Donald Trump dropped his “Liberation Day” tariff bombshell on April 2, 2025, and people are losing it online over one bizarre detail.
The President’s pushing these global fees, claiming taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years.”
Yesterday, he laid it out: every country’s getting at least a 10 percent tariff, with China facing up to 54 percent.
The UK’s catching a lighter 10 percent hit, and talks are brewing between Trump and PM Keir Starmer for a deal.
But here’s the kicker—some tariffs are landing on islands with no humans at all.
Yep, Trump’s economic flex includes taxing spots ruled by penguins and seals.
Take the Heard and McDonald Islands in the Antarctic—they’re stuck with a 10 percent tariff.
You can only feel for Pingu, Happy Feet and co, how could they have seen this coming?
Lucky for them, they’re not the “worst offenders” racking up higher rates.
Spanning 372 km², these islands prove that no one—or no thing—escapes Trump’s tariff spree, even sea critters chilling in the water most days.
Officials and media didn’t hold back, roasting the move to tax these Indian Ocean specks.
The islands sit two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica, 4,100km off Perth, Australia.
A White House official told Axios it’s fair game since it’s Aussie territory. Flip your globe upside down—you might spot these tiny dots.
Anthony Scaramucci took to X, joking, “The penguins have been ripping us off for years.”
Ex-Congressman Tom Malinowski added: “The Heard Island and McDonald penguins have been taking advantage of us for too long – it’s about time we stood up to them!”
The Washington Post’s National Security editor chimed in: “For far too long, the penguins on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands in the Antarctic have ripped off American taxpayers. That ends today.”
Folks online couldn’t believe it either.
One user asked: “Trump has put a 10 percent tariff on the Heard Island and McDonald which has a population of ZERO people and is inhabited only by penguins. What do the penguins sell to the USA?”
Another jabbed: “Y’all thought being a penguin would protect you from Trump’s tariffs. Guess again.”
A third quipped: “Imagine being a penguin living on an island with no people, and no industry, and suddenly being forced to look for a job in order to pay for Trump’s tariffs?”
Penguins of Madagascar GIFs, Happy Feet clips, and Surf’s Up memes are flooding feeds as people revel in the madness.