PenguinsAgainstTrump: Tariffs on remote island spark online movement

Donald Trump’s tariffs on a group of barren, uninhabited islands is facing an unlikely online resistance from the penguins who live there, according to a whimsical viral trend.

Heard Island and McDonald Islands, which form an external territory of Australia in the southern Indian Ocean, are among the most remote places on Earth – and are inhabited only by penguins and seals.

Despite having no human inhabitants or imports or exports, last week the US president hit the territory with a 10% tariff on goods bound for the US.

The islands, which are accessible only by a two-week boat voyage from Perth on Australia’s west coast, are believed to have last been visited by people 10 years ago.

The news has since sparked playful resistance online, with the hashtag #PenguinsAgainstTrump trending on social media.

A viral account on the platform Threads, which has more than 79,000 followers so far is also gaining traction online.

The account called “Penguins Against Trump” claims to be run by a group of the flightless birds living on the Heard and McDonald Islands.

Some of the posts written include digs at Vice President JD Vance and the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth and the recent Signal chat scandal.

“Remember folks, not only has he tariffed penguins, but his Defense Secretary spilled the krill on top-secret military operations,” one post read.

“Even the penguins are aware of it.”

Another read: “JD Vance is just mad he can’t mock us for not wearing a suit or tux,” in a jibe at the vice president’s remarks during President Volodymyr Zelensky’ recent visit to the White House.

The account has also thanked former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz “for noticing the struggles of the average penguin”, after the Minnesota governor joked that Mr Trump has “picked an adversary he thinks he can beat: an island of penguins”.

Another standout post reads: “What are you gonna do, deport us? We’ve been dealing with ICE for centuries.”

Meanwhile on X, formerly Twitter, a number of posts using #PenguinsAgainstTrump show images and videos of penguins preparing to fight back.

These include a picture of a penguin with a rifle and another with a machete, while one image shows a penguin teaching fellow birds its war plan.

The US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick defended the country’s decision to the impose tariffs on Heard Island and McDonald Islands, saying it was to close loopholes to stop countries from shipping through the islands to the US.

“If you leave anything off the list, the countries that try to basically arbitrage America go through those countries to us,” Mr Lutnick told the BBC.

“The president knows that, he’s tired of it, and he’s going to fix that.”

Mr Trump, who announced import tariffs ranging from 10% to 49% last Wednesday, said the move would allow the US to flourish economically.