Photo: Penguins stage a demonstration on Heard Island, protesting new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Journalists Caroline Haskins and Leah Feiger published an article on WIRED.com on April 2, 2025:
Trump Tariffs Hit Antarctic Islands Inhabited by Zero Humans and Many Penguins
At first, I wondered if the story was accidentally published a day too late? Maybe it should have run on April 1?
But it seems a surprising number of media outlets shared the same story, following President Trump’s press conference at the White House on Wednesday, April 2, which he officially designated as ‘Liberation Day’.
Maybe the speech could have been held a day earlier as well? But that’s a story for another day.
Speaking in the Rose Garden, the President announced the countries now subject to tariffs, sharing a poster that listed some of the affected countries. Additional countries were listed on sheets of paper distributed to reporters…
…including the Heard and McDonald Islands… which are, incidentally, not countries. The insignificant islands are generally considered part of Antarctica, and are inhabited only by penguins and other seafaring animals. The Australian Antarctic Division conducts research on the large wildlife population.
We should clarify. The islands are ‘insignificant’ to most of us, but are very significant to the penguins who live there.
And apparently, they are not insignificant to the Trump administration. The administration claims that the Heard and McDonald Islands currently charge a “Tariff to the U.S.A.” of 10 percent, explaining that this includes “currency manipulation and trade barriers.” In return, the U.S. will charge “discounted reciprocal tariffs” on the islands, at a rate of 10 percent.
Our Daily Post editor located a photograph of a quickly-organized protest demonstration held on Heard Island on April 3, after the news of the tariffs hit the island.
A spokesperson for the penguins offered this statement:
“We have a great deal of respect for President Trump and his advisors, and we understand that the American economy is currently in a precarious position. Those of us living on the Heard and McDonald Islands have experienced our own economic struggles, which have led us to erect trade barriers and engage in currency manipulation, just as the U.S. government has been doing for decades.
“But new tariffs are not, in our opinion, the best way of dealing with these problems.
“Our proposal to President Trump: we are willing to completely eliminate all tariffs on American-made products, if the U.S. will meet us halfway and eliminate at least some of its own tariffs.
“We have always tried to remain on a friendly basis with the American people, although most of them have never heard of our islands. And we can’t recall an American President ever visiting us. But we now officially extend an invitation to President Trump to pay us a visit, so we can, together, negotiate a friendlier relationship. We understand President Trump is a skilled negotiator, and we look forward to engaging with him, face to face.”
In related news, Australia and a number of its island territories, including Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands, were also hit with tariffs of 10 percent.
Norfolk Island, which Australia also claims as a territory, got a tariff of 29 percent. Norfolk Island was formerly a British penal colony.
From the April 2 WIRED article about Heard and McDonald Islands:
The White House did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
Which is understandable. The administration is pretty busy these days.