• In this January 26, 2015 photo, a Gentoo penguin waddles past on the shore of Punta Hanna, Livingston Island, South Shetland Island archipelago, Antarctica. (AP)

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Sunday stood by President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs, even when questioned about fees targeting uninhabited islands populated solely by penguins.

In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Rollins was pressed on why Heard and McDonald Islands—remote, wildlife-rich territories with no residents, imports, or exports—were included in the tariff rollout.

"The Heard and McDonald islands have zero human inhabitants. They had zero exports," said host Jake Tapper. "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?"

Rollins replied, "Come on, Jake. Obviously, here's the bottom line. We live under a tariff regime from other countries. We have too long ceded the idea that America goes first." She added dismissively, "I mean, come on, whatever. Listen, the people that are leading this are serious, intentional, patriotic."

The wider context

Trump’s plan, announced Wednesday, sets a 10% baseline tariff for all nations and applies reciprocal tariffs to roughly 60 countries he claims are major contributors to the US trade deficit. The Heard and McDonald Islands appeared toward the end of the White House’s official tariff chart, shared on X.

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US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also addressed the controversy Sunday, stating the administration didn’t want to leave any territory uncovered that could potentially become a trade loophole.

“Basically [Trump] said, look, I can't let any part of the world be a place where China or other countries can ship through them,” Lutnick explained. “So he ended those loopholes, these ridiculous loopholes.”

Located between Australia, South Africa, and Antarctica, the islands are known for their untouched ecosystems, volcanic activity, and dense populations of seabirds, seals, and penguins. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, they are protected for their biodiversity and isolation from human impact.

While Trump argues the tariffs will bolster domestic production, economists warn the strategy may backfire. In the two trading days following the announcement, the Dow Jones fell 9.2%, the S&P 500 dropped 10.5%, and the Nasdaq plunged 11.4%, signaling investor concern that the tariffs could raise consumer costs and shake economic stability.

Trump won't back down from tariffs despite market crash: Axios

Axios reported on Sunday that senior officials in the Trump administration showed no intention of backing down from the president's sweeping new tariff plan, even after global markets suffered massive losses. Investors saw over $6 trillion wiped out on Thursday and Friday alone, raising alarm that the upcoming days could bring even greater turmoil unless the administration steps in to ease trade tensions.

Despite those warnings, Trump's economic team appeared across major Sunday talk shows to reaffirm that the tariff policy will move forward as planned. There will be no delays, no last-minute adjustments, and certainly no reversals.

"The tariffs are coming. He announced it, and he wasn't kidding. The tariffs are coming, of course they are," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on CBS's Face the Nation.

Meanwhile, on NBC's Meet the Press, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed any suggestion that the administration was open to revising the approach: "No. No, no, no. I think that we are going to have to see the path forward. Because, you know, after 20, 30, 40, 50 years of bad behavior, you can't just wipe the slate clean."

Read more: Saudi market plunges nearly 7% after US tariffs shake investors