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Trump threatens 100% duties on Barbies: clash with Mattel, but exemptions for luxury cars

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US president proposes punitive tariffs on toys, while facilitating imports of British extra-luxury vehicles

100% duties on Barbies: this is the shock proposal put forward by US President Donald Trump, set to hit leading toy company Mattel hard. The announcement came during the presentation of the trade agreement with the UK, where instead a tariff exemption is planned for the import of luxury cars, including Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Jaguar.

According to CNN, while Trump proposes a symbolic cap on the number of Barbie dolls American children should own, the deal with London reduces tariffs on the first 100,000 British cars imported each year to 10%, leaving tariffs on additional vehicles at 25%. ‘I will never ask to build a Rolls-Royce here. It’s a special car, produced in limited numbers,’ the president said from the Oval Office.

At the same event, however, Trump harshly attacked Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz after the latter explained that producing toys in America would make prices unaffordable for consumers. The chairman’s response was sharp: ‘We will levy 100 per cent duty on his toys and he will not sell a single one in the US, which is their main market. I would not like to have him as an executive for too long’.

Figures released by S&P Global Mobility and the US Department of Commerce show that the UK exported around 90,000 cars to the US in 2024, worth a total of $12.3 billion, with an average price per vehicle of over $135,000.

The deal, according to many observers, benefits high-end manufacturers and leaves out more popular consumer goods. ‘Trump has made it cheaper to import cars that few Americans can afford, while maintaining barriers on popular consumer products,’ notes CNN.

Mattel’s CEO, meanwhile, reiterated to Cnbc that the company does not intend to move production to the US, confirming that the imposition of duties could significantly raise the cost of toys. A move that – as the American press points out – risks hitting US families, making products such as Barbie and Hot Wheels less affordable.

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