Donald Trump has never confirmed whether he prefers Marvel or DC, but given his fondness for gaudy towers, daddy issues, and eternal grievance, one might wager that his favourite caped crusader is Batman — a disgustingly wealthy vigilante who gets his kicks roughing up mentally ill people in alleyways. So it comes as no surprise that Trump appears to share Bruce Wayne’s deep disdain for the Penguin — except instead of Gotham’s monocled mobster, he’s gone after the real deal: tuxedoed, fish-loving birds.
On 2 April 2025, during what he dubbed “Liberation Day,” Trump announced a sweeping new 10% tariff on all US trade partners — including, for reasons known only to the ghosts of tariffs past, the Heard and McDonald Islands , a remote Australian external territory located in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean. These islands, population: zero, are home solely to penguins, seals, and the occasional bewildered seabird. No humans. No trade. Just squawking, flapping wildlife.
That didn’t stop Trump, who dramatically unveiled the tariff list via laminated chart, pointing with the gusto of a man announcing the invention of fire. A White House official clarified that the islands were included because they were technically Australian territory. Perhaps Trump thought “McDonald” was a reference to his favourite fast-food franchise. Either way, the message was clear: no one — not man, beast, nor bird — is safe from MAGA’s mighty wall of “reciprocal tariffs.”
Naturally, the internet responded the way it always does: with memes, mockery, and full-blown mania.
“Trump administration has put a 10 percent tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands… which has a population of 0 people and is inhabited only by penguins.” — @TheMaineWonk
“I just want one reporter to ask Karoline Leavitt why Trump placed tariffs on islands only inhabited by penguins… I want to hear how she spins that one.” — @covie_93
“The majestic Penguin has become the first nonhuman in history to enter a trade war with the United States.” — @YourAnonCentral
“Trump got tough with penguins before Putin. What a f**** clown.” — @JackCocchiarella
“Look, MAGA… if you can defend Trump imposing tariffs on islands that have no people, but a few thousand penguins, and no tariffs whatsoever… go ahead. Defend it. I dare you.” — @neoavatara
Memes poured in, featuring Skipper from Madagascar saluting, penguins holding protest signs, and even mock White House communiqués accusing the Emperor Penguin of being a “flightless freeloader.”
The Australian government, while baffled, responded with studied calm. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated with just the right touch of sarcasm, “Nowhere on earth is safe.” He added, “These tariffs are not unexpected, but they are unwarranted. Many other countries will be hit harder by today’s decision than Australia — and no nation is better prepared than Australia.”
Heard and McDonald Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are described as “one of the wildest and remotest places on Earth.” According to the Australian Antarctic Program, it takes roughly 10 days by sea to reach them from Fremantle, Western Australia. Even the wildlife has better things to do than worry about international trade policy .
Yet here we are: in a timeline where penguins, already grappling with climate change, melting ice caps, and nosy researchers, now find themselves in a trade war with the world’s largest economy. If there’s one thing to take away from this saga, it’s that in Trump’s America, no one — not man, beast, nor bird — is safe from the ever-expanding reach of “reciprocal tariffs.”
On 2 April 2025, during what he dubbed “Liberation Day,” Trump announced a sweeping new 10% tariff on all US trade partners — including, for reasons known only to the ghosts of tariffs past, the Heard and McDonald Islands , a remote Australian external territory located in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean. These islands, population: zero, are home solely to penguins, seals, and the occasional bewildered seabird. No humans. No trade. Just squawking, flapping wildlife.
That didn’t stop Trump, who dramatically unveiled the tariff list via laminated chart, pointing with the gusto of a man announcing the invention of fire. A White House official clarified that the islands were included because they were technically Australian territory. Perhaps Trump thought “McDonald” was a reference to his favourite fast-food franchise. Either way, the message was clear: no one — not man, beast, nor bird — is safe from MAGA’s mighty wall of “reciprocal tariffs.”
Naturally, the internet responded the way it always does: with memes, mockery, and full-blown mania.
“Trump administration has put a 10 percent tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands… which has a population of 0 people and is inhabited only by penguins.” — @TheMaineWonk
“I just want one reporter to ask Karoline Leavitt why Trump placed tariffs on islands only inhabited by penguins… I want to hear how she spins that one.” — @covie_93
“The majestic Penguin has become the first nonhuman in history to enter a trade war with the United States.” — @YourAnonCentral
“Trump got tough with penguins before Putin. What a f**** clown.” — @JackCocchiarella
“Look, MAGA… if you can defend Trump imposing tariffs on islands that have no people, but a few thousand penguins, and no tariffs whatsoever… go ahead. Defend it. I dare you.” — @neoavatara
unprecedented protests this morning on heard and macdonald islands, as the population rises up against trump imposition of 10% across the board tariffs. pic.twitter.com/eOtsJ8uH5I
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) April 3, 2025
Memes poured in, featuring Skipper from Madagascar saluting, penguins holding protest signs, and even mock White House communiqués accusing the Emperor Penguin of being a “flightless freeloader.”
The Australian government, while baffled, responded with studied calm. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated with just the right touch of sarcasm, “Nowhere on earth is safe.” He added, “These tariffs are not unexpected, but they are unwarranted. Many other countries will be hit harder by today’s decision than Australia — and no nation is better prepared than Australia.”
Heard and McDonald Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are described as “one of the wildest and remotest places on Earth.” According to the Australian Antarctic Program, it takes roughly 10 days by sea to reach them from Fremantle, Western Australia. Even the wildlife has better things to do than worry about international trade policy .
Yet here we are: in a timeline where penguins, already grappling with climate change, melting ice caps, and nosy researchers, now find themselves in a trade war with the world’s largest economy. If there’s one thing to take away from this saga, it’s that in Trump’s America, no one — not man, beast, nor bird — is safe from the ever-expanding reach of “reciprocal tariffs.”
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