President Donald Trump‘s Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was confronted during a CNN interview on Sunday over why the administration has levied tariffs on islands only inhabited by penguins.

Newsweek reached out to the Department of Agriculture for comment from Rollins on Sunday.

Why It Matters

The tariffs are part of a new plan announced by Trump last week on what he dubbed “Liberation Day.” The plan included a universal 10 percent tariff on all imports from countries and higher tariffs on dozens of others.

Tariffs targeting uninhabited volcanic Heard Island and McDonald Islands, a remote territory inhabited only by penguins, seals, and seabirds were included on Trump’s list. The move raised eyebrows, as many questioned the need for tariffs on the islands.

The administration expects the new rates to remain in place until the U.S. narrows a $1.2 trillion trade imbalance recorded last year. But the extensive list of tariffs also threatens to upend the U.S. economy, as most—but not all—economists say they amount to taxes on American companies that will be passed down to consumers.

What to Know

Rollins appeared for an interview on CNN’s State of the Union hosted by Jake Tapper on Sunday. Tapper pressed the agriculture secretary on tariffs, including questioning the reason behind the levies targeting the remote penguin-inhabited islands.

“You’re imposing a 10 percent tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands. The Heard and McDonald Islands have zero human inhabitants. They had zero exports. They had zero imports. They do have a lot of penguins. Why are you putting import tariffs on islands that are entirely populated by penguins?” the CNN anchor asked.

In response, Rollins tried to dismiss the question.

“Well, I mean, that—come on Jake. Obviously…,” she said, then chuckled. “Here’s the bottom line. We live under a tariff regime from other countries.”

Tapper interjected, saying that the islands are not “imposing” tariffs.

Rollins ignored the pushback, saying: “We have too long ceded the idea that America goes first. I mean, come on, whatever. Listen, the people that are leading this are serious and intentional, patriotic—the smartest people I ever worked with.”

She then distanced herself from the formulas used to calculate tariffs, noting that she did not “come up” with them. However, she said in her role as agriculture secretary she was involved in “a lot of conversations” to ensure farmers concerns were represented.

Rollins said Trump has the “utmost confidence in the team and what they have built and what they have put together.” She said the administration is “unleashing a new golden age.”

Trump’s Tariffs on Heard Island and McDonald Islands

The islands were included because they are Australian territory, Axios reported, citing a White House official. An informational guide to the islands on an Australian government website describes the islands as “one of the wildest and remotest places on Earth.”

The islands are accessible only via a two-week boat voyage from Perth on Australia’s west coast, per the Australian Antarctic Program. And, according to United Kingdom-based newspaper The Guardian, they have not been visited by a human in nearly 10 years.

The White House says that the islands currently impose a 10 percent “tariff to the USA,” which includes “currency manipulation and trade barriers.” In retaliation, the United States has implemented “discounted reciprocal tariffs” at the same rate.

The decision prompted a reaction from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who said: “Nowhere on Earth is safe.”

World Bank data shows that, in 2022, the U.S. imported $1.4 million worth of goods from Heard Island and McDonald Islands—mostly classified as “machinery and electrical” products, despite the fact that the island has no buildings or people. However, it does have a fishery. It is unclear what the imported products were. In the previous five years, imports ranged from $15,000 to $325,000 annually.

What People Are Saying

Ed Krassenstein, an entrepreneur and social media influencer with about 1 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, wrote: “Watch Jake Tapper completely embarrass Trump Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins moments ago on CNN,” the post shared the clip from the interview and a rough transcript of Tapper’s comments. “Her response is just ridiculous.”

President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Saturday: “THIS IS AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION, AND WE WILL WIN. HANG TOUGH, it won’t be easy, but the end result will be historic. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to CBS News Face the Nation on Sunday: “Donald Trump has been talking about this his whole life. This is Donald Trump’s agenda and we are all here to help him execute it.”

Senator Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, in a statement emailed to Newsweek last week: “Our tariff and trade policy should bring manufacturing back to the U.S., support the working class, and hold countries accountable for unfair trade practices – not enrich billionaires at the expense of hardworking Americans. The Trump Administration has a history of setting up a tariff exemption process that gives preference to donors and millionaires who can hire lobbyists….”

What Happens Next?

Trump and his allies have said there may be some temporary economic “disruption,” but that tariffs will ultimately benefit the U.S. economy and Americans.

Trading partners have responded in various ways to the newly imposed tariffs, with some announcing reciprocal measures. Others are holding off or attempting to negotiate with the Trump administration to lower the rates.

Meanwhile, the stock market reacted negatively this past week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding more than 1,500 points on back-to-back days for the first time ever. The average plunged more than 2,200 points on Friday after dropping over 1,600 on Thursday.

The president has insisted that markets will “boom” as a result of his trade war.