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US President Donald Trump’s decisions regarding foreign trade have shaped the international agenda since his return to the White House last January. The tariffs imposed on Mexico and other countries have led to adjustments in supply chains and export flows .

The term “tariff,” included in the Dictionary of Authorities since 1726, has shifted from technical usage to everyday use, the foundation noted in a statement. The current geopolitical context has made it a recurring word in the media and in social conversations .

The FundéuRAE pointed out that tariff is used to refer, in the field of trade policy, to the amount charged for the importation of certain products, while the Dictionary of the Spanish language defines it as the “official tariff determining the rights that must be paid in various services, such as court costs, customs, etc., or established to remunerate certain professionals” .

The word “tariff” prevailed over 11 other candidates related to energy, the environment, and international conflicts. With this selection, FundéuRAE has now held its “Word of the Year” initiative for 13 years.

Tariff, Trump’s favorite word

Donald Trump has been using what he calls his favorite word for decades. “I always say that tariffs is the most beautiful word in the dictionary to me,” he declared at a rally in the Capital One Arena hours after he took office for the second time as President of the United States in January 2015.

The first recorded use of the word “tariff” by Donald Trump dates back to 1988, following an auction of a piano used in the film Casablanca , which he lost to a Japanese collector. On that occasion, Trump declared on television that Japan should be subject to a tariff of between 15 and 25 percent on its imports, in response to the remarkable economic growth the country was experiencing at the time.

More than 30 years later, few issues have defined Trump’s presidency as much as the imposition of tariffs. In February, he announced a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada , as well as a 10% tariff on imports from China, arguing that it was necessary to curb fentanyl trafficking. The measure took effect in March.

In that same month, it reported that steel and aluminum imports would have a 25% tariff and in April it consolidated the strategy of reciprocal tariffs applied to most countries of the world , which ranged from 10 to 50%, with China in particular, it experienced an escalation of tariff impositions that reached up to 145%, which generated immediate tensions in the supply chains and in the current trade agreements.

In June, Trump strengthened the so-called fentanyl tariffs applied to Mexico, Canada, and China. In September, he conditioned the delivery of water along the border with Mexico on the imposition of a five percent tariff. Finally, in December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that revenue from the new tariffs exceeded $200 billion .

More than just the word of the year, “tariff” signified a reconfiguration of the global economy, foreign trade, and supply chains. It also demonstrated how a technical term can become central to public discourse and a reflection of global economic tensions .

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