Penguins, seals, and a trade war: Antarctica isn’t safe from Trump’s tariffs

The list of places that will be hit by the Trump administration's harsh measures also includes a group of barren and uninhabited volcanic islands near Antarctica

Penguins and seals. Seals and penguins. And maybe whatever’s left of the melting glaciers. Two tiny, remote Antarctic outposts — inhabited only by these animals — have become unlikely targets in the latest wave of tariffs unleashed by the Trump administration.

The islands in question are Heard Island and McDonald Islands, an uninhabited Australian territory that now faces a 10% import duty under the new U.S. trade policy.

These islands are located more than 2,500 miles (about 4,000 kilometers) southwest of Australia and are only accessible by boat from Perth. Human visitors are so rare that it’s possible no one has set foot on them in nearly a decade.

Yet, in his sweeping and blunt blueprint for reshaping global trade, Donald Trump included these icy, isolated patches in a list of territories he accuses of imposing “unfair trade barriers on American products.”

Unfair trade barriers on American products

So, like the rest of Australia, the Heard and McDonald Islands — along with the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island — are now subject to a 10% tariff. Meanwhile, Norfolk Island, also an Australian territory and home to around 2,200 people, was hit with a 29% tariff.

And it doesn’t stop there. The Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, the British-controlled Falkland Islands, and the British Indian Ocean Territory have also been slapped with tariffs.

No place on earth is safe

“No place on Earth is safe,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese — and he may not be wrong. This new trade regime is threatening to ignite a global trade war that could wipe billions off global economic growth.

The penguin memes are glorious

Naturally, Trump’s Antarctic tariffs have become meme fuel across social media, where viral posts featuring confused and outraged penguins have turned the absurdity into internet gold.