The internet poked fun at the Trump administration’s decision to impose new tariffs on Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Australian territories near Antarctica where many penguins but no people live.

This week, social media erupted after Trump’s April tariff announcements led to penguin tariff memes spreading like wildfire. On April 2, 2025, the president declared a national economic emergency and imposed sweeping new tariffs, starting at 10%, on imports from nearly every country.

Pundits and social media users quickly mocked the Trump administration for imposing tariffs on islands that are unoccupied by humans and questioned whether any research went into enacting the tariffs. The Heard and McDonald Islands are also home to Australia’s two active volcanoes.