possible to expedite permits for snow factories and herring logistics hubs.
Stay tuned.