Trump Hits Lesotho With Record Tariff, Threatening Economy of Tiny African Kingdom

How a small African nation scrambled to appease Trump on tariffs

A State Department memo offers a revealing look at how Lesotho appealed to the Trump administration to stave off the worst.

Trump's tariffs are an extra hard blow for debt-ridden countries, not least for Lesotho, whose textile exports to American Levi's and Wrangler are hit by a 50 percent tariff.

Lesotho: the tiny African nation in the crosshairs of Trump's tariff war

"Nobody has ever heard of" Lesotho, Donald Trump said last month with his trademark braggadocio.That's despite the US' diplomatic mission in the Kingdom of Lesotho, a tiny mountainous enclave surrounded by South Africa. But the US president has since ensured that everyone has heard of Lesotho by imposing a 50% "reciprocal" levy on imports from the impoverished nation: the highest of his so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs. The 'denim capital of A…

Let’s talk: Lesotho seeks phone call with Donald Trump after being slapped with highest tariffs

The country that makes Levi’s jeans, Trump’s golf shirts: Why Potus tariffed nation ‘nobody has heard of’

Lesotho, the small kingdom that produces Levi's jeans and Trump’s golf shirts, faces heavy tariffs from President Trump. While neighboring countries in southern Africa are also facing tariffs ranging from 10% to 37%, Lesotho was hit the hardest with a staggering 50%, according to a report

🔒 Worldview: Trump's 'reciprocal tariffs' on Africa - SA braces for trade fallout, Lesotho hit hardest with 50% blow

Key topics: Lesotho hit hardest as US imposes steep reciprocal tariffs South Africa and others brace for major trade and job losses Trump’s tariff shift challenges decades of US-Africa trade ties Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here. Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offeri…