Washington, Sept. 26 -- President Donald Trump said the United States will impose a 25 percent tariff on imports of heavy-duty trucks beginning October 1, the latest in a fast-expanding web of border taxes that now reaches into pharmaceuticals, furniture and building fixtures. In the same package, the White House set a 100 percent tariff on branded and patented drugs, a 50 percent tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, and a 30 percent tariff on upholstered furniture, all with the same effective date, a timeline confirmed by a detailed dispatch from Reuters.

Officials cast the move as a shield for domestic producers after what they describe as years of unfair competition. The White House argues that the combined measures will ...